CVS organisations secure income form one or more sources including:
public donations
funding from the public sector, including national and local government and the NHS*
grant funding from independent funding trusts and foundations
income from selling goods and services
*either in the form of a grant or a fee for delivery of a contracted service
Where a CVS organisation receives income from a grant or contract, this should cover the real costs of delivery; make provision for inflation; and provide funding for a sufficient length of time.
This is called “Fair Funding”. CVS organisations across Scotland and in North Lanarkshire are calling on funders to provide fair funding to support the effectiveness and sustainability of the CVS.
North Lanarkshire CVS Fair Funding Charter
This funding charter [upload doc] has been developed by Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) and the Community and Voluntary Sector Partnership Group to set out fair funding principles for our sector with the aim of supporting improvements in the funding our sector receives from the public and independent sectors.
You can read about the North Lanarkshire CVS Fair Funding Charter here.
If your CVS organisation would like to join the North Lanarkshire CVS Income Generation group, please contact info@VANL.co.uk or use the contact form here. You can also read about national Fair Funding developments for our sector here.
Guidance and training
CVS organisations also need and value access to free and/or low cost guidance and training on a range of key issues including:
Leadership and governance
Strategic planning
Innovation, improvement and evaluation
Funding
People management
ICT
Communications and influencing
Workplace wellbeing and health and safety
Equality, human rights and public protection
Understanding of key population groups and key community issues
Effective participation, voice and influence
VANL receives funding from the Scottish Government, North Lanarkshire Council and Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire to provide guidance and training on the above and other issues – helping to build CVS capacity and effectiveness. VANL also works with partners, such as New College Lanarkshire, to provide access to wider, free or low cost training.
VANL will also provide a schedule of other sources of training here soon.
You can read more about the support and services provided by VANL here.
Respect and Recognition
Respect and recognition for our sector is vital for securing funding and to be treated as effective service providers and partners.
In North Lanarkshire, the CVS is generally well respected and given recognition for its contribution by public bodies and the wider public and this needs to be sustained and strengthened.
One key way of achieving this is for CVS organsations to demonstrate the quality of their organisation and their contribution and impact. Many CVS organisations already do this very well but if they need support this is available from a variety of sources, including VANL.
VANL promotes and uses the following two online resources for and with our sector to support its sustainability and quality:
Charity Excellence online self-assessment tool
Lasting Difference online resources to support CVS organisational sustainabilty
More information on VANL’s support for CVS organisations is available here, including our CVS Evaluation Toolkit.