Our Grants and Engagement Officer, Sophie, continues her blog series with a new post on organisational development and capacity building. Sophie offers guidance on what support is available locally, and shares resources to help organisations access training and develop their policies and procedures.
Running a charity or community group successfully requires more than just passion and dedication — it also depends on having the right policies, governance structures, and training in place. These elements not only help organisations operate smoothly on a daily basis but also play a crucial role in securing grant funding and unlocking other opportunities, such as partnership working and public sector contracts.
As a grantmaking organisation, we focus on providing funding to support local initiatives. However, we understand that access to development support is just as important for long-term sustainability. While we do not offer these services directly, we can signpost charities and community groups in Devon to organisations that specialise in governance advice, training, fundraising support, and more.
In this blog, I’ll explore the key areas of development support available and highlight where you can find expert guidance to help your organisation grow and thrive.
Local voluntary services are organisations which support and connect voluntary, community, and social enterprise groups. These are a fantastic resource for organisations at any stage in their journey, offering a wide range of support including governance advice, capacity building, funding bulletins and networking. Some are also able to offer their own grant funding and training sessions and have great newsletters to keep you up to date with the latest news and opportunities in your area. Below is a list of some of the services and networks across Devon:
Having the right policies and procedures in place is essential to building a strong and sustainable organisation, and it is often something funders consider when reviewing grant applications. If you are looking to set up a new organisation, or review your group’s current policies and procedures, there are several places where you can access policy templates and guidance to help make sure you have the right systems in place:
Another key way to build your organisation’s capacity is through accessing free training, to upskill your team and help you develop the tools to better support your organisation and wider community. You can access training either through your local voluntary services or one of the following organisations:
We are keen to support your work and hope these resources will be helpful to organisations across Devon. If you’d like to be kept up to date on sector opportunities and research which may help you to develop your organisation, please sign up to our newsletter via the form at the bottom of this page.
If you have any questions or need further guidance about Devon Community Foundation’s funding, please get in touch with me at ssmith@devoncf.com or our grants team at grants@devoncf.com . You can also find me on Facebook and X.
