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Explanation of Terms
The following section provides detail of what is meant by
each of the following terms which form the parameters of this
review:
Voluntary sector
For the purposes of this review the voluntary sector will
be characterised in a fairly broad sense with the key elements
being that organisations are: structured; non-profit driven;
non-statutory; autonomous; and run by individuals who do not
get paid for running the organisation (SCVO definition).
Broadly speaking it will be assumed that the desired impact
of support provided to the voluntary sector is to assist organisations
to function in an efficient and effective way. For example
the Charities Aid Foundation defines a healthy voluntary organisation
as one that:
• Has a robust mission, vision and goals supported
by appropriate governance, management and staffing (including
volunteering) structures
• Has a funding strategy that reinforces this mission,
vision etc and supports the direction of the organisation’s
work
• Has a marketing and PR presence that reinforces the
work of the organisation
• Is supported by financial management and planning
systems
Organisational development
The term ‘organisational development’ has been
used since the 1960s to describe a management approach whereby
social and behavioural science is employed to improve both
the effectiveness of organisations and the quality of work
experience for its members.
Organisational development is closely interlinked with all
the areas of this review and in particular we will explore
aspects such as:
• Organisational change (for example organisations
starting up or moving from a small unincorporated group to
become a registered charity)
• Issues relating to management and governance
• Business planning
• Responding to new legislation, policy or regulations.
Workforce development
Workforce development refers to a strategic approach to ensuring
and sustaining (through a range of inputs) the pool of skills
and knowledge needed to deliver the outcomes being sought
(including outcomes for employers and employees).
Process of developing the skills and knowledge of paid staff,
volunteers and trustees, underpinned by good management and
employment practice.
Attracting people to work in the sector so it can flourish
and grow.
http://www.changeup.org.uk/hubs/workforce.asp
Technical support
This refers to elements of the infrastructure of voluntary
organisations including ICT and finance systems. This review
will examine what voluntary organisations wish to achieve
through the use of ICT and what support is available, and
needed, to enable them to do this.
The review will also look at the needs of the voluntary sector
in terms of financial management systems, particularly as
these are crucial to the capacity of organisations to ensure
efficiency and respond to the issues of best value and full
cost recovery (described below in relation to income generation).
Income generation
This element of the review will examine the voluntary sector’s
support needs in context of the Strategic Funding Review and
assess the adequacy of current support in meeting these. In
particular we will explore the support required by the sector
to respond to the ‘best value’ requirements on
local authorities and the move towards an investment culture
of funding and implementation of full cost recovery (whereby
organisations realistically cost their services to take account
of overheads) within the sector.
This links closely with the issue of financial management
systems as these must be robust and efficient in order that
organisations can accurately calculate and manage the costs
of their work.
Lobbying and networking
support
Lobbying and networking are key activities for many organisations
within the voluntary sector and the Scottish Executive has
recognised the role of the voluntary sector in the policy
making process in: advocating for communities and individuals
who find it difficult to articulate their needs and views;
campaigning for increased or improved public provision; and
contributes knowledge and experience .
The role of this review will be to identify the support currently
available and the extent to which this builds the capacity
of voluntary organisations, as opposed to acting on their
behalf, to sustain networks or undertake lobbying. We will
explore the needs of the voluntary sector in terms of what
type of support they require, where they view intermediaries
and other support organisations as adding value by taking
a lead role, and where they would rather access support to
build their own capacity.
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