An overview & accessing valuable online resources
Introduction/Re-introduction
Helo/Hello.
My name is David Berry, and I’m the GAVO Community Development Officer for Newport. I work with and alongside groups and partners to provide advice regarding governance and funding to Third Sector community organisations in Newport.
In this first blog article from me for the New GAVO website, I am going to:
Give an overview of my work as a Community Development Officer in Newport.
Go through some ways I may be able to help advise or support your community group, project or Third sector organisation.
Share some recent training ideas around community development and service design and ask for your feedback in a shot 4-minute survey to help improve how I support you and the sector in Newport.
Introduce you to a key resource from TSSW that will help your group or organisation find suitable funding.
Introduce you to some other training resources and useful links.
An overview of my work as a Community Development Officer in Newport
Since starting in this role within GAVO last year, I have worked with community groups to help them set up new governance structures, including becoming constituted groups, charities and social enterprises. I have also helped many groups and third-sector organisations in Newport to access the relevant grant funding they need for their community projects.
I have set up a Newsletter that focuses primarily on new funding grant opportunities circulated to my wide network of Third sector contacts in Newport. If you are involved in the governance of a community group or Third sector organisation in Newport, you can sign up to receive this every month for free.
I also host Meet the Funder events and The Newport Third Sector Forum, where community organisations across Newport can meet and discuss community development and talk to funders. The valuable feedback I (& GAVO) receive at these events can then be fed back to the Gwent PSB, which can influence public policy towards the sector.
Another part of my role is to network while representing the sector here in Newport with partner organisations, including funders (such as The National Lottery and Community Foundation Wales), Gwent Police, Natural Resources Wales, Pobl and many others.
Some ways I may be able to help advise or support your community group, project or Third sector organisation
Governance helping you to understand which governance structure is best for you.
Funding identifying specific funds for a community project you have in mind.
Signposting you to the relevant specialist support for your needs.
Helping you network and collaborate with others in the community space here in Newport.
Providing you with resources such as policy templates (e.g. Safeguarding) and training documents that help your organisation to become more financially and environmentally sustainable
Linking you with the relevant partner agency contacts to help with your needs
Introducing you to resources that will help make your organisation or group self-supporting and resilient.
Some recent training ideas around community development and service design and a request for your feedback in a shot 4-minute survey to help improve how I support you and the sector in Newport
I have recently undertaken some Service design training with Newid .
Service design is a process and method for designing/creating solutions to specific problems faces by a specific group of people or what is sometimes described as 'service users'. This process can be used in numerous ways from large IT projects (not my area atm!) right through to putting together a better Newsletter or funding event that meets peoples real needs (much more my area!).
As part of this Newid training I am looking into using service design principles and methods to improve and better target support to meet the needs of the Third Sector groups I work with in Newport.
In order to provide services that meet your needs best, I need your feedback
Please complete the quick 4 minute survey here: https://bit.ly/3SdwVQQ
A key resource from TSSW that will help your group or organisation find suitable funding
Funding Wales https://funding.cymru/ is a fantastic resource for community groups to fund relevant funding in your area of Wales.
Video Guide: I have created a walk through video guide about how to use Funding Wales effectively here: https://bit.ly/3Q6C4Iy
Training resources and useful links
The Knowledge Hub
TSSW’s ‘Free resources are designed to help you stay informed, improve your knowledge and connect with others.’
Find services in your community, and register your community group or orginisation.
Find local and national organisations and services that can help you, and register your Third Sector organisation.
The Catalist
Service recipes for charities
Practical guides to help charities reuse and learn from one another’s services.
Online fundraising
Crowdfunding
‘Fundraising using your supporter’s favorite apps. It’s called Connected Giving.’