As part of the UK Shared Propserity Fund, Thanet District Council wanted to support its voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector by creating opportunities for networking, training and funding support as well as working with the sector to build capacity and promote collaboration.  The council commissioned PRD to create a database of VCSE organisations in Thanet and understanding their challenges and aspirations.

We collected detailed information from hundreds of organisations across the district, focusing on smaller organisations that serve hyperlocal communities. We surveyed 224 organisations, which revealed that recruiting new volunteers and investing in volunteers are among the top priorities for VCSE organisations. We also held a workshop with sector representatives to inform the training and capacity-building support the council could offer.

We then ran ‘The Big Ideas Conversation’, a series of engagement events throughout the district focusing on how to build community capacity for volunteering, empower people through volunteering, and rethink how the VCSE sector should position and offer volunteering opportunities.

The final report detailed the findings from the research and recommendations to tie into the council’s different UKSPF workstreams over the next two years, specifically, the Community Champions Programme and People and Skills: Enrichment and Volunteering Activities.