Support and Development

What do we do?

involve supports the voluntary and community sector (VCS) across Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough to grow, thrive and develop. Staff are on hand to offer advice and guidance, as well as signposting, to all Charities and Community Groups that are delivering services within the 2 boroughs. We can help with:

• Start-up advice and support for new groups
• Ongoing support and advice for developing and existing groups
• Guidance on legal obligations and good practice
• Guidance on organisational development
• Constitution support
• Charity registration
• Policy development
• Support for Trustees in their role
• Support for Managers in their role
• Partnerships
• Business planning
• Organisational healthchecks
• Help with Strategic Thinking
• Ideas and development
• Contact sharing and link ups

The list goes on!

involve has helped us (BNS) in many ways such as finding funds, register BNS as charity, raising funds and so on. Especially last time on 18th of May - Nepal earthquake relief fund raising event went so well, this event would not have been possible without the help of involve.

Gokarna Rai – Bracknell Nepalese Society (BNS)

involve can support with community development, campaigns and engagement activities. We can help promote your organisation, events, training or calls out for members.

'What can I do to help?' This question has always been asked with enthusiasm and a sense of wanting to genuinely help. This is so very encouraging and certainly contributed with our motivation to carry on with our quest!

A Bracknell based charity

We deliver all the above through one to ones, workshops, communication channels and our new model of service: involve VCS Growth Clubs. To have an initial telephone conversation with one of the development workers contact Diane Benford (Bracknell) or Clare Rebbeck (Wokingham). involve's experienced Development Staff will offer support and advice and suggest options for you. This may be signposting to one of our Training courses, Workshops, Growth Clubs, arranging a one to one or possibly signposting out to other sources/resources.

Here a few quick links to take you forward:

• If you are starting up a charity/community group then start here
• If you want to look through available resources and help then click here
• If you want to see which meetings/forums involve attends to offer the perspective of the VCS then click here
• If you want to see who else is doing what in the area look at our members list here
• If you want to complete an organisational healthcheck click here
• To join up as a member click here

We also offer support with funding, training and volunteering.

What are the involve VCS Growth Clubs?

As the world moves faster and gets more competitive and challenging it can be difficult to keep up with running your organisation.

involve's Development Workers will work with you and your organisation in a very similar way to sports coaching. In sports, a coach pushes an athlete to achieve optimum performance, provides support when they are exhausted and will make you run more laps and make you work harder than you would on your own, even when you don't feel like it.

involve will do the same for you and your charity, organisation or community group in a way that is focused on creating a successful 'business'.

involve's Growth Clubs will coach Managers, Leaders or Trustees through guidance, support, accountability and encouragement.

Growth Clubs will help small and medium sized organisations with their goal setting, marketing, management, team building and so much more. By coming together as a group you will receive peer support as well as have the opportunity to share ideas.

involve's Voluntary and Community Sector Growth Clubs will meet four times a year and will include external speakers who will talk about specific areas of running an organisation. We will help you develop long-term and short term goals and strategies, and improve your business in areas that you might have overlooked!

Growth Clubs will include:

• reflection and overview of the previous 12 months
• sessions on running an organisation and the importance of goal setting
• expert speakers talking about subjects such as
  • business strategies
  • financial strategies
  • marketing
  • presentation skills
  • team building - and an opportunity to set your goals for the quarter ahead and sharing ideas with others.

VCS Growth Clubs will be taking place at the Coppid Beech Hotel,John Nike Way, Bracknell RG12 8TF, they are open to charities and community groups from Bracknell Forest and the Wokingham Borough and will be on the following dates:

• 12 April 2016
• 5 July 2016
• 4 October 2016

between 09.00 and 12.00.

All this is free to involve members so contact us now to book your place and watch your organisation grow!