Are you a Registered Charity, Community Interest Company, Community Business or Community Group?
Do you want support for your existing community initiative?
Participate Projects offers a range of support to existing socially focused organisations. We look for organisations with drive, ambitions and great ideas to tackle social issues. Our experienced consultancy team can help you sustain, strengthen and grow your organisation. We work with you to develop a unique blend of support specific for your needs.
Capability Needs Assessment
We have developed a capability assessment ‘Heat Map’ that enables you to involve your board, staff and stakeholders in identifying your development priorities. The approach provides you with a graphical representation of organisational strength and identifies key recommendations for change.
Impact and Purpose
This half day session with your staff and board uses our ‘Impact Cards’ to facilitate a conversation about Impact and Purpose so a common ‘mission’ and ‘impact’ are built into the thinking of an organisation.
Strategy and Action Planning
Run over several sessions with staff, board and other stakeholders – this is a detailed process designed deliver a solid action plan and ensure buy-in from stakeholders. We use our Capability Heat Map, Impact Cards, SWOT, financial viability and value matrix to create a diagnostic and develop and action plan.
Theory of Change
Our process builds on Impact and Strategy sessions to create a full Theory of Change for your organisation. We map your outcomes and activities to establish what you need to measure to support your assumptions about the change you make. This work forms the basis of a bespoke impact management framework.
Coaching
A bespoke package of support focussed on supporting CEO’s and Senior Managers of social ventures who need on-going support to be more effective. Coaching includes direct coaching on specific issues, heat mapping, capability, needs assessment and general business consultancy.
Fundraising and Tenders
Fundraising and bid writing support to suit a budget; Our experienced team have a track record of supporting people to improve fundraising skills and have supported successful bids from £1000 to £2m+.Our services include research, strategy, tender writing, grant applications, crowd-funding, project development and budgeting. We always seek to transfer fundraising skills to your organisation, reducing your dependency on external support. We can also provide training in bid writing and crowdfunding.
Business Engagement
Our team have a wealth of experience in developing unique business engagement strategy and delivery with charities. We have developed various types of partnerships with businesses for charities; including mentoring programmes and skills volunteering.
‘Being introduced to Participate was a huge stroke of luck on our part. Participate have provided us with a human face of Charity support, a kind and caring service giving us back our feeling of worth and value. Participate have provided us with a thoroughly professional, supportive and above all care based service. They provide a clear map, with clear instruction in a sea of constant change. We are immensely grateful for their support that has positively influenced and greatly contributed to our on going success and progress in the last three years – all very much down to their experience, enthusiasm, unique delivery and informed advice.’
‘The skills and expertise of Participate have been invaluable. Through 1-2-1 meetings, group facilitation sessions, residential conferences, remote editing work, email support and telephone calls, Participate have enabled FoSA to move mountains! Two years ago, the charity and service was in a very vulnerable position… thanks to Participates support, we no longer worry about the future, we embrace it.’
‘Participate have been a fantastic support to KHL especially helping to successfully gain additional funding and looking at new opportunities. The team have generated lots of ideas around the development of the organisation and solutions to help ensure KHL sustainability. It has been a really positive experience working with Participate.’
‘We consider it very important on a number of levels for Christeyns to offer support to local organisation/charities in the community, first and foremost we hope that we can make a small but positive difference to the organisation, secondly, we often see things that in our normal day to day work we would have no idea about and thirdly, from a business perspective helping do something outside work helps us as an organisation to work as a team, get to know each other better and of course have fun!’
‘Participate are helping local businesses such as ours, to contribute to the social and economic regeneration of the Bradford district and by getting involved, Provident is contributing to the creation of a thriving and successful district. Volunteering is great for team building, improving employee morale and skills development.’
Our Social Venture School can help you if you are looking to start a social venture.
Participate provides a comprehensive range of support to help people start and grow Social Ventures. To join our programme you must have an idea that with the primary purpose of tackling a social or environmental issue.
Social Venture School
Attend our 2 day ‘Social Venture School’ for free and get expert support to set up your new project. The school will help you to build a plan for your venture, covering topics including; planning, organisational structures, finance and funding, marketing and impact monitoring. You will meet inspirational speakers from social ventures and local businesses who can offer expert guidance.
Ongoing Support
After Social Venture School our team will help you to develop and grow your idea. This support included help with registering your organisation, fundraising advice, training, strategy and planning sessions and enterprise coaching. You will also be part of a peer network of like-minded people who meet to share their experiences. Where you require specialist help we will refer you to our network of partners or help you access business volunteers.
Eligibility
This programme is for people living in England. You may be an individual or part of an informal group and you must be developing a project that mainly benefits the public or a community in England.
Activities are not eligible if they involve political or religious campaigning or involve activities outside the law or against public policy; or anything that encourages ethnic, religious or social disharmony.
‘Participate have helped structure my project from a basic concept to a viable social business with a big vision, all whilst providing professional mentoring and personal support. Participate are friends, mentors, critics and strategists – all in one’
‘The mix of start-up funding and other support from the programme has been invaluable to us. From small beginnings as a local project, we are now working at an international level. We have been given specialist third sector support from Participate as well as business skills from private sector volunteers. Attending Social Venture School gave us the confidence, skills and tools to deliver the first ever mixed ability international rugby tournament.’