Infrastructure in 2020:

A force for good or a spent force?

Tony Okotie,

Chief Executive

June 2013

Who are we?

• Tameside:• East of Manchester city- 1 of 10 GM boroughs• Population 220,000• Mainly urban, traditional manufacturing, multiple

deprivation, ‘heart disease capital of England’

• State of the voluntary sector research:• 1,000 VCS organisations – 70% income under £10k• 26,000 volunteers; 1,200 employees• worth £100m pa

Who are we?

• CVAT the joining of two ‘traditional’ infrastructure organisations:• Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition – formed 2001• Volunteer Centre Tameside – formed 1975• Employ 30 staff, income approx £1m• No direct services (ish)• New organisation opportunity to think about

infrastructure again

The overarching mission of CVAT:

‘to build, and support strong, vibrant volunteering,

community and voluntary action in Tameside’

Mission split into 5 aims

External: 1. Capacity building

2. Volunteering

3. Communities

4. Partnerships

 

Internal: 5. Our organisation

Looking to 2020...

• 2020 is just 7 years away- the time it took

to build the London Olympics!

Does what infrastructure looked like 7 years ago (in 2006) offer any clues?

The unsettlement of infrastructure

1. changing demands and challenges facing frontline organisations – tailored support for a competitive environment?

2. withdrawal of central state support for national and local infrastructure – ‘de-coupling’

3. income generation and a changing geography of infrastructure; TLI as unfinished business from ChangeUp? – ‘reconfiguration’

Rob Macmillan, Third Sector Research Centre, University of Birmingham Reproduced with permission

The unsettlement of infrastructure

4. changing delivery mechanisms - on-line support; peer to peer learning; pro-bono; community organising; prime contracting; ‘fiscal sponsorship’, incubation and shelter

5. ‘demand-led’ approaches - market making in infrastructure?

6. rethinking functions and staffing of infrastructure organisations - hollowing out

Rob Macmillan, Third Sector Research Centre, University of Birmingham Reproduced with permission

Implications – challenges and opportunities

• ‘Customers’

o what support do we need, or want? (and do we know?) o do we want to shop for it, and if so how do we choose?o how will we know if it is any good?

• ‘Suppliers’

o how do we reach ‘customers’? how do they know about us?o what is our business model and organisational structure?o what niche can we occupy in relation to other providers?o how do we set and adjust our prices?

• ‘Market makers’

o is there a viable market for chargeable support services? o how far should it be ‘managed’ or left open? o how is quality understood and assured? o what support is available for new, smaller or marginalised groups? o what about ‘voice’ and advocacy?

Rob Macmillan, Third Sector Research Centre, University of Birmingham Reproduced with permission

So , how have we responded?

• Merger to form CVAT• Opportunity to rebrand, lose ‘baggage’• Financial efficiencies• Redefine services and ‘offer’

• The offer to VCOs– 3 levels:1.Self Service / ‘digital by default’

underpinning strategy

2.Free offer – because someone else is paying

3.CVAT+ - our chargeable offer

Digital by default / self service

• Online access to:• Self assessment of group needs (and online

signposting)• funding portal• e-learning• Closed discussion space (s)• Factsheets• Good People – an alternative to ‘Do It’?

• Note: work in progress!

 

So , how have we responded?

• Collaboration• Our offer to other organisations:

• Make – sell – buy – share?

• 3 touchstones for collaboration:Can’t negatively affect the service local VCOs getMust be better than cost neutralKey stakeholders must approve

• Specialist support fund• Way to buy / commission specialist support on VCOs behalf• Tests out VCOs contributing / paying

So , how have we responded?

• Development of other services• Consultancy• Grant management• Project management / consortia / supply chains• Being ‘solution focussed’ with commissioners

• Tameside 4 Good• Need to provide practical support to help VCOs increase work with business / community

Tameside 4 Good

• Increasing giving of time and skills, resources and money – locally• Business engagement• community fundraising• volunteering

• Replicable model -other infrastructure organisations can licence

What have we learnt?

• We have no ‘right’ to be funded – we have to be excellent

• Competition - baseline is private providers

• Demonstrate impact – to VCOs and funder

• Voice is important

• Be clear – what is free, what isn’t

What have we learnt?

• Be lean / efficient

• the cake is getting smaller, so overheads should be a thinner slice

• Avoid mission drift

• It’s a journey – which takes time• If you haven’t already started.........?