Plan and gain resources and funding for sustainability
Overview
This standard relates to the support that community development practitioners provide to groups to identify and obtain the resources they need to ensure their longer-term sustainability.
Note: 'resources' does not just mean funding but refers to a wide range of assets including people's time, skills, knowledge, donations of equipment, materials and buildings.
This standard is relevant to community development practitioners who provide direct support to community groups.
The community development standards are arranged in six key areas:
- Understand and practise community development
- Understand and engage with communities
- Group work and collective action
- Collaboration and cross-sectoral working
- Community learning for social change
- Governance and organisational development
This standard is within Key Area Six.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- support groups to develop a strategic plan, business plan and funding strategy to achieve their aims and objectives
- support groups to identify the resources required to achieve their aims and objectives
- support groups to identify their members' expertise and the group's assets
- facilitate groups to think creatively about meeting their resource needs
- assist groups to calculate the value of different sorts of resources, including the contribution of people's time and skills to their activities
- signpost groups to support agencies for help with developing strategies and identifying resources holders to achieve their aims and objectives
- assist groups to assess the appropriateness of potential funding sources for their identified needs
- support groups to evaluate the range of options for raising funds
- raise awareness of the benefits of formal or informal partnerships in order to bid to funding bodies
- support groups through the stages of preparing funding applications
- support groups to develop and manage their own resources and financial monitoring systems to be accountable to funders, beneficiaries and the wider community
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- techniques to assist organisations to determine, develop and review their aims and priorities, strengths and areas for improvement
- statutory obligations for funding, and the general requirements of funding bodies
- how to estimate the resource needs for organisations, specific projects and activities
- basic financial systems for budgeting and account keeping
- the range of business and development plans that community organisations may find useful
- how to complete small, medium and large scale funding applications
- how to apply the principles of project planning and management
- plans for managing project contingencies
- how to use monitoring and evaluation information to inform short, medium and long-term planning
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Community development is underpinned by a set of values which distinguish it from other, sometimes related, activities in the community. These values are at the core of community development and underpin each of the standards. The values are;
- Social justice and equality
- Anti-discrimination
- Community empowerment
- Collective action
- Working and learning together
The following examples illustrate how each of the community development values might inform practice in this standard. These statements are not part of assessment requirements.
- ethical and environmental issues relating to funding and resources are considered and differing views heard and respected
- resources available from within the community are known, valued and shared, particularly to support marginalised communities
- the responsibilities to communities, funders and other agencies in relation to managing resources is fully understood and met
- policies and procedures are put in place to manage resources in a sustainable manner
- support is in place to develop financial literacy and management skills
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Assets
The strengths and aspirations in a community and can refer to cultural, economic (including occupational and financial), environmental, interconnections and relationships, physical, social, spiritual and political factors.
Collective action
Working together with others to achieve a common aim.
Community
The web of personal relationships, groups, networks, traditions and patterns of behaviour that can develop among those who share a geographic area or identity or interest.
Community development practitioner
A person doing community development work as a paid worker, unpaid worker, group member, community activist or volunteer.
Community Engagement
A way to build and sustain relationships within and between communities, community groups or organisations, public sector, third sector and other agencies. It provides a foundation for collaboration helping them to understand and collectively take action.
Community groups and organisations
Located within communities of geography, identity or interest. These groups are controlled by their users and are usually small and informal with no paid staff. They are often referred to collectively as the community sector.
Empowerment
A process where people gain control (eg confidence, knowledge, skills, resources) to affect decisions impacting on their communities.
Evaluation
Entails an overall assessment of the achievements, effectiveness and impact of work carried out.
Learning
Can be informal, formal and non-formal:
- Informal refers to experiential and personal learning
- Formal learning refers to what we gain from courses, academic studies and continual professional development
Non-formal education is that which can be informal or formal but occurs in non-traditional settings e.g. in communities.
Monitoring
The systematic collection and recording of information to help an organisation know how it is doing; it helps to account for the work of the organisation.
Organisation
Any collection of people in the community, voluntary, public and private sectors and any hybrid configuration across these sectors. It refers to community groups, charities, community and social enterprises, statutory agencies, businesses.
Resources
This covers any physical or human resource that supports the community development process and could include technical equipment, IT-based resources, buildings, sources of specialist knowledge, local assets
Support
The work a community development practitioner may undertake to ensure the group can pursue its aims. The types of activities may include: providing information, moral and motivational encouragement, researching particular topics, identifying sources of help, listening to group members' ideas and thought processes and reflecting them back, facilitating decision-making, acting as an advocate, coach, mentor, critical friend.
Technology
This refers to both hardware and online tools/apps which can be used in practice and communication (including social media).