What we do
Our activities comprise a range of projects, services and networks and partnerships, which are summarised below.
• Transport Resource Unit
Advises and enables voluntary and community groups and organisations to influence transport policy, finds solutions to local transport issues and helps to build the capacity of the community transport sector.
• Health Partnership Project
Advises and enables the public sector to overcome barriers to commissioning from local voluntary organisations and enables voluntary and community groups to influence policy on health and access to public services.
• Volunteering Greater Manchester
Provides strategic support for existing volunteering services and disseminates best practice in working with volunteers through information, training, mentoring, and a variety of events.
• Generating Success
Promote and encourages community-based renewable projects, both locally in Greater Manchester and further afield.
• Work Programme
Works with statutory partners and prime contractors to create opportunities for voluntary sector groups and organisations to support the delivery of the Government’s Work Programme.
• Training
A range of accredited and specialist training including management qualifications. We can also help you develop and run your own bespoke training events.
• Consultancy
Our consultancy service offers in-depth support on a wide range of topics including project and change management, business planning, organisational development including governance advice, collaboration and partnership development, consortia development and social market support and service recovery.
• Supporting representation
Building relationships with the statutory sector and providing opportunities for voluntary sector voices to be heard and to influence public policy.
• Community hubs
Community Hubs is a specialist team within GMCVO with the task of strengthening the voluntary and community sector through the development of ‘hubs’ – places or spaces that generate community or neighbourhood activity.
• Commissioning
Supporting voluntary organisations to demonstrate quality and to improve their ability to engage in differing commissioning models, and supporting organisations from both the public and private sector to commission from the voluntary sector.
• Community enterprise
Start-up and sustainability of services and activities based on a commercial model but for community benefit. Support includes identifying aspirations, the most appropriate organisational structure, creating a business plan, market awareness, and how to measure success.
• Conferences and events
Occasional events addressing key policy and practice issues affecting the voluntary and community sector in Greater Manchester.
For details, please contact:
Tanya Coutts, tanya.coutts@gmcvo.org.uk, 0161 277 1002.
• Financial services and payroll
Assistance with the management of your finances including a complete payroll service.
• Databases
Provides cost-effective open source databases that allow organisations to manage and take control of their communications and performance.
• Research
We undertake research to develop our understanding of the needs of communities and we collate and disseminate research findings. We have a voluntary sector research resource.
• Conference and meeting rooms
The St Thomas Centre is a high quality, fully equipped and accessible conference and meeting venue near the centre of Manchester
• Information and publications
News and information on issues affecting the voluntary sector via various newsletters, a quarterly policy journal and briefings.
• Bulk buying discounts
Marketplace offers a free, no obligation service for voluntary sector groups in Greater Manchester to access deals on goods and services.
• Training Co-ordination Network
The Training Co-ordination Network discusses all issues regarding training provision for the voluntary sector in Greater Manchester, and acts as a central resource for the exchange of ideas, information, evaluation and research.
• Greater Manchester Wellbeing Consortium
The Consortium provides a way for voluntary sector organisations to enter the contracts market. It does this by providing a central ‘hub’ function which takes a lot of the work needed around bidding for contracts away from voluntary sector organisations.
• Equality and Human Rights Forum
A forum for Greater Manchester voluntary organisations specialising in equalities work, provides specialist knowledge to influence policies and decision-making.
• Community Buildings Information Network (COMBINE)
Provides details of training and events plus other information to a network of people involved in managing community buildings.
• Greater Manchester Trustees Network
Supports trustees through the provision of information on policy and good practice, relevant events, training and resources.
• Greater Manchester 3rd Sector Research Network
The network is a forum for academics and practitioners to learn from each other and exchange experiences. It aims to provide an open space to discuss issues related to finding out information and conducting research within the voluntary sector in Greater Manchester.
• Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support
GMCVO leads a partnership of organisations involved in providing support (infrastructure) to voluntary organisations in Greater Manchester.
• Economic and Social Inclusion Network
The main purpose of this network is to support voluntary and community sector groups and organisations dealing with issues caused by worklessness and deprivation.
• Reducing Re-Offending Network
Works with statutory partners to create opportunities for voluntary sector organisations in delivering public sector contracts to reduce levels of re-offending in Greater Manchester.
