Information, Advice and Guidance

We provide information advice and guidance on matters concerning community centre operation and management.

• Designing and Running Community Buildings
• Governance and Management
• Jargon Buster

Designing and Running Community Buildings

Between July 2006 and April 2007 the Community Buildings Programme awarded 148 grants across England totaling £47.3M.  It gave communities the chance to improve their quality of life by funding buildings that were economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.  The programme aimed to create new facilities where there were none, and improve existing facilities which were inadequate, so that they could offer a wide range of services and activities to a broad range of local people.

A booklet summarizing the learning from Big Lottery Fund’s Community Building Projects has been published.  The document aims to share learning experiences and the challenges faced by organisations, highlighting the ways of minimising or overcoming many of the challenges.

Download the summary of Big Lottery Community Buildings Programme.

Jargon Buster

A website providing clear and simple definitions of some of the key terms used in the voluntary sector has been launched by Charities Evaluation Services. The terms focus on what organisations are doing and the difference their work is making.

If you ever find yourself confused by some of the terms and abbreviations used within the voluntary sector consult Jargonbuster a free resource for third sector organisations, funders and government and regulatory bodies alike.

Not only is it a useful tool in making sure that everyone is speaking the same language, but it will also give organisations consistent information to help them to understand, plan, review and develop their projects in a systematic way and become more effective at what they do.

Governance and Management

Sandy Adirondack is a freelance management consultant and trainer working exclusively in the voluntary/not-for-profit sector. Her main specialisms legal aspects of voluntary sector governance and management, and helping boards become more effective.

This site includes a legal update service which will help organisations keep up with changes in the law. There are direct links to government guidance, regulations and the legislation itself.