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.