1. NAVCA & NCVO Change for Good
– Strengthening local
infrastructure
Taunton, 15 July 2015
2. Part one: Practical applications of
recommendations from the Commission for
Local Infrastructure and what they mean for IOs
Delegates split into five groups and reviewed one recommendation each from the Change for Good report
with the aim of establishing what they are doing against each recommendation, the support required from
BIG Assist and NAVCA and identifying any barriers or challenges.
3. Change for Good
Recommendation
What are you doing to
deliver against this?
What Support can NCVO/
Big Assist/ NAVCA provide?
Barriers/ Issues
Make sure you have the
necessary skills available to
help you navigate change
effectively, build strong
relationships, enable good
management, focus scarce
resources, demonstrate your
value and support others in
doing so.
Defining clear strategy
identifying skills gaps
creating ‘can do’ culture
creating space to horizon-
scan
Support with developing
skills
Facilitating the strategy bit
Two way communication
with policy-makers
Re-design your ‘offer’ to
focus more on brokering
relationships, especially in
co-production, the ‘time-
economy’ and with potential
corporate sector partners
which can offer pro bono
support through
volunteering, mentoring and
board members
Focus on facilitation
Try and push co-production
agenda
Do less of representation
bit- it is hard to do for whole
sector
Look at new markets S106
etc.
Bring together infrastructure
bodies to share learning
Share case studies/
examples of good practise
Broad support – easy access,
download it and read it
when you want it
4. Change for Good
Recommendation
What are you doing to
deliver against this?
What Support can NCVO/
Big Assist/ NAVCA provide?
Barriers/ Issues
Promote and support other
socially active organisations
and groups. Work together
in solidarity across local and
regional geographies, for
best possible support and
representation, to influence
decision makers at all levels.
Moving away from self-
preservation- set a common
purpose
Create active citizens
We need to ask the question
– if you closed down what
would happen?
Devon Community
Foundation – voice to the
donors – look for
opportunities to bring
collaboration
LGBT consortium- bring
members together to
collaborate and creating a
model that others may learn
from- lead by example
Support with development
of:
• Communications plan
• Marketing plan
• Measuring level of
impact
We must get support from
the governing bodies to be
able to hold them to task
too. There is a disconnect
between boards and staff-
we need to release the
ownership.
5. Change for Good
Recommendation
What are you doing to
deliver against this?
What Support can NCVO/
Big Assist/ NAVCA provide?
Barriers/ Issues
Demonstrate your social
value, economic
contribution and
communicate your impact;
to funders, your local council
and other public bodies,
local business and the
general public
• State of the sector report
(local university)- Zebra-
volunteer hours
• Human interest (impact)-
case studies/ stories-
both qualitative and
quantitative
• SCF – easily digestible
info about impact – what
funders want
• Simplicity – infographics/
shortlist of info/
summaries
• Priorities – funders and
members – not general
public
• How our services work
use Theory of Change
• Support with
communications strategy
• Learning from each other
• Funders are asking for
Theory of Change
• Share/open data
• Find good practise
awards as impact
• Good use of vouchers
• Seminars and webinars
• Impact readiness fund
geared towards smaller
organisations
• Harder as an
infrastructure body-
evidencing helping others
• Difference being made to
other organisations-
always elicits the ‘So
What?’ Question
6. Change for Good
Recommendation
What are you doing to
deliver against this?
What Support can NCVO/
Big Assist/ NAVCA provide?
Barriers/ Issues
Insist on your seat at the
planning tables which affect
your communities and use
your influence on them
effectively and accountably
• Sounding board versus
influencer role
• Bring everyone to the
table and others will
want to join you
• Articulate the offer – the
right conversation at the
right level
• Explore everything
• Talk about the risk of
‘doing nothing’
• Seek forgiveness not
permission
• Structure your board
around roles, skills, style
and use them as
advocates for reach and
influence.
• Checks and balances on
what is coming-
intelligence and comms
• Influence mapping tools
• Visits to look at models of
influence
• Interpret the landscape-
policy/ funding
• Consultations- bring the
template to deliver
quality
• Public sector changes in
personnel and decrease
in resources
• Turnover of staff makes
relationship building
difficult
• For regional
infrastructure the
regional planning tables
have gone – something
about the changing
geography
• Resource is an issue-
fielding attendees at all
the planning tables you
need to be at
7. Part two: What stakeholders need to do to help
support infrastructure organisations make the
changes they need?
Small groups each focused on one of the following key stakeholders: Local Government, Local
Commissioners, Independent Funders and the Business community.
They were asked to set out a range of ideas through a brainstorm, selecting two/three stronger ideas and
then working through these and finally selecting the strongest idea.
8. Local Government
Ideas listed from group brainstorm:
• Listen better to infrastructure
• Invite and include infrastructure in to early planning stages
• Treat infrastructure as an equal partner
• Avoid duplicating funding/investment – take a more joined up approach
• Decide what Local Government want from infrastructure and the sector – clarity and also continuity very
helpful
• Allow infrastructure and the sector to lead on work and outcomes
• Avoid micromanagement – need a cultural shift both officers and members
• Better recognise the value and role of infrastructure and the sector
• Make better use of infrastructure and the VCS as a resource
9. Big Ideas:
• What: Engage with infrastructure/sector early and at the planning stages, treat as an equal partner and
listen – this will help create better smarter appropriate services and ways of working
• Why: Current attitudes/approaches undervalue role of infrastructure and the sector, limit potential and
are unsustainable
• Desired outcome: New models and ways of working secure better value – better services and outcomes
• What: Local Government need to have greater clarity on what the role and work they want infrastructure
and the sector to undertake – being careful to avoid running or funding duplicate services/work. Longer
term planning and continuity.
• Why: Ensures better use of limited resources across the public and voluntary sectors
• Desired outcome: Work and services are built up over time providing better value for money and greater
impact (changes in plans and direction disrupt work and services)
The BIG idea agreed was idea 1 above.
10. Independent Funders
Big ideas:
• What: A national social investment fund for infrastructure organisations providing loan finance
• Why: Funds recycled, shared values, works with assets, leverages other investment and collaboration,
recognises, encourages and values social impact monitoring and evaluation
• Desired outcome: shared access and assets
• What: A national grant fund for infrastructure – many funders contributing a % of their funding given to
VCOs for an infrastructure fund
• Why: Supports funders grant giving better applications from right organisations etc and no one funder
bears the burden instead shared. Helpful in environment of changing funder agendas.
• Desired outcome: Stable, responsive ‘infrastructure’. Local, regional, city pots of ongoing funding
• What: Funder Forums - A county, city or regional funders group – agenda, policy, practice, identifies needs
and supports collaboration (including recognising and supporting/funding infrastructure)
• Why: increased collaboration in monitoring and evaluation, research and evaluation, policy, lobbying etc
• Desired Outcome: Funders funding a ‘funder’s infrastructure’ through their membership fees to the group
–
The Big Idea agreed was idea 2 above.
11. Business Community
The business community need to better understand, value and support local infrastructure
organisations to help better unlock the full value of the relationships between the voluntary and
community sector and the business sector.
The group identified a long list of ways that local infrastructure organisations can help local
businesses play a more significant role in their local community including building their profile in the
community, provide one route to local voluntary and community organisations, providing
volunteering opportunities for employees, and helping deliver their CSR.
Local infrastructure can also provide services for local businesses including for example training,
market research or premises.
Unlike other stakeholder groups the business community often lack an awareness or understanding
of infrastructure organisations and their role. So building their awareness was seen as key.
12. Local Commissioners
Three ideas identified where infrastructure can play a role to support local commissioners secure better
outcomes for people in local communities.
Big ideas:
• What: Commissioners need to commission for wellbeing by joint commissioning of outcomes.
Commissioners need to better understand the role of local infrastructure in helping commissioners by
providing a route to the voluntary and community sector to help commissioners better understand
community needs and assets and set up and run consortia to ensure voluntary sector providers are
contract ready etc.
• Why: to secure holistic asset based, person centred, preventative services
• Desired outcome: joined up work that delivers better/healthier people and communities
• What: Commissioners need to talk to each other and undertake co commissioning (police, fire etc)
across localities
• Why: more cost effective, better service provision for client and better use of limited budgets
• Desired outcome: a larger combined budget delivering more effective and coherent services across a
wider area
• What: Commissioners (those commissioning infrastructure as well as wider community services)
need to solve problems regarding the boundaries of different commissioning bodies. This undermines
progress for IOs.
The Big Idea agreed was idea 3 above.
13. Part three: What infrastructure organisations can
offer stakeholders
Delegates split into four groups and were asked to list what they thought infrastructure organisations
offered four different stakeholders: local commissioners, independent funders, business community and
local government.
14. What infrastructure offers local
commissioners
• Access to the voluntary sector, local
knowledge and communities √ √
• The ability to proactively build partnerships
and work in collaboration across and with the
voluntary and community sector√ √
• Provide good practice and showcase what has
(and hasn’t) worked well
• IOs have the trust of communities which local
commissioners often lack √ √
• Test-bed new ideas or approaches to develop
better innovative solutions and services √√√
• Build social capital (i.e. volunteering) √ √
• Effectively communicate and consult with the
VCS, helping speed up response times√
• Reduce risk e.g. carry out due diligence and
assess as contract ready √
• Set up consortia – as a one stop fast track
route to multiple providers in the sector √
• Identifying social value and impact and
economic value of work √√√
• Deliver events (e.g. ‘meet the
commissioners’) √
• Access funding that local commissioners
cannot √ √
• Tackle issues that local commissioners cannot
(in the community and voluntary sector) √ √
• Providing a good grasp on local politics and
the local context √
15. What infrastructure offers independent
funders
• Access to local knowledge and reaching people that
Independent funders cannot √
• Ability to identify local needs and assets √
• A channel to connect and communicate with local
communities √
• Identify needs and priorities that independent funders may
not be aware of √
• Connect to voluntary and community sector networks √
• Sharing success stories and using case studies √
• IOs can help to raise the profile of independent funders and
funding opportunities √
• Identify suitable local organisations for funders(by
theme/beneficiary) √
• Support VCOs to make better quality and appropriate funding
applications
• Help to identify gaps in local service provision
• Co-ordinate partnerships or consortia bids
• Help funders minimise risk, especially for smaller groups
• Act as the accountable body for small organisations (that may
not have a bank account)
• Help design grant funded programmes that meet local needs
and builds sustainability
• Help to reduce duplication in service provision and funding
(by facilitating collaboration/joint working)
• Improve the performance and delivery of funded
organisations
• Be a ‘petri dish’ for developing new ideas and approaches;
sharing what works and identifying what can be replicated
and scaled up √√
• Sit on funding panels
• Provide impartial advice and information √
• IOs have credibility in their communities √
16. What infrastructure offers the business
community
• The opportunity to engage with local communities
√ √ √
• Provides a more efficient and cost effect way to
reach and support local communities and VCOs √ √
• IOs can help to build stronger teams and
contribute towards staff
motivation/networking/wellbeing/reduce sickness
and absence, as well as professional development
√ √
• Help make it easier to secure good PR and media
coverage √ √
• Meet CSR objectives √ √ √
• Help business understand the voluntary and
community sector √
• Help the business community receive awards √
• Building resilient communities √ √
• Provide opportunities to volunteer (3 days a year
Employee Volunteering brokerage) √ √
• Stopping high numbers of local VCOs approaching
businesses for money and support
• Support local VCOs to buy goods and services from
local businesses
• Provide a trusted link to local VCOs
• Increasing innovative development of products and
services
• Co-designing √ √
• Increase the awareness of equality √ √ √ ?meaning
17. What infrastructure offers local government
• Joined up thinking and doing √ √ √
• IOs are a one-stop shop for grass roots
knowledge and local intelligence √
• Identifying and mobilising assets in
communities (people and places) √ √ √
• Reshaping and co-designing local services √ √
√
• Develop engagement networks √ √ √
• Help fulfil statutory duties √ √ √
• Leverage additional resources √ √ √
• Mobilise volunteers √ √ √
• Different perspective on key issues and
challenges √ √ √
• Deliver and measure social value √ √ √
• Speaker truth to power √ √ on behalf of local
communities and the voluntary sector
• Provide local solutions to local problems √ √ √
• Support local meaningful and valued
consultation processes √ √ √
• Provide a bridge to other commissioners and
funders √ √ √
• Acting as intermediaries linking small
community organisations and local
government √
• Help engage with the local VCS to develop
innovative solutions √
18. Further reading
Case studies:
• From office to remote working: Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender VCOs
• Change and innovation in order to become sustainable: Community Development Trust
• A Co-operative model of infrastructure: Zebra Collective working with Clever Elephant
NAVCA Change for Good report.
