What is collaborate2?
• Aims
• How it worked
• HACT’s role
Why clustering?
• 1.1What is a cluster?
• 1.2How clusters are different
• 1.3The HACT clustering model
• 1.4Cluster stages
• 1.5Are you ready to cluster?
Forming a cluster
• 2.1Who to cluster with
• 2.2What’s the driver
• 2.3Get the core group
• 2.4Agreeing the rules
• 2.5Governance issues
• 2.6Checklist
Finding the focus
• 3.1Using the diagnostic toolkit
• 3.2Reviewing your ICT
• 3.3Analysing the results
• 3.4Generative discussion
• 3.5Pulling it together
• 3.6Next steps
Developing the work plan
• 4.1Initial feasibility
• 4.2Help with shared purchasing
• 4.3Help with HR & training
• 4.4Help with policies and procedures
• 4.5Help with ICT
• 4.6Help with infrastructure
• 4.7Agreeing the workplan
Taking it forward
• 5.1Taking stock
• 5.2Review issues
• 5.3Changes in membership
• 5.4Knowing when to stop
• 5.5Sharing the learning
• 5.6Checklist
Twelve top tips
• 6.1Tips 1 — 6
• 6.2Tips 7 — 12
Online tools
• 7.1Dropbox
• 7.2Skype
• 7.3Surveymonkey
Online resources
• 8.1General resources
• 8.2Specialist resources
• 8.3Online resources

Help with infrastructure | 4.6

Local resources

Business In The Community/Business Action On Homelessness may be active locally – among other things, in some areas BITC runs a project called Pro Help which puts voluntary organisations in touch with professionals who offer pro bono help; it is worth checking to see.

REACH – the Retired Executives Action Clearing House – can also be a useful source of high calibre volunteers with business skills if they have suitably experienced members in your area.

Your local Volunteer Bureau

Business Link – runs a number of programmes aimed at supporting small businesses, some of which may be of use to you; these change from time to time, so it is worth subscribing to their monthly e-newsletter.

The business community – local Chambers of Commerce and other business forums can sometimes be useful sources of professional expertise; large local employers (or local branches of large national companies) may run corporate social responsibility programmes.

Solicitors and auditors – your professional advisers can sometimes be persuaded to offer “added value” such a running free seminars for managers on finance/legal issues – particularly if they are retained by a number of organisations in the cluster. Of use if you are developing a joint training programme.

The local authority – if you have good contacts with favourably-disposed local authority staff at the right level, they can signpost you into opportunities which might not otherwise have crossed your radar screen, and broker contacts with others who can help.

“Community enablers” – a portmanteau phrase for large voluntary organisations operating in your area which have the capacity and the willingness to share some of their infrastructure facilities with smaller organisations. Examples are the arrangement in Nottingham under which Framework Housing Association is providing the Collaborate group members with access to the services of its in-house Health and Safety team, and in Durham where Centrepoint is hosting a shared database function for the four Collaborate group members.

Your Boards – even the smallest Collaborate group is likely to have around 20 people involved in the Boards of its members, each of whom will have networks which may be of use to the group. They might provide your point of entry into the local business and academic communities. This is one of many good reasons why it makes sense to engage them with the development of the Collaborate project, and to get them enthused about its potential.

National initiatives

Over the years there have been many government initiatives aimed in one way or another at strengthening voluntary sector organisations, and a particular plethora since the inception of the ChangeUp programme in 2003. Some of these have been aimed at promoting collaboration as a way forward – the latest example being The Modernisation Fund.

The best places to find details of the current crop of programmes, and any new arrivals, is on the websites of NCVO (National Council of Voluntary Organisations) and Capacitybuilders. Capacitybuilders also provides an e-news bulletin which will keep you updated with any new programmes which it is delivering itself.

It can be difficult to keep up with the launch of new initiatives which your group might benefit from. It is therefore worth subscribing to one or more free on-line update services; there are a number of these, but perhaps the most useful are those provided by Third Sector (daily), Charity Times and ACEVO (weekly) and Directory of Social Change (monthly)

The Bassac Collaboration Benefits Programme

Bassac has been chosen by the government to coordinate the delivery of support to voluntary organisations aiming to collaborate with each other. The Collaboration Benefits Programme provides a free resource bank, access to training events, and a support service for clusters.

Online resources

There is a huge range of information and resources available via the web. Probably the easiest route into these is the Knowhow Nonprofit website managed by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Cass Business School. This provides a wide range of information itself on subjects such as staff management, leadership, governance, organisation management, communications and marketing, and also acts as a gateway to a large number of other useful sites including sources of model policies and procedures. It’s an interactive site, and can contribute and share ideas, tips and links through discussion forums.

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