Growing & Formalising Your Consumer Developed Initiative
There are real advantages to a group becoming more formal in its structure. For groups that are involved with advocacy, for example, a higher profile and more structure may be essential.
Even for a non-representative group there can be advantages in becoming more formal. These include the probability of attracting new members to keep the group viable, being able to share the organisational workload, and advertising the group more efficiently to get a higher community profile.
These help sheets are designed to help your group or initiative decide if it wants to become more formal and how to go about it. To reflect
the shift in structure and language that may occur as your CDI becomes more formalised and organised, we have used the words 'Consumer Developed
Initiative' (CDI) and community group and not-for-profit group interchangeably in these help sheets.
Click on the links below to access the help sheets.
Growing and Formalising Your Consumer Developed Initiative (CDI)
- Does your CDI want to become more formal?
- Starting up a not-for-profit organisation - an introduction
- What is the difference between for-profit and not-for-profit groups?
- Legal structures
- Writing a constitution
- Governance models for community groups
- The community environment
- Developing a community assets register
- Doing a community needs assessment
- Identifying agents of change - those you are trying to reach and those who can help
- Who speaks on the group's behalf
- Finding helpers for your CDI
- Administrative basics
- Business planning for community groups
Membership & Recruitment Help Sheets for CDIs
- Setting up a membership scheme for your CDI
- Establishing a paid membership scheme
- Ways to boost your membership
- Getting your CDI ready to receive volunteers
- Designing job descriptions for volunteers
- Recruiting volunteers
- Involving young people in your CDI
- Online volunteering: A new way to increase your reach
- Screening volunteers
- Putting in place a volunteer orientation process
Funds, Grants and Financial Management Help Sheets for CDIs
- What's involved in being a treasurer of a community group?
- Risk management for treasurers
- Fundraising - the basics
- How to find grants
- Approaching major donors
- Writing a sponsorship proposal
- What are special events and why run them?
- Finding the best community-business partnership model for your group
- Attracting bequests
Governance & Leadership Help Sheets for CDIs
- Modern governance and community groups
- Overview of your Committee of Management responsibilities
- Overview of Committee of Management meetings
- Keeping your Committee of Management fresh
- Top 10 mistakes in recruiting new Committee of Management members
- Developing an effective induction process
- Becoming a more accountable, transparent & consultative COM
- Handling conflicts of interest
- 20 characteristics of a dysfunctional Committee of Management … and how to avoid them
- The CEO and the Committee of Management
- Who does what? Committee of Management and staff relationships
- Achieving the right mix: towards a more diverse Committee of Management
- Dealing with difficult Committee of Management members
Planning, Partnerships and Services Help Sheets for CDIs
- Strategic planning overview
- Undertaking a SWOT analysis
- Identifying your stakeholders
- Building a corporate memory
- Putting in place a risk management strategy
- Business planning for community groups
- Conducting a once-a-year grease and oil change