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Section Four: Effective, resourced community organisations
Effective, resourced community organisations: resources that support community organisations to get access to resources and deliver services effectively
Developing strong, effective and influential community groups and organisations is a core purpose of community learning and development, as it is through such organisations that changes in the quality of community life are most likely to be achieved and sustained. Yet community organisations typically struggle to survive in an adverse funding or political environment. Helping community organisations to grow, and to be efficient and effective is thus one of the most important capacity building tasks. There are a number of frameworks for assessing and improving community organisational capacity, and we recommend the Skills Toolkit from Stirling Council as a good example, being available online, written from the perspective of community organisation needs, and set within a Scottish context. Where community organisations are at the stage where they are responsible for significant resources of staff, funds, premises and other material assets, the DTA guide To have and to hold is a good general guide to asset development and management for enterprising community organisations.
Key resources
- Skills Toolkit, Stirling Council
- Setting up for success: A practical guide for community organisations, CDF
- To have and to hold: the DTA guide to asset development for community and social enterprises, Lorraine Hart
Recommended resources
- Skye and Lochalsh Community Toolkit, Skye & Lochalsh Council of Voluntary Organisations
- The Big Picture, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
- Community Webnet: Resources
- Taking Control in your community, Confederation of Co-operative Housing
Other resources
- Reference Manual, by Community Matters
- Funderfinder, website
- Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont
- Developing Local Capacity: Local Sustainability Trusts, Forward Scotland
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