Blyth Valley Enterprise Ltd (BVEL) – an Industrial Provident Society and Northumberland Development Trust) - working with Community Voluntary Action Blyth Valley (CVABV) and Sustainable Community Enterprises North East (SCENE), the system will encourage growth within and collaboration between the voluntary, public and private sectors.
There are 357,000 Charities and Social Enterprises within England and Wales. In the Northeast of England, 4919 are classified as small charities, with 81% receiving an income of under £100k. Compared to other regions in England and Wales, small charities in the North East receive 3% of total annual income, the lowest regional share.
Research into the barriers to the growth of charities in the Northeast includes factors driven by:
- the digitalisation of the economy
- the need for demonstrable impact, transparency, and integrity
- a complex regulatory environment
- limitations on time
- limited marketing opportunities/or prohibitive costs relating to:
- the recruitment of volunteers
- finding accredited suppliers
- finding discounted and reliable services
- fundraising
- difficulty locating niche funders
- prohibitive costs for a website and related services
As a result, developing a Volunteer Management and Community Engagement Platform for the Third sector - in conjunction with two charities whose aims are to encourage efficiency, growth, and enterprise within the local area - will be a huge advantage for small charities in the North East.
The project proposes a four-tiered overarching framework consisting of the following elements;
- A central administration hub for BVEL/CVABV/ to:
- allocate online accounts - "charity hub" - to verified not-for-profit and community interest organisations
- communicate directly with member organisations regarding regulatory and safeguarding requirements
- hold a central database of registered volunteers and their preferences towards activity, engagement, availability and communication
- update members on grant funding opportunities
- signpost members towards other member organisations, service providers, local authorities or public sector bodies
- represent its members on issues regarding the local community, environment and social issues
- provide advertising opportunities for its members at minimal or no cost
- offer a voice to small organisations highlighting successes within the community and sector
- A Charity member hub suite for each member organisation with sections for:
- Organisation Ethos/Mission Statement/Constitution
- Administration of staff accounts and their access level within their hub
- Administration of their volunteers' data compliant with GDPR
- Task lists and project management
- Maintaining a central contact list for the organisation (suppliers, partners, funders etc.)
- Document management
- Database of activities
- Opportunity register (i.e. collaboration, volunteering, fundraising etc.) with feeds displayed on the main portal, the charity members hub and social media networks
- News/article and events section (shareable to the main portal, charity members hub and social media)
- Send a newsletter to their volunteers
- Ticketing facility for volunteers to interact directly with the organisation
- Custom domain name allowing the hub to also operate as a mini self-contained website for the organisation
- A Volunteer hub allowing volunteers to:
- Sign up with a member charity
- Edit their details
- Opt-in/out of newsletters/various data fields (phone number, communication preferences)
- Use the ticketing facility
- Communicate with other volunteers in their association
- Upload any required certificates
- A Public facing website:
- Listing volunteering opportunities
- Application forms
- Suggestions regarding safeguarding, health and safety and what to expect as a volunteer
- Signposting for further help
- Public news feeds relating to each member organisation (as submitted by the relevant member hub)
