GAVCA Gloucester

Support to Gloucester Groups

GAVCA Community Development Team helps local voluntary and community organisations to thrive through advice on:

  • how to plan their future work and build an organisation strategy

  • how to manage their resources to maximum effect

  • how to establish organisational structures and policies

  • how to work with their local communities

  • what their rights and responsibilities are

  • identifying and recruiting for volunteer placements.

We also speak out on issues affecting the sector through the media and public platforms with membership of local and national government and advisory groups working for and within the sector.

GAVCA’s Community Development Team works face-to-face, in training and workshops...

  • The Health Check – a review of your organisation’s activities and of your future options, with recommendations. The health check provides an objective view of your organisation and will help to identify any needs, threats or new opportunities. You can make a start with our do-it-yourself version - see Resources
  • Organisation Development – is your organisation ‘fit’ for purpose? Does it require structural development, forward planning strategy, management accountability or appropriate policies? We can advise and assist with building the structure, culture and future shape of your organisation and work.
  • Business Planning – Do you need a Business Plan? How will you consult and research to make sure you have covered everything and every member of the organisation is on board.
  • Support Groups – Please see our support groups page for further information on the Managers Support Group and Finance Officers Support Group. 
  • Human Resources – GAVCA Community Development team can provide human resources advice and support on issues such as:
    • Equality and anti-discriminatory practice
    • Recruitment and selection
    • Contracts
    • Job descriptions and evaluation
    • Policy development
    • General employment law
  • Good Governance - Every voluntary and community organisation should be led and managed by an effective Board of Trustees.  The trustees are jointly responsible for ensuring the organisation provides the services and objectives set out in its constitution or rules and provides the strategic direction and planning for its future.  For further information see the Trustees page.

Resources for Organisational Development

You can download our self-assessment health check and appendices below.  Do contact the Team to discuss any issues that come up as a result.

Organisational Health Check

Funding Health Check

IT Health Check

Financial Management Health Check

(these are all word documents)

Charity Commission's Registering as a Charity section has a range of helpful material, including general guidelines. Also Model Governing Documents for charities. They suggest that those at an early stage of thinking about setting up a charity might want to look first at publication CC21 Registering as a Charity.

You can access many of GAVCA’s model Policies and Procedures as examples to adapt for your own use.