Community First Toolkit: Starting A New Group

Community First Toolkit: Starting A New Group This toolkit is designed to help individuals understand the process for starting a new not for profit organisation, and to give some useful tips about the things you will need to do or think about.

There are many reasons why individuals want to start new organisations, it can be because they have a passion for a particular issue, want to help a particular group of people, or they have noticed that there is a need in their area. There are no right or wrong reasons for starting a new organisation, but some simple steps at the beginning can help to start you off on the right road because, getting your organisation going will take energy, enthusiasm and hard work.

If you cannot find the answer to your query in this toolkit you can get further advice and support from our Development Team at Community First at www.cfirst.org.uk or by calling 0300 500 8085

This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.

Finding other people A good starting point is to try and get together a small group of local people who share your interests. It is hard work starting a new organisation, sharing workloads, skills and ideas will help to get your ideas off the ground. How you will find these other people could include:  Family, friends and others in your network who share your interest  Local community notice boards in churches and village centres inviting people to contact you.  Social media, a great way to engage with new people Just a small group of people to start with is fine, the more skills and experiences they can bring will add to the strength of your committee/board when you come to form it later. Some may just want to share their experience but not join your committee, the wider range of views you can get at this stage will help you to shape a strong organisation.

‘Many hands make light work’

This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.

Aims are ‘the changes you are trying to achieve’ Together you can start to discuss the issues you want your organisation to tackle. It could be helping young people into work, providing sports for people with disabilities, or taking over a piece of land to build a play park. Keeping your aims clear and precise will help you to focus your work. One common mistake is to make these too wide, such as to end hunger or unemployment, these are unrealistic and do not help the organisation to focus on the difference they want to make.

Objectives are ‘the methods or the activities by which you plan to achieve your aims’ Don’t be surprised to hear that others have a different view on how to tackle the issues, this is where as many views, experiences and ideas as possible can help. There are many ways to tackle the same issue.

For registered charities- It is worth noting If you know you want to register your organisation as a Charity you will need to define your charitable purpose, and there is a legal requirement that a charity’s purposes must be for the ‘public benefit’, further details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/charitable-purposes-and-public-benefit

This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.

Is someone else already doing it?

It is important to research other organisations in your area, is there one that is already supporting your aims? For example having two foodbanks in one small area would confuse beneficiaries and they would compete with each other for donations. Would your efforts be best used supporting an organisation that is already established? There are many ways of finding out about other local organisations, including:  Speak to us at Community First; we hold a database of hundreds of community organisations.  Search charities in your area on the Charity Commissions Website http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/registerhomepage.aspx You may find a similar organisation outside of your area that are doing the type of work your organisation is planning, it is worth asking if you can visit them or will share their story with you. Learning from others can save valuable time and energy.

This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.

The first meeting You could hold a pubic meeting to tell others what you are trying to do. You can publicise this to the wider community, to other groups who work in your field, or prominent members of the local community. Or your meeting could be a formal launch or an informal chat over a cup of tea.

Whichever approach you take, make sure you record who was there, and the main points of the meeting so you have a record to draw upon.

Your first meeting is an opportunity to:    

Tell others what you will do Attract more volunteers or support Raise your groups profile Get input from others about how you can develop

You can also use this meeting to see if people would be willing to sit on your management committee. The management committee normally consists of a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary, plus a few general committee members. The role of the committee is to make the overall decisions about the group and its work, and to act as the accountable people for the organisation.

This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.

Deciding on your legal structure The legal form of your new organisation will depend on a number of factors, such as will you be providing a public benefit, how much money will you be turning over, will you be making a profit, wishing to be paid or employing staff? The type of governing document you will require will depend on which legal structure you choose, but could be a:  Terms of Reference  Constitution  Memorandum and articles of association Finding the correct legal structure is vitally important; please see our Legal Structures toolkit. There is also a decision tool at http://getlegal.bwbllp.com/decision-tool-get-started to help you to understand the differences between the structures and which one will work best for you.

For further information please contact us at Community First on 0300 500 8085 or email admin@cfirst.org.uk This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.