Guide to starting a small voluntary or community group

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If you are thinking about starting a new community group this guide will help you decide the best way to proceed

Before you start

Before you start you will need to think about what you want to do, why, how and who will benefit from your group.

You may need to do some basic research to find some evidence for the need for your group. Try to imagine yourself as someone new to the idea and think about what you would need to know to be convinced that it is a good idea.

Is anyone else doing it already?

If there is already an organisation in your area doing the same kind of work as you plan to do, you need to consider carefully whether there is really a need for the new group. You may not like the way that an existing organisation is providing their service, but setting up in direct competition is rarely successful. Consider talking to the existing organisation about your ideas. You may find that they have good reasons for working in the way they do or they may want to work with you to improve their service. Duplicating work will not help either group when it comes to getting support, funding or volunteers. There needs to be something new and unique about your organisation, or you are likely to find it difficult.

Could you work with other groups? If there is a group outside the geographical area you want to cover doing the same kind of work, perhaps you could work with them to set up and run your new group. If there are similar groups (with whom your work does not overlap too much) in the same geographical area, maybe you could share premises or meet to discuss work.

Getting Started

When you have established that there is a need for your group, start to get people involved who share your aspirations. A voluntary group cannot be a one-person show, however energetic or driven that person is. You can start a group with three people but having a few more helps.

You could hold a public meeting – this is a really good way of building a campaign or getting more people involved in your group. The Resource Centre has a good guide to holding your first public meeting.

Agree on your aims 

At your first meeting, you need to agree on your aims:

What do you want to do?

You will probably have a good idea of your overall aim in setting up the group, but it is important to really think this through. You need to be specific about what exactly the group will want to do, and what you plan to do to achieve this:

Will it offer a service to everyone, or a certain group of people, or will it be of benefit solely to its members?
What are the aims of the group?
How do you want to achieve them?

Where do you want to do it?

Voluntary organisations vary in size from a support group covering a local neighbourhood to major international charities like Oxfam. Deciding on the geographical area you want to cover will be a balance between identifying where the need is and what resources you have available to do the work. You may want to work on a large scale but only have the people and the money to cover your local area, in which case, start small and work up – do not overstretch yourselves.

Who will benefit from your group?

Will your services be open to everyone within the geographical area covered? Or will you provide a service for a particular group of people – those affected by a specific issue, for example? Defining your user group is an important part of planning your new organisation.

Don’t forget that you will almost certainly have limited resources. If the community has a special need or is particularly vulnerable, then you will need to take this into account in your service and funding plans.

You also need to spend some time identifying tasks, next steps and working out priorities. From this, you can share out the work, so no one becomes overloaded.

What will your group be called?

This is often one of the hardest bits to get right when setting up a new group. Good names are:

Available – some names are already registered. If you are considering registering as a charity, you cannot use a name that is the same or too similar to an existing charity (check the register of charities at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/)
Pronounceable – not too complicated.
Suitable – look for something appropriate.
Timeless – that won’t date easily.
Meaningful – to explain what you do or convey an image.

Adopting a governing document

Once you are clear about your aims, the next step is to put some structures in place to help with the smooth running of the group. However small and informal you want the group to be, it is worth having some rules (contained in your governing document) so everyone involved is clear about what the group can and cannot do, and how it will do it. If you are planning to apply for grants to help achieve your group’s aims, any grant-making body you apply to will want to see a copy of the governing document you use. Also, Banks will want to see a governing document.

For further information on writing a constitution, look at our Guide to writing Constitutions.

Getting a committee

Usually, an organisation has a group of people who will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation. In your constitution, they may be called the Organising Committee, Management Committee, or Steering Group. Whatever they are called, they are the people (elected from within the membership of your group) who manage it.

The committee becomes official at the first meeting at which the constitution is adopted i.e. signed. The wider group present at that first meeting decides who will form the first committee. After that, the committee is elected by the membership at  Annual General Meetings.

For further information on committees, look at our Guide to Management Committees

Opening a Bank Account

A bank account in the name of your group is another requirement if you intend to apply for a grant to fnance the group’s activities.

For further information on Bank Accounts, read our Guide to Bank Accounts.

 

 

 

Grant Provision for Warm Welcoming Spaces

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Community organisations are now able to apply for funds via West Northamptonshire Council as applications are now open for the Welcoming Spaces Grant Scheme which will run until October 2025. 

These spaces offer a safe, warm, and welcoming environment for local people, especially during colder months, and can provide vital services and support to those in need.

Using funds from the Household Support Fund for West Northamptonshire, the Council is seeking to support the creation or development of Welcoming Spaces across the area.

These spaces provide a non-judgemental, safe environment where residents can come together, enjoy refreshments and access wider support services.

Grants of £500 to £1,500 are available to community and voluntary organisations, registered charities, and other qualifying bodies, with funding intended to provide support until the end of March 2026.

The closing date for all applications is 10 am on Monday 6 October 2025.  

Organisations can apply once during the funding period. Applications will be assessed based on the strength of the proposal and the organisation’s ability to deliver the project effectively.

Please visit this link for more information: Grant scheme applications now open for community organisations to provide Welcoming Spaces for residents | West Northamptonshire Council

Social Action West Northamptonshire launches its latest Training Programme

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Social Action West Northamptonshire (SAWN) your local Infrastructure Partnership of VIN, SNVB and Daventry Volunteers have launched their latest Training Programme for the VCFSE.

The programme can be seen here.

In addition to this training, VCFSE organisations can also join our virtual Engagement Group, the first of which begins on the 7th of August 2025. To join on the day, click here.

VCSFE Engagement Group West Northamptonshire Launches | Voluntary Impact Northampton

Look at the latest news on VCFSE affairs and Funding by clicking here.

SAWN is also launching its Volunteer Managers/Co-ordinators Network. This is the perfect opportunity for Volunteer Managers to come together, share best practice and discuss mutual opportunities or concerns.

Find the sessions here. 

Thanks to all those who completed the CEO Network Survey. SAWN is currently collating the feedback and will decide on a course of action over the summer.

Watch out for the State of the Sector Survey which will be circulating in August 2025. It’s called What’s happening in your World. Please take the time to complete this survey if it drops into your Inbox. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete but your responses are vital to help us understand your issues, your concerns, and your opportunities.

Calling VCSE Providers

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The Children and Young People’s Team within Public Health at West Northamptonshire are seeking a provider to deliver the Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationship Service.

VCSE organisations should note that the Request for Quotation (RFQ) has officially gone live today on the Find a Tender Service, and Public Health expect that potential providers would begin to submit their respective quotes.

The link to this programme can be found here: Parent-Infant Relationship Service.

Submissions need to be made via the West Northamptonshire E-Procurement Portal.

Please note the following:

Description:

West Northamptonshire Council are seeking a provider to provide support for families during the antenatal and postnatal periods, with a focus on improving emotional wellbeing, parent-infant relationship, and overall family health and wellbeing.

Total value (estimated):

£135,000 excluding VAT

£162,000 including VAT

VCSE organisations should also note the contract dates which are 1st October 2025 to 1st October 2027 with a possible 12-month extension.

Update on the new NHS 10 Year Plan.

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The new NHS 10 Year Plan has now been released. It’s a weighty document (some 168 pages) but it sets a direction for the NHS around three themes:

Hospital to Community: Community initiatives to prevent unwanted hospital admissions.

Sickness to Prevention: Preventing people from being sick in the first place through better and more effective preventative measures.

Analogue to Digital: Harnessing the power of digital to better inform and direct potential patients.

A synopsis of the plan can be viewed here: NHS 10 Year Plan

The plan also discusses the closure of Healthwatch England and possibly 150 local Healthwatch branches, many of whom are delivered through the VCSE within the UK.

SAWN states:

The infrastructure partnership SAWN (consisting of Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, Daventry Volunteers and South Northants Volunteer Bureau) believe that the VCSE is best placed to assist in the NHS with their three headline themes. The VCSE works across all these preventative areas and should not be ignored in finding much needed solutions to the current issues the NHS is facing. The key for our ICB is effective Co-Production and intuitive commissioning.

The Civil Society Covenant

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The Government has published its new Civil Society Covenant, a national commitment to improving relationships between government and civil society.

Civil Society Covenant: programme – GOV.UK

The Covenant recognises that Voluntary Sector Partnerships often happen at the local level, with councils, health systems, and other public bodies. It sets out principles for how civil society should be respected, supported, and involved in decision-making, and includes case studies from areas like Greater Manchester and Calderdale.

Importantly, The Department of Culture Media and Sports (DCMS) has also announced a Local Covenant Partnerships Programme to support partnership working, including training, grant funding and capacity-building. A new mutual learning programme will also promote secondments between Government and civil society to share knowledge and strengthen collaboration.

A Joint Civil Society Covenant Council will oversee this work.

Maddy Desforges, CEO at NAVCA states:


Enabling the voice of communities and their agency to make change is the life blood of civil society and it is at the local level where the interaction between communities, civil society and government is most keenly felt. We welcome the specific inclusion of strategic authorities, local councils, and health systems in the Covenant. The Local Covenant Partnerships programme is an important opportunity to change the local landscape for partnership and commissioning, and we look forward to working with central and local government, health systems and others to shape and develop this programme to make a real difference to local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations.
 
SAWN states:

It’s useful to read and understand the new Civil Society Covenant. Any move towards a closer relationship between the powerbrokers in Whitehall and our VCSE must be applauded. However, actions speak louder than words. If the LCPP does indeed strengthen collaboration and cast a light on Co-Production and Commissioning it will be a boon for all, including the residents and beneficiaries we all serve.

 

The State of the VCFSE in the UK

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The charity sector in the UK continues to face what NCVO describe as unpredictable and challenging times labelling 2025 the year of the big squeeze, with many organisations facing the perfect storm created by funding falling, costs increasing, and demand climbing.

There were 170,056 charities registered charities in the UK on the Charity Commission’s register, as of March 2024, plus an additional 80,000 and 100,000 unregistered charities across England and Wales. Charity Commission data show that 1,281,583 people were employed by a charity in England and Wales in January 2025. Rising costs and demand for services and dwindling donor numbers led to many of these important not-for-profits closing their doors in 2024. SAWN (Social Action West Northamptonshire) are beginning to see these cumulative pressures impacting on our own sector in West Northamptonshire, with more requests to find funding, or avert potential insolvency.

Inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and the UK government’s decision to raise employer National Insurance Contributions (NIC) have placed huge strains on the charity sector. NCVO estimates the NIC increase represents an additional financial strain on the sector to the tune of £1.4 billion. The government’s decision to reduce UK spending on international development from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% has also raised major questions for many UK charities reliant on public funding. In October 2024, however, the government announced the creation of a Civil Society Covenant to begin the partnership between government and Civil Society, outlined in Labour’s election manifesto. The new Covenant is designed to harness the knowledge and expertise of those working in the charity and social venture sector, with the government committing to delivering a decade of national renewal that will only be possible with a vibrant, thriving civil society.

Charities are struggling to meet the growing demand for their services, and many are concerned about their ability to continue providing support. In October 2024, the Civil Society Group sent an open letter to the Government calling for it to encourage philanthropy, reinstate mandatory reporting of charitable giving by companies, increase charity tax limits, consult on the introduction of VAT relief on charitable donations and donated goods, extend charitable tax reliefs to wholly-owned charity trading subsidiaries, confirm there will be funding for HMRC to continue its review of Gift Aid, and provide greater clarity on the matter of charitable business rates relief for private schools. According to the Charity Excellence Framework, meanwhile, AI offers charities opportunities to increase impact, reduce workload and improve fundraising effectiveness, with sector bodies needing to act collaboratively, quickly, and well to enable us all to exploit the opportunities and adequately mitigate the risks. The charity True Ambassadors highlights, for example, that advanced digital tools such as AI-driven fundraising platforms will enable organisation to personalise donation requests based on donor behaviour and preferences.

SAWN states:

We see all these trends and patterns bubbling under across Northamptonshire. Whilst it is true to say that in many instances the VCFSE sector needs to understand and harness change, its also easier said than done. Many smaller charities lack the capacity and resource to partner well, lead strategically, and ride a perfect storm. However, we also believe that if the VCSFE were to be lost (which could be a real probability in future years) communities will be the poorer and more individuals will simply become vulnerable. The adage that you don’t know what you had until its gone should be a principal plank by which statutory partners support the sector, deliver a new way of working and use the VCFSE as a key broker. Taking the simple example of the latest 10-year NHS Plan, who better as partners to achieve the key objectives – Hospital to Community, Sickness to Prevention and Analogue to Digital. The VCFSE sector has front facing links to communities that statutory partners could only dream about. The driver here is better commissioning, quality co-production and community social action, and so SAWN welcomes the pragmatic discussion with all those who will listen: And we don’t argue from a Unicorn and Rainbow perspective of the world. We know resources are tight across the landscape, but our sector could be a sensible solution for many.

The Strength of Local Infrastructure

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The Department of Culture, Media and Sports has just completed a 12-month research project on Local Infrastructure across the UK.

The headline themes are detailed here:

  • Across the UK there was considered no agreed definition of Infrastructure. Infrastructure and its role appear to be agreed locally, against local priorities and needs.
  • Infrastructure was identified to have five functions: facilitating funding, organisational development, advocacy, volunteering, and community participation, and convening or representation.
  • The most direct benefits from Infrastructure accrue to frontline VCSE organisations; with benefits to local communities through stronger frontline organisations and increased volunteering activities; and statutory bodies gain a greater insight of local needs, improvements in commissioning processes and local policy decisions. The most important factor in the quality of Infrastructure provision is being knowledgeable about the local area.
  • Infrastructure organisations were seen as an effective bridge that can support open and honest communication between the VCS and public bodies especially in context of funding or commissioning relationships. Infrastructure activities led to three broad outcome pathways of: better targeted resources, improved policy making, and increased community trust, empowerment and belonging.
  • There are no simple or straightforward answers to the question of how best to organise, support and strengthen local Infrastructure. Infrastructure works best when there is a close relationship with the public sector. This is easiest to achieve when decision-makers in local government and health systems take a strategic interest in Infrastructure that comes from a recognition of its value and its ability to contribute to their own priorities.
  • Strengthening Infrastructure will almost certainly continue to rest on taking a local first approach and on ensuring that any reform is delivered with patience, sufficient resource and recognition of local concern and sensitivities. Enabling strong Infrastructure is based on a combination of factors: funding, local knowledge, effective relationships, and support.

SAWN’s comments:

There is nothing new about these headline themes. Most worrying is that after many decades of having Infrastructure across the UK the DCMS have not worked with local organisations to arrive at a definition. The very fact that there isn’t one nationally is a weakness and detracts against the fantastic work that Infrastructure organisations do across the UK. SAWN is clear about the essential aspects of its work: Supporting Community organisations to survive and thrive: Delivering volunteering initiatives: Advocating for the sector (never more needed in these challenging times): Representing the sector as honest brokers and proffering the VCS as a solution to some of the issues the Local Authority and out Health colleagues face. Infrastructure needs support though: It needs support from the rest of the VCS so we can stand together and exert pressure on our systems to examine us in closer detail and use us as agents of service delivery. It also needs funding appropriately. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, and as more of the VCS is required to prop communities, Infrastructure needs to be there to provide that wrap around support.

VCSFE Engagement Group West Northamptonshire Launches

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The first meeting of the new VCSFE Engagement Group takes place on the 7th of August 2025 between 2-3.30pm.

The link can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87575989913?pwd=UiV40krt6Zd6XDvCNqu30nygCe8PNI.1

 

All are welcome – from all parts of the VCSFE sector in West Northamptonshire. Please note that a similar vehicle exists in North Northamptonshire so if you work within that part of the County ONLY please contact sean.silver@groundwork.org.uk

 

Why do we need a VCSFE Engagement Group:

 

The landscape of West Northamptonshire has never been more complex or challenging. We have new political masters who have yet to take a view on the VCSFE, we have an ICB that is clustering with Leicestershire and Rutland and having to make savings of 10.1 million pounds this year alone, a County that has been squeezed from the Devolution debate and has no natural partners, and a Local Authority attempting to reset Place. What is clear is that Co-Production (how the VCSFE and Communities get involved in service design) and Commissioning for Value are key areas for debate. If we want to move as a collective voice (as far as we can) then we need a place to coalesce around themes, and we need a mandate to write, profile and pressure the system from one place.

 

Will this replace anything that’s existing:

 

The short answer is NO: This will be Governance light and fleet of foot. It will not require a Board or Memberships. People can attend or choose not to. We will not be chasing people with meeting links or minutes: All content and future meetings will take place on our website: www.voluntaryimpact.org.uk under the What’s New Section. You will need to check this page weekly.

 

Why Co-Production and Commissioning:

 

If you were to survey the majority of the VCSFE about Co-Production they would likely respond saying we don’t appear to have been involved when we have the solutions. On Commissioning, individuals regularly state that West Northamptonshire has no legacy, never appears to learn anything about the Commissions, or does the least it can get away with due to time and resource. The argument to use the VCSFE as a stated vehicle for Co-Production and Commissioning is compelling. We live, work, and invest in local communities, have a combined raft of intelligence, and provide value (we are not just cheap).

 

If as a sector we are going to exert system pressure then we need both a base, and an Engagement Body to spring from.

 

Meetings:

 

The meetings will be virtual and last no more than 1.5 hours: We will attempt to have the Chair or Co-Chair of the Assembly present, as the Assembly has a key set of Thematic Groups. Dates and minutes will be published to VINs What’s New Section of the website. Minutes will be circulated to our SAWN colleagues in South Northants Volunteer Bureau and Daventry Volunteers. There will no set Agendas, just an understanding that the two themes are the themes we concentrate on. We will then have a West and North VCSE Engagement mop up to flesh out issues that affect all parties pan county.

 

The new NHS 10 Year Plan

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The Plan sets out an agenda to address the continuing crisis in the NHS, rebuild public trust in its services and secure some form of sustainability.

 

Within it, there is an aspiration to reform which is delivery focussed, but the plan also seems to suggest a new relationship with the VCSE which is driven by individual systems and not from Central Government.

In addition, the abolition of Healthwatch provides a further concern about the presence of an independent patient and community voice.

There are three core shifts:

From Hospital to Community

  • Establish a Neighbourhood Health Service: More care delivered locally and in homes.
  • New Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) in every community. These will act as local one-stop hubs, co-locating GPs, community services, diagnostics, and mental health support, open 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to improve access and ease hospital pressure.
  • Enhanced GP access, including same-day appointments and expanded multidisciplinary teams.
  • Expanded personal health budgets and care planning.
  • Integrated services with VCSE, social care, and Local Authorities.
  • End corridor care, reduce outpatient reliance and shift funding away from hospitals.

From Analogue to Digital

  • A digitally accessible NHS powered by the NHS App as a Doctor in your Pocket.
  • Patients manage appointments, feedback, care plans, and medications digitally.
  • A Single Patient Record will underpin integrated, predictive, and personalised care.
  • Use of AI scribes to reduce administration and wearables for real-time monitoring.

From Sickness to Prevention

 

·        Public health reforms: tobacco control, obesity strategy, food policy reform.

  • Investment in young people’s health, school meals, and mental health support.
  • New genomics-based population health service and early disease screening.

The plan also suggests a raft of systemic reforms including a diverse and devolved NHS, shifting from Whitehall to Local ICB’s and their providers. Transparency and quality will be key and poor patient care will not be accepted: both workforce and financial transformation (which could include the issuing of  Multi-Year Contract awards or Incentivization by Results) will ensure an NHS fit for the future.

VINs view:

From a local VCSE perspective, there is a need to explore the implications of multi-year contracts and payment-by-results models in greater depth. Multi-year funding could offer much-needed stability, enabling longer-term planning, workforce retention, and more sustainable service delivery. However, any move toward a Pay-for-Performance Culture must be approached with caution. While outcomes-based funding can incentivise impact, it risks disadvantaging smaller VCSE organisations that work with the most marginalised communities, where progress is complex, non-linear, and harder to quantify. To be effective, these models must reflect the relational nature of VCSE work, avoid excessive bureaucracy, and include flexibility to respond to local needs.

 

The full report can be found here:  Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England