… Many community groups exist in order to make improvements to a neighbourhood and solve local problems. This section provides information about ways to find out what local people think and get people working together to improve things, as well as details of some funders in Sussex who work specifically with neighbourhood-based projects. The Links tab has contact details for other useful organisations who can help. …
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Policies and Procedures
Policies can be a very useful way of expressing the values and ideas of the people in your group. They do not have to be formal or difficult to understand – if a policy is simple and easy to read, your members can use it to help make decisions about how the group should do things. This section includes advice for small community groups on writing policies. It also includes the Resource Centre’s own internal policies, which may be useful for large…
Role of the management committee
All community organisations are run by a group of people – sometimes they are an elected management committee, sometimes it’s just the people who turn up to every meeting. If you take the time to work out who is responsible for what, and how you are going to make decisions within your group, it can save you a lot of trouble. This section contains information to help people take on specific roles within a committee, and also to help committees as …
Charity registration and requirements
… If your group has charitable aims and an income over £5000 per year, then the law says you are required to register with the Charity Commission. This section gives information on how to check whether your aims are charitable (this is defined in law), how to register as a charity, and what registered charities have to do. Click the Links tab for details of other organisations and websites with useful information in this area. …
Campaigning
… This section looks at some of the skills and resources you may find useful if you are campaigning to change something. Whether you are trying to get a pedestrian crossing installed or change the law, many of the issues you will face are the same – you need to know how to present your message clearly, reach the right people with it, and stay focused on your goal for as long as it takes. …
IT support and training
We are not IT experts, but for some groups, we offer basic computer skills training. See our Support for Resource Centre member groups page to find out if we can help your group. Click on the Links tab at the top of this page for details of other useful organisations who can help your group make good use of technology. We have four computers in our Print room, which groups are welcome to use. We do not offer training but our front desk staff will…
Health and Safety and Insurance
… Being aware of health and safety doesn’t mean stopping people from having fun. It’s just a matter of thinking about risks and taking sensible steps to avoid them. This section contains information to help your group develop risk assessments, policies and insurance provision to match your activities. Click on the Services tab above for details of insurance providers and other people who can help with health and safety issues. …
Fundraising Strategy
It will make it easier to raise money if you are well organised and have a plan. This section provides advice on budgeting to help you have a clear idea about what you need to raise money for and why. It also contains information to help you plan your activities so that you can focus on ways of fundraising that will be most useful for your group. The Resource Centre can offer help with fundraising to some groups and organisations. Click on the Li…
Looking after your group’s money
… Making sure your group takes good care of its money is the responsibility of your whole committee, or, if you are a very small group, your whole group. All your members have a right to know what happens to the money. This section contains information to help you understand your responsibilities and how to put simple systems in place to help things run smoothly. You can also scroll down to find a link to our free downloadable accounts systems. …
Budgeting and financial planning
Budgeting as a group provides an opportunity for everyone to be involved in decisions about what to spend money on. This is really important for ensuring that everyone supports the financial decisions that are being made. Budgeting is a crucial way to stop your group running out of money unexpectedly, or ending up in debt. Budgeting and financial planning is also essential for fundraising. For more information have a look at our section on Fundra…