As the Centre for Voluntary Services in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage, we champion the efforts of the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector (VCFSE).

We’re here to make their valuable work even more possible.

Acquiring funding is one of the most common challenges faced by the sector. It’s an area we are always looking in to, to help organisations gain the resources they need in order to continue doing what they do.

Grants are one of the most common sources of funding for organisations within our community, offered by either central or local government, as well as other charitable trusts and grant making bodies such as The National Lottery Community Fund.

Other sources of funding for the VCFSE sector include Hertfordshire Community Foundation and, for sport, physical activity and movement, Sport England.

When determining recipients of their grants, funders will undoubtedly request the completion of often complex applications, through which they asses a number of areas, including mission alignment between funder and organisation, to financial stability, leadership skills, reputation and more.

Evidence of impact is another area considered by funders and is an area that organisations tell us is particularly challenging.

For many larger, more established organisations and companies, metrics to prove effectiveness is a vital, systematic process that constantly measures and improves efficiencies.

For the voluntary sector where resource is limited, the development of key performance indicators, or outcomes, is often overlooked in favour of prioritising the delivery of service.

When charities reflect their impact, it helps build or maintain public trust and ensures that they are making a difference.

The public expects charities to impact and use their money wisely. Without a robust impact evaluation in place, how do we know if they are effective?

That’s why we’re very excited about a new project developed by the University of Hertfordshire ICS project.

In development is a ground-breaking new tool that measure the impact of Hertfordshire’s VCFSE sector.

In its early stages, the aim is for individual organisations, no matter their size, to simply input key information to return more readily available quantitative proof of impact.

As part of the scope and to ensure its effectiveness, the University of Hertfordshire have been conducting a survey capturing the challenges and needs of users.

If you’re part of a charity, community or faith group or social enterprise based or operating in North Hertfordshire or Stevenage, you are invited to complete their survey in order to help shape the future of this free-to-use tool which will undoubtedly help with funding, volunteer recruitment and telling your groups story.

Find the link to the survey on our social media; search North Herts and Stevenage CVS.

As the centre for voluntary services for North Herts and Stevenage, we equip community groups, charities and volunteers with the support and knowledge to thrive.

Learn more about how we help organisations reach their potential at www.nhcvs.org.uk.