Table 1: Ways of Engaging with the VCSE Sector

Contents

Section 1: Engaging with the VCSE sector

Table 1: Ways of engaging with the VCSE sector

Table 1: Explanatory notes

Section 2: Engaging with the public via the VCSE sector

2.1 Communications

2.2 Reaching the public

Table 2: Indicative costs

Section1: Engaging with the VCSE sector

Within the VCSE sector we are well-connected through a web of infrastructure and communications systems. Most frontline groups can be reached, though not all; new organisations are springing up all the time, some districts are better served than others, some kinds of organisations have no reason to engage with VCSE infrastructure or public sector (especially some of the very small ones).

All infrastructure organisations maintain memberships and mailing lists. GMCVO and local infrastructure organisations (generic infrastructure) hold a range of different mailing lists which have been developed based on declared interests of recipients and/or their current or previous participation in a project. Generic organisations also hold regular events, training courses and networking opportunities for VCSE organisations, advocate for our sector with third parties including local government and the public sector, and support members to respond to public policy consultations and changes.

In boroughs without a generic local infrastructure organisation, it is possible to reach frontline organisations through other local organisations and networks, Healthwatch and the reach of GMCVO and 10GM although this is more complicated.

In addition to generic infrastructure there are a range of infrastructure organisations and networks within our sector with memberships based on communities of identity, experience or interest, which may be well placed to reach particular demographics.

Because of the H&SC project, GMCVO has been building some mailing lists specific to health and social care themes and strategies. GMCVO is resourced to run a number of events and meetings and to provide support for VCSE leaders undertaking policy work or governance roles on behalf of our sector. The project also resources GMCVO and the Reference Group to take an overview of progress across GM and to identify and share good practice across localities.

GMCVO and local infrastructure organisations are experienced in consulting directly with our sector. GMCVO considers one of its core functions to be research into the third sector and its role, and employs dedicated research staff who understand the principles of good qualitative research and statistical analysis.

GMCVO and local infrastructure organisations are experienced in managing contracts on behalf of our sector, acting as lead and accountable bodies, and in running grants schemes, supplier directories, consortiums etc. Some of us also act as commissioners ourselves, and GMCVO is also a social investor.

Engaging with the VCSE sector |Alex Whinnom | January 2018

Table 1: Ways of engaging with the VCSE sector

Note / Engagement channel / Route / First contact if unsure / Cost / Notes
1 / Distribution of information through mailings, newsletters and websites / GMCVO + cascade
Local infrastructure providers
Other infrastructure / / Usually none / Information may not be suitable if it is “last minute”, too complex, or not obviously relevant to the audience
2.1 / Informed opinion / GMCVO, 10GM & Reference Group
Other infrastructure / Contact with any member of the Reference Group will work
But it is part of the day job for:-

(will talk to each other) / Usually none / Depends on who is available to respond
2.2 / Confidential conversation / see 2.1
2.3 / Roundtables / GMCVO and 10GM /
for GM roundtables;
local infrastructure for locality roundtables – or contact to connect you / £0 – c£500 / A certain number are already funded through the project; otherwise enquire – cost will depend on who is paying “hard costs”; who is taking notes and providing follow-up reports; and on how much work is required to source the right participants
2.4 / Simple surveys / see 1 / Usually none
2.5 / Facilitated surveys / GMCVO and 10GM
Healthwatches
Other infrastructure
(we will all collaborate as required) /

(will talk to each other) / Depends on speed, scale etc., but expect to pay for staff time @c£300 per day / Some GM-level work may be possible within GMCVO project funding or Reference Group may support commissioning a piece of work – please ask
2.6 / Events / GMCVO /
for GM events;
local infrastructure for locality events – or contact to connect you / £0 – c£750 / A certain number are already funded through the project; otherwise enquire – cost will depend on who is paying “hard costs”; who is taking notes and providing follow-up reports; and on how much work is required to source the right participants
3. 1 / Governance / Within the current project, VSNW
Beyond the project, GMCVO and 10GM /

(will talk to each other) / None whilst project is live; in principle we expect any reps who are volunteers or are CEOs of smaller organisations to be compensated for time as well as out of pocket expenses / Established processes for a certain number of representatives to be provided / facilitated through the Reference Group
GMCVO and local infrastructure organisations can enable reps to be accountable by reporting back to others
3.2 / Steering groups and forums / GMCVO /
for GM work;
local infrastructure for locality work – or contact to connect you / £0 – c£750 / A certain number can be funded through the project; otherwise enquire – cost will depend on who is paying “hard costs”; who is taking notes and providing follow-up reports; and on how much work is required to source the right participants
3.3 / Secondments / Within the current project, VSNW
Beyond the project, GMCVO and 10GM /

(will talk to each other) / Recruitment and salary costs / Limited availability of most suitable people; part time may be an option.
Culture differences mean support may be needed from both seconding and host organisations.

Engaging with the VCSE sector |Alex Whinnom | January 2018

Table 1: Explanatory notes

1. INFORMING – ONE WAY TRAFFIC

To avoid overloading frontline groups with too much or irrelevant information, it is helpful to ID and narrow the target audience. If unsure whether specific audiences exist and/or can be reached please ask.

Information ideally comes with a very short summary (<200 words) or slide set along with links and contact details for who to ask questions, so people can quickly understand what it is and whether they need to look in more detail.

1.1 Mailings

Re H&SC, information can be sent to GMCVO for distribution, who will circulate as appropriate to frontline lists, infrastructure providers and Reference Group.

If a relationship has already been established and people have given consent to share their contact details, we may be able to share mailing lists and members can be emailed directly. In this case it is really helpful to copy in GMCVO or the originator of the list.

1.2 Newsletter

GMCVO is now producing a weekly general newsletter which goes to all groups that have expressed in interest in H&SC. This can be used to advertise events, consultations, commissions etc. of interest to VCSE organisations. Distribution is cascaded through the Reference Group and infrastructure providers.

1.3 Website(s)

Static information, such as contact details for lead officers, published strategies and plans etc. will also be included on the GMCVO website. Please note BTW that our website is currently being redeveloped to improve navigation and accessibility – but it is nevertheless well-used. Local infrastructure sites are also likely to be able to provide some GM information as well as information about their own locality.

2. CONSULTING – TWO WAY TRAFFIC

In general, it is important, having asked for views, to follow up by reporting back to the audience what decisions have subsequently been taken and why. Unless this is done, there is a risk that consultation is seen as tokenistic and people may disengage.

2.1 Informed opinion

Can be sought from chief executives and senior officers of infrastructure providers including GMCVO and local infrastructure organisations and from the Reference Group. Responses will vary depending on who is in the office and has time, but we will certainly do our best to help. Chief executives and senior officers in infrastructure have an overview of our sectors and the issues that affect them, based on wide and deep relationships and many years of advocating on their behalf.

This is useful if you want to “test the water” or if time is very short. We would not consider this to be “engagement” in any real sense.

Infrastructure people are generalists. If there is a need for an informed opinion on a specialist issue we should be able to point to one or more frontline VCSE leaders who are known experts on the topic or demographic.

2.2 Confidential conversation

Individuals as above may be able to offer a conversation by phone or in person.

The Reference Group may be able to offer is the opportunity to sit down with all or some of us to talk through an issue or idea. Requests should be made via VSNW. Note that time constraints on meetings limit the number of such conversations.

Alternatively, with a couple of weeks’ notice, it is usually possible to invite a few VCSE leaders (Reference Group, infrastructure, others) to come to a small meeting hosted by the H&SC partnership or LCO. Attendance will depend on availability.

Conversations of this kind are useful when there is a need for a proper dialogue with senior people, before decisions are made about process, or about who should be consulted or involved

2.3 Roundtables

Slightly more formally, GMCVO can convene a round table comprising a dozen or so people from the VCSE sector who are broadly representative, by size, locality, type of work etc. of those with specialist knowledge or experience of the topic. Priorities for project-funded round tables are agreed with the Reference Group. Conversations at such meetings may be strictly confidential, or may be minuted for reporting to a wider interest group, thus enabling them to be engaged in further work.

These are also useful when there is a need to build a longer term relationship, to act as a sounding board, steering group, working party or critical friend.

2.4 Simple surveys

If there is an existing mailing list that can be used, it is possible to send a request for a response from members. This could be a request for comments, or a short survey or consultation.

To maximise responses, information should be kept succinct (see above) and it should be clear as to why the question(s) are being asked and what decisions will be influenced by the responses. Ideally, a four to six weeks deadline. Online surveys are preferable to emailed ones. Short questionnaires with yes/no or tick-box options are less likely to be abandoned. But note that even well-designed “cold call” consultations and questionnaires are now receiving a low level of response simply because of reducing capacity within our sector, even when the topic is important to the recipient.

2.5 Facilitated surveys

Frontline organisations are more likely to respond if they are personally asked by a known party (a VCSE infrastructure organisation, or a H&SC colleague with whom they already have a relationship). Additional responses may be secured by ringing people with the request, and/or allowing them to respond by phone.

It may be possible to include the completion of a survey in a meeting or event which is happening anyway, or to provide a short time slot for delegates to respond collectively via a voting mechanism.

2.6 Consultation events and assemblies

It may be possible to convene an assembly meeting of organisations with an interest in the topic, to allow for more in-depth discussion and consultation. Priorities for project-funded assemblies are agreed with the Reference Group. These can include information-giving (both directions), roundtable discussions, questionnaires etc. as appropriate.

Delegates may be willing to reconvene at intervals as a forum to track progress and discuss next steps.

3. INVOLVING

3.1 Governance

There is an established process for sourcing and supporting mandated representatives to sit on boards or similar to represent the interests or views of the VCSE sector. Reps are asked to report to a steering group or forum, and to connect to the Reference Group, which provides a central place at which to agree key positions and messages and share news and ideas. There is a certain amount of capacity for this to be done at GM level within the current H&SC project, but realistically this cannot be done for every board, and it may not be the best or only method of involving people.

3.2 Steering groups and Forums

Recurring meetings of assembly members with an interest in a particular theme, board or area of work. There is capacity for some of these to be facilitated by GMCVO within the current project, although if they are intended to be longer term it is preferable for the relevant board or H&SC leader to take ownership of them.

Steering groups function like roundtables, forums are run in a similar way to consultation events

These are already established for some strands of work.

3.3 Secondments

These enable hands on participation in an area of work, and bring expertise from one sector into another, helping to share detailed knowledge and experience and bridge cultural differences, and to enable joint ownership of process and decisions.

A number of secondments into the H&SC Partnership are already in place. As far as we know, there have not been any secondments from the Partnership into VCSE leadership organisations.

A possible weakness is in the accountability of VCSE secondees back to their original sector, and the perception of conflict of interest, so clear links back to the Reference Group and relevant elements of the VCSE sector are important.

4. PARTNERSHIP WORKING

This is the next level beyond “engaging” and is out of scope of this paper. At this level, we would expect to see co-production principles followed, based on ongoing formalised working relationships, a fair sharing of available resources, joint decision-making and collaborative leadership.

Section2: Engaging with the public via the VCSE sector

Sometimes it is important to engage directly with the public reached by the VCSE sector, rather than just VCSE leaders and organisations. In general, VCSE organisations enjoy considerable trust within communities and the confidence of the people they work with. They may be able to reach and engage with people who are unwilling or unable to talk to people from the statutory sector, and/or elicit a more open and honest dialogue with them.

It is important to note that connecting the public with the public sector work is often additional to the normal work of the organisation and they will incur hard costs (rooms, refreshments, phone bills, postage etc.) and soft costs (staff and volunteer time). Whilst most organisations can operate by email and online, this is not necessarily the case with members of the public, and often the only effective way to engage is through face-to-face conversation in “safe” surroundings.

There also needs to be a good reason for the organisation and their contacts to want to be involved so it is important that this is clearly articulated (e.g. shaping investment decisions, designing the approach to a relevant issue).

Within the Greater Manchester VCSE sector we are well-connected through a web of infrastructure and communications systems. Most frontline groups can be reached, though not all; new organisations are springing up all the time, some districts are better served than others, some kinds of organisations have no reason to engage with VCSE infrastructure or public sector (especially some of the very small ones).

Although there are some organisations that focus on a specific “condition” or provide a specialist “service”, most organisations work with individuals or communities more holistically, based on locality or demographic. The numbers of individuals reached and the type(s) of relationship(s) they have with the organisations vary greatly. However in general VCSE organisations, are well-placed to engage, inform and consult members of the public and to understand how to do this effectively. In many cases, they are able to do this with people who are not reached directly by the public sector or mainstream media. This was evidenced through the VCSE work on “Taking Charge Together”.

2.1 Communications

The great majority of VCSE organisations have email and can be contacted this way, but their primary method of communication with service users, members and customers is in person. As a sector also, we like to talk, meet and network, and successful organisations spend considerable time doing this. VCSE colleagues lack back office support, are now very pressed for time and will naturally prioritise personal contacts rather than the in-box. Messages must be short (no more than 200 words), concise and relevant, with the “hook in the headline” and should include contact details, links (if needed) and explicit requests or invitations for action. It helps if they come from a person or organisation that is already known to them and trusted.

Because of the way we work, VCSE organisations are experts in achieving meaningful two-way communications with people. Many work with people who are otherwise less connected (lacking personal networks and social capital), and have developed effective ways to inform, consult and collaborate with them. They will understand what does and doesn’t work with their particular contacts. They may require tailored materials that are accessible to the demographic they work with and/or short slide sets or videos they can use themselves. They are often willing to advise public sector comms officers on appropriate design, tone, inclusive language, plain language and accessibility, as long as timescales are reasonable and the materials not too long.

2.2 Reaching the public

VCSE organisations may be able to inform, consult and/or involve the public with regard to issues, proposals, decisions and opportunities that are likely to affect them. There may be a cost to this – to the infrastructure provider who finds and engages the right frontline organisation(s), to the frontline organisation(s) and/or to the members of the public targeted. There may also be capacity issues, so in general the more warning that can be given the better. Note that the current VCSE Engagement Project funding explicitly does not cover consultations with the public.