3SC’s mission to enable the sector to have an increased role in service delivery also involves supporting and capacity building organisations. We do this indirectly by enabling CSO's to have access to deliver bigger contracts, grow their resources and develop greater delivery capacity as a result, and directly, by offering support around business skills development and consultancy advice to enable them to do more. This year, alongside providing contract delivery opportunities to CSO's, we have also been engaged in extensive capacity buidling work in the latter, more active category.
The first phase of this was series of three roundtables for 3SC members (that had been involved in the then Future Jobs Fund) which enabled participants to reflect on the specific shift from FJF to the “Work Programme”; the wider public sector commissioning environment; and how 3SC could shape its support to members
The key conclusions from these discussions related to how 3SC might better involve and support its supply chain in, for example, identifying and delivering business opportunities, raising capacity and capability, and building partnerships.
The second phase was a period on intensive consultancy support to six organisations provided by a dedicated external consultant. In delivering the consultancy support there was a commitment to tailoring support to the specific needs and context of the organisation and the use of a dedicated consultant able to work responsively to the nature and pace of the organisations current work.
The programme delivered a range of tangible outcomes such as the production of strategies and business plans, strengthening financial processes, the development of cross organisational partnerships, exploration of funding routes, advice on tenders and trading, connecting people etc.
Those involved from each of the organisations also identified the importance of being able to have some personal mentoring and coaching support as they met significant challenges and change – support that they would not otherwise have ordinarily received. The group of providers expressed their appreciation for the support provided by 3SC and its mission-led values and goals:
“If we didn’t have 3SC we would need to invent it!”
We will shortly be publishing the results and impact of this capacity building work so please revisit our website and read our newsletter to hear more about it.