TGSPfinal

Capgemini Community Challenge
2016
10th June 2016
The Think Tank
Suzie Boddy, Matt Dennis, Andreea Gheorghe, Lois Patel, Dhiren Savani
Telford Green Spaces Partnership
TGSP

Contents
0.1 Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
0.2 Telford Green Spaces Partnership (TGSP) and the Challenge . . 3
0.3 Research of Similar Organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
0.3.1 Birmingham Open Space Forum (BOSF) . . . . . . . . . 4
0.3.2 Meres & Mosses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
0.4 Stakeholder Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
0.4.1 Number of members in each group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
0.4.2 Meetings and events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
0.4.3 Development Areas for Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
0.4.4 How can TGSP develop? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
0.5 Research for Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
0.5.1 Legal Entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
0.5.2 Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
0.6 Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
0.6.1 Quick Wins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
0.6.2 Add Committee Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
0.6.3 Set Up As a Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
0.6.4 Helpful Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
0.6.5 Quick Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
0.6.6 Paid Staﬀ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
0.7 Future Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
0.8 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
0.8.1 Reference documents and stakeholder meetings . . . . . . 23
0.8.2 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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0.1 Brief
The Challenge
TGSP is a voluntary ’umbrella’ organisation that has grown from strength to
strength since forming in 2011. It now has its own web page and new members
(conservation groups) are joining at a steady rate. TGSP would like to know
how to be more efficient, and how to knowledge share and organise training
opportunities with better coordination and support.
Funding and consequently support from the original partners is due to be
removed or reduced, therefore the forum needs ideas on how to become self-
financing/self-sustaining. It is also difficult to quantify exactly how much finance
is required due to the range of projects that take place. Amidst these cuts,
TGSP would like to improve and evolve, so again would like to know how.
Overall, TGSP wants to adapt to these changes in the most efficient way.
This will assist in the future sustainability of the Partnership so that it can
continue its work within the network and remain a relevant, active organisation.
The Student Project
Aim: to deliver a report summarising research findings on how TGSP
can evolve to become a self-sustaining organisation.
By the end of the challenge TGSP would like the students to have:
• Identified some modelling options on what TGSP needs to become (e.g.
a Trust, Social Enterprise, etc.) to be sustainable in the medium to long
term, and how this can be done.
- Thought about the range of projects and the finance amount that
is therefore required.
• Identified potential key partners (e.g. Parish and Town Councils or others)
- Identified potential income that these streams could generate.
• Considered digital marketing options to ensure the network remains rele-
vant
• Attended a site visit to note the different types of green spaces within the
Borough
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• Undertaken some research covering, for example:
- The industry and other similar charities/organisations nationally or
even internationally.
• Aditionally it would be helpful if the students could have spoken to or met
some of the members of the network to:
- Understand the current knowledge sharing process
- Discuss options to evolve the network and to improve coordination
0.2 Telford Green Spaces Partnership (TGSP)
and the Challenge
At the beginning of the week we were introduced to the Telford Green Spaces
Partnership. TGSP is a fantastic organisation that encourages the local com-
munity to engage with the variety of green spaces and wildlife that Telford has
to offer. As well as the Telford and Wrekin Council, TGSP works in partnership
with conservation-based organisations like Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Severn
Gorge Countryside Trust to carry out the maintenance and protection of these
valuable sites. This network creates a forum where professionals and volunteers
are brought together with the common goal of enhancing the use of green spaces
in the community.
For a relatively newly-formed organisation, TGSP has already delivered lots
of brilliant work. Some of this involves activities like running events, training
volunteers in the practical skills the ’Friends of’ groups carry out, and work-
ing with young people and schools to educate them and help them gain work
experience.
TGSP is an ’umbrella’ group that represents many ’Friends of’ volunteering
groups and means they can share skills and knowledge as well as allowing them
to apply for joint funding to protect and improve local green spaces. From the
introduction by Becky Eade and Craig Baker on Monday 6th June, we under-
stand that the ’umbrella’ format of this organisation facilitates this knowledge
and skill sharing, but they would like to know how to become more efficient and
how to organise training opportunities with greater coordination and support.
Financing from the original partners is due to be reduced and so we have been
asked to advise the forum on how to become self-financing and improve and
evolve following these cuts. We will look into how to ensure the structure of the
organisation is as efficient and as dynamic as possible and how TGSP can adapt
to these changes efficiently to ensure the future sustainability of the forum to
remain a relevant and active partnership.
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0.3 Research of Similar Organisations
0.3.1 Birmingham Open Space Forum (BOSF)
The Birmingham Open Space Forum (BOSF) has been in operation as a vol-
unteering network since 2005, and primarily concentrates its work in the West-
Midlands region. In partnership with the local council, the organisation aims to
support local and improve green space through raising awareness of the wildlife,
conservation and protection and by encouraging the use of green space to im-
prove social welfare. With 130 members the BOSF is a large but growing or-
ganisation, with high involvement rate. Therefore through observations of the
BOSP we may be able to utilise and apply their practices in order to take the
TGSP to the next level.
Legally registered as a Trust Charity and in partnership with the city council,
BOSF acquires a large majority of its funding through the council but also
receives support from foundations such as Esmee Fairbairn.
These forms of finance backing enable the BOSF to employ two members
of staff, which endows them with the ability to provide constant support for
member groups and research. In general by paying members of staff the BOSF
has been able to capture the more time of its volunteers and thus allow for more
investment into the growth and development of the network.
The BOSF employs a committee like organisation structure with clear hierar-
chy, with 11 roles. This includes a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a treasurer
and secretary as well as various lower level roles, which might focus on mentoring
volunteers in the friends of member groups and working with landowners such
as the council. These roles tend to be filled by volunteers from member friend
group. The additional roles that BOSF have employed has not only allowed
volunteers to become more involved but has increased the amount of resources
the network has access to, in terms of both time and human capital.
In terms of gaging involvement of their members, the BOSF has reportedly
found that the use of monthly networking groups have had a great impact.
Recently, they have been holding both morning and evening events such as
coffee mornings and evening lectures, as well an annual conference. This has
also enabled them to attract the attention of other potential member groups
and thus facilitated growth.
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0.3.2 Meres & Mosses
Meres and Mosses is an organisation that acts in partnerships with 10 charities
to improve green space in Shropshire. They aim to achieve this through devel-
oping programmes and schemes to raise awareness of wildlife and to promote
conservation. They also focus on engaging the local community and providing
support to other charities.
In terms of funding the Meres & Mosses partnership have previously gained
a proportion of its financial capital in the form of grants and additional match
funding from entities such as corporate partners. Further donations flow from
the public and volunteer time.
The Meres & Mosses partnership impose a business type organisation struc-
ture with a Project Management and Finance team, rather than a committee
like structure. In general this structure works well in the organising of their
programmes and schemes, as it allows for tasks to be divided between the team
members and also for the transfer of skills and a pooling of creativity.
The partnership holds an annual festival in the local area, which promotes
the green space through educational activities and attracting visitors. In ad-
dition to this Meres & Mosses are holding a forum in 2016 for professionals to
come together to learn and share about their passion for the environment and
local green space. Both of these promotional activities are likely to boost the
support that the partnership receives from local groups and funding sources.
0.4 Stakeholder Analysis
0.4.1 Number of members in each group
Most groups have around 15 to 20 regular volunteers in each with 10 members.
There are a few small groups with around 3/4 dedicated members. These groups
are possibly the ones who are quite volatile in their memberships with the TGSP
as they are very dependant on their members to keep their friends of group
running. This could potentially pose a problem as it requires the TGSP to be
very flexible and not dependant on certain groups and members to keep the
organisation running.
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0.4.2 Meetings and events
Groups run between 3 to 7 annual committee meetings per year with regular
volunteering meetups. Between most groups the meetings are largely successful
and productive in terms of getting work done and planning ahead for the future.
A minority however, have problems with the attendance at their meetings and
therefore may require a larger amount of support from the TGSP.
During events groups conduct a multitude of different activities. One area of
work is through the general public where walks, festivals and interactive learning
sessions with schools all take place within the local area. Another area work is
through work parties where the groups will work together making a difference
to the green spaces through conservation efforts. Furthermore, some groups
coordinate their own specialist activities and work such as foraging and site
management in the area.
Most groups over the Christmas period planned to continue the project that
they were working on and possibly start or plan new site management schemes.
Overall most groups in the area have a solid agenda about what they are going
to do and are very effective in working together to complete tasks that they see
fit to support the green spaces in Telford.
0.4.3 Development Areas for Groups
• Agreeing a management plan
• Lack of funding
• Finding new members
• Skills to develop and run a website
• Social media skills
• No one known outside of friendship circle to add to committee
• Poor at advertising events
• Poor at promoting work
• Lack of funding
• Finding funding is beyond their comfort zone
• Lack of volunteers to help lead work parties in absence
The majority of these problems could possibly be solved in the new model
of the TGSP committee. For example, one role that the Think Tank solutions
team have been discussing is the “training coordinator”, in which people, who
may feel out of their out of their depth in terms of training volunteers and
applying for funding could be coached in how to perform these tasks to the best
of their ability. Furthermore, groups lacking in social media skills to attract new
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members and promote their good work around Telford could benefit from the
stronger online presence that the “social media” representative would provide;
possibly being a major benefactor in reaching more people around Telford and
letting them know and appreciate all the good work that they do.
0.4.4 How can TGSP develop?
Majority points
From the results of the survey many groups believe that through the initiative
of acting as a collective, there should be a louder and more authoritative voice
in terms of working with the local authority in Telford. This therefore, would
allow the group to expand further and complete projects in the area on a larger
scale that would be mutually beneficial to both members of the TGSP and the
council.
The collective voice could also be used for financial gain where bids would
have increased strength through a larger number of people, groups and their
projects that it could help influence in the area. Furthermore, in terms of
equipment, insurance etc. which all groups need, the TGSP could negotiate for
better deals. However, one aspect that is holding the TGSP back is the fact that
it does not have any formal legal status. This means that it is not recognized as
a charity, trust or a society which may be holding it back when they try to find
more sources of funding or negotiate with any potential corporate partners.
Some groups and possibly groups who are newly formed may struggle with
the formalities of setting up and/or completing projects legally. One document
that the TGSP has produced is the “Telford Green Spaces Handbook”. Whilst
the handbook does give relevant and detailed information concerning all the
aspects of what groups must do, it is hard to read as there is a lot of information
which is packed into the book which may intimidate some readers. In addition,
upon visiting the website the handbook was not readily available and only could
be accessed through a member account. This could be a problem for potential
groups who would want to form as they would not be able to find the relevant
information easily.
In the feedback from the survey, one idea posed was to create a library of
shared documentation that is updated regularly on the website, which would
split the handbook into smaller more manageable chunks and therefore would
be easier to read and implement ideas from. Furthermore, ecological informa-
tion etc. from surveys in the area could also be updated in the library, which
would benefit groups doing site management or any other relevant activity in
their planning stage. It also may help avoid conflict between groups if they
understand if there is anything in the ecosystem of the green spaces that should
not be interfered with. This also would require better maintenance of the TGSP
website.
The current chair of the council can only put in a very short amount of time
into the TGSP; when interviewed he reported that he can only schedule 2 hours
a month. One way to improve the amount of time that gets spent working in
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on the partnership is to delegate different tasks amongst more of the members
of the partnership where it is convenient for them. This would ensure that no
single person would be overwhelmed by the workload and provide a sharp boost
in the TGSP’s productivity. However, upon access to the TGSP constitution
we found that whilst the TGSP had on inception started with a committee and
split responsibilities, there were only 3 people active on the committee as of
May 2015. (Chair, Secretary and an open Treasurer position). The Think Tank
conducted research on similar more successful organisations (e.g. BOSF) and
found that many of their committees had up to 11 people with some who worked
full/part time.
Minority points
• Joint events between groups
• Times of meetings not in midday where working people/students can at-
tend
• Updated meeting times, activities, events on social media and the website
- Craig’s final idea of a “one stop shop”
0.5 Research for Recommendations
Throughout the week, we have been made aware of the fact that TGSP itself
receives no funding. In order to become more self-sufficient, we believe it’s
necessary to change the legal status so they have more lawful standing when it
comes to applying for funding, training members and increasing the awareness
of the organisation, both within the community and further afield.
0.5.1 Legal Entities
Charity regulation refers to the legal and regulatory framework that assures the
organisation’s special charitable status; it exists to achieve a good cause, and
it does so for public benefit. The charitable purpose of TGSP certainly falls
within the legislation as it aims to support the advancement of environmental
protection or improvement and the advancement of citizenship or community
development. Therefore, our recommendation is to legally register the charity
due to two aspects; it will consolidate the connection with the community, and
the sources of financing will ideally lead to an income of more than £5000. The
latter makes it absolutely necessary for an organisation of this type to be regis-
tered with the Charity Commission.
After researching all the possible legal structures that fall within the charita-
ble non-profit organisation category, we will present three options which we con-
sider suitable as both long-term and short-term solutions for expanding TGSP
and establishing it as a self-sufficient organisation. By doing so, this report will
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also outline the main advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches,
and the measures that will need to be implemented in order to change the cur-
rent structure of the partnership to one of the proposed solutions.
Step 1: Charitable Trust
A “charitable trust” is a special status given by the Charity Commission to any
trust that demonstrates a charitable purpose and conducts activity that results
in public benefit. This type of trust is not allowed to operate with the intention
of making a profit, or conducting activities that are not charitable or have a
legal scope – however, this is not the intention of TGSP, which would make the
charitable trust structure appropriate as a solution.
By running activities as a charitable trust, the organisation has freedom from
taxes, which is of utmost importance to our future funding solutions. Moreover,
any individual who wishes to donate money to TGSP would not be subject to
paying any taxes, thus ensuring that donations are a fair exchange between the
two parties.
The trust membership is actually formed out of a group of trustees that
administer the assets of the organisation. This follows the aforementioned com-
mittee structure, where the members would actually be the “trustees”. There-
fore, the 23 group representatives wouldn’t actually be trustees unless they are
on the administrating committee, which eliminates the risk of running into a
conflict of interest. It will also facilitate the connections between TGSP and the
“friends of” groups, as they will be aware of the responsibilities of each trustee
and they will know exactly the right person that can help them with their issues.
By registering as a charitable trust, the organisation would be eligible to
apply for funding, both from other trusts and from national grants. Moreover,
it can use trust funding to pay fully employed trustees (such as the chair and
the secretary), as it is currently done in the Birmingham Open Spaces trust.
PROS

CONS
ü Attain charitable status û Have to draw up a trust deed
(similar to a constitution)
ü Eligible for tax relief (even from
donations)
û Trustees are liable for the money
they put in
ü Able to apply for funding from
grants, national trusts and
sponsorships from companies

ü Can employ part-time staff funded
through trusts

Step 2: Community Benefit Society (BenComm)
Community Benefit Societies are industrial and provident societies that conduct
business for the benefit of their community and have a legal corporate status,
9

which gives the organisation further recognition within the community and a
louder voice in terms of applying for financing and sponsorships in the long-term.
Moreover, this type of BenComms have exclusively charitable purposes that
guarantee them freedom from taxes, in the same way that charities are entitled
to tax relief.
This type of organisation is not allowed to distribute profits to its members,
thus, it is based on a voluntary and open membership, which implies that part-
time employees couldn’t be considered - all members on the proposed committee
would have to be volunteers.
All of the incomes that belong to a community benefit society have to be
re-invested in the community by organising training events or by funding the
activities of volunteer groups. This structure also implies having an asset lock
– in the case of the society being dissolved, any residual assets would need to
be transferred to another charity that has a similar purpose.
Following this structure means the organisation could issue shares and raise
share capital from any individual that may want to contribute in this way.
Community benefit societies fall under both FCA and Charity Commission
regulations – registration must be done by applying to the first one, while the
latter has to confirm the “charitable” status of the organisations, thus granting
the aforementioned benefits.
Organisations would have to pay an annual registration fee to the FCA
– this amount depends on the rules that the society decides to mention in the
registration file. If the rules are written on the FCA model, it takes less time for
them to assess them and the fee will be smaller, around £50 per year. Moreover,
applying for this type of organisational structure implies some experience with
assets, their management and financing, while also having a registered office in
the UK.
Therefore, we recommend this legal structure as the next step for expansion
after TGSP becomes a charitable trust and develops its network of assets.
PROS

CONS
ü Attain charitable status and
corporate status
û Annual registration fee (around £50)
ü Eligible for tax relief (even from
donations)
û Can’t employ staff
ü People can buy shares in the
organisation
û Need previous experience of asset
management and financing
ü Easier to follow laws (FCA laws)

Step 3: Community Incorporated Company (CIC)
A CIC is a new type of company introduced by the UK government in 2005 that
defines a social enterprise using its assets and profits for the public good. They
are easy to set up, and provide a corporate status to the organisation whilst also
keeping the flexibility and sustainability of a company structure. CICs include
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a wide range of organisations, from social and community enterprises to social
firms, co-operatives and large-scale umbrella organisations.
This type of organisation falls under the CIC regulator legislation, which is
considered to be much easier to deal with than the strict laws followed by the
Charity Commission. Moreover, the registration process is quite simple, and
the fee is currently £35.
The advantage of this long-term options is the fact that the committee mem-
bers can actually be employees, which will ensure stability within the organisa-
tion – if a member leaves, another one can be hired to take on the responsibilities.
Furthermore, organisations could raise a lot more funding due to the fact that
CICs are often funded by companies and trusts.
On the other hand, CICs cannot be set up as charity – a charity can be
converted into a CIC. This implies the fact that the organisation would lose
freedom from taxes. However, we consider this to be a necessary loss on the
road to further expansion and national awareness provided by this strong legal
status.
PROS

CONS
ü Attain corporate status û No tax relief
ü Type of social enterprise û £35 registration fee
ü Can employ permanent and part-
time staff

ü Long term funding opportunities
from companies and trusts

ü Opportunity for expansion

0.5.2 Funding
Option 1: Crowd Funding
Crowdfunding is the relatively new practice of funding a project or venture by
raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically
via the Internet. This would involve TGSP effectively “advertising” their ob-
jective of supporting, preserving and maintaining local green spaces in Telford.
Implementing a well-informed and effective strategy should attract individuals’
attention that have a vested interest in the project thus drawing in funds from
a wide variety of people.
PROS CONS
ü Community can get involved if
they were previously unaware of
the project
û Research shows the organisation
should put at last 10% of the target
into the fund themselves
ü Gather support for what you are
doing
û Success rate is very low as many
underestimate the amount of work
required to succeed
ü Can share your story which
attracts sophisticated investors

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Option 2: Gifts and donations from the public
One option available to TGSP would be to initiate fundraising appeals in or-
der to generate donations from individuals, companies or charitable trusts and
foundations. Raising money from the public in the form of donations will also
increase public awareness of TGSPs aims and objectives which, in turn, will
allow more people to attend events and volunteer in initiatives which protect
and maintain green spaces.
PROS CONS
ü Increases awareness of the
organisation and its work.
û Ill planned events can result in a loss
and waste of time, money and effort.
ü Considerable freedom in how to apply
them.
û Some campaigns raise money from
those who can least afford it.
ü Can attract tax relief.
ü A source of ‘no-strings’ funding.

Option 3: Parish Funding
The TGSP already receive physical investment from parishes through training
resources and volunteers. However, it is a viable option that the TGSP could
also seek out financial funding from them in order to support any operations
that may require backing. With a large number of parishes in the Telford area
that are typically open to donating to most charitable organisations it is likely
to be relatively easy to gain the support of these entities.
Option 4: Grant funding
Grant funding is an option potentially available to TGSP for raising funds.
Grants are typically made by the public sector or by charitable trusts and foun-
dations, and this is advantageous for voluntary groups such as TGSP in that
the money given does not have to be repaid and is usually exempt from tax. As
grants do not have to be repaid, they are subject to many conditions which mean
success is quantified through outputs and results, which should enable TGSP
to focus more on supporting, protecting and maintaining local green spaces.
Additionally, the extra time not spent on worrying about raising finances
(once the grant is received) can allow current volunteers to encourage others
to join as well as aiding in the sharing of knowledge which can promote the
expansion and sustainability of the Telford Green Spaces Partnership. There
are a vast number of grants available to voluntary and community organisations
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but below we have mentioned grants that we feel are most suited to groups that
focus on green space initiatives.
PROS

CONS
ü Aids the sharing of knowledge
which promotes expansion.
û Heritage Lottery Funding usually
requires a match fund.
ü Allows focus on future objectives as
grants require a plan for the future,
thus promoting sustainability.
û ‘Strings attached’ form of funding so
you cannot always do what you
want with the money.
ü Do not have to be repaid. û Most grants are short term so when
they run out, must start over.
ü Receiving grants is a good way to
build visibility and creditability of
the cause.

ü Usually are exempt from tax.

Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund uses the money raised through the National Lottery to
give grants to groups that sustain and transform heritage ranging from parks
and gardens to wildlife habitats. In the West Midlands, there are no deadlines
for applications under £100,000 but for heritage grant applications between
£200,000 and £2 million, a first round application and supporting documents
must be provided by 23rd August 2016 in order to receive a decision in November
2016. These documents will typically require a plan for how the activity is going
to continue once the funding ends (i.e. a long term strategy) and what specific
activities the group needs funding for. Overall, there are quarterly meetings to
decide on grant requests between £100,000 and £2 million. A specific aspect of
the Heritage Lottery Fund is the parks for people programme which supports
investments in public parks by offering grants between £100,000 and £5 million
thus making this grant very suitable to TGSP.
Capgemini Community Investment Grant
Capgemini’s Community Investment Grant supports colleagues seeking financial
investment to kick-start their fundraising, with grants awarded in advance of a
local community activity or project taking place in which they are involved in.
The grant was relaunched three years ago and over the past three years funds
awarded have increased by 43.1% since 2013.
Year 2013 2014 2015
Amount Awarded £6000 £7,030 £8,583

Option 5: Corporate partners
Many companies and local businesses are now giving various grants to commu-
nity and voluntary groups in their areas to promote the benefits of green spaces
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and community engagement. This is not only because of the good publicity
it entails but also because it enables such companies to meet their policies on
corporate aid responsibilities. Therefore, TGSP can encourage more companies
(such as Capgemini) to contribute to their initiatives in order to receive greater
funding for their activities and events, and to help these companies meet their
social goals which, in turn, creates a closer relationship between both parties
involved. This will also allow both parties to exchange their various skills as
well as result in the sharing on contacts which should lead to better results.
An example of a relationship Capgemini has is with the Wildfowl & Wet-
lands Trust (WWT) in Lancashire. This relationship has enabled Capgemini to
educate its employees on environmental issues as well as providing employees
for volunteering and team building. We believe that this is an excellent example
for TGSP to follow because one of their main problems was a lack of volunteers;
therefore if Capgemini can also contribute employees to TGSP this will aid their
growth and sustainability as well as developing a strong relationship with a large
corporate company.
An additional example of an organisation similar to TGSP that has utilised
support from corporate partners is Meres & Mosses which has launched the
Business Environment Network. This has allowed Meres & Mosses to enhance
their environmental performance and increase the proﬁtability of local busi-
nesses by sharing knowledge and understanding, which gives another possible
model for TGSP to follow.
PROS

CONS
ü Shared responsibilities and work. û Do not have total control over the
usage of funds.
ü Complementary skills and additional
contacts of each party lead to
greater results.
û Decisions are shared which means
disagreements can lead to a "falling
out”.
ü Mutual support and motivation.
ü If successful leads to a fruitful
relationship with a large
organisation.

0.6 Next Steps
0.6.1 Quick Wins
• Update Website
One of the main problems outlined both by the surveys and our re-
search is the fact that the information available on the website is not
updated regularly. For example, the date of the next meeting is actually
the date of the previous AGM, while the latest “news post” was uploaded
in January. Furthermore, when a visitor wants to access the website of a
certain group, by clicking on the logo, they will be sent to the website of
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another group. We strongly believe that these issues have to be solved as
soon as possible.
• Split Handbook
We feel that the main cause of the miscommunication between TGSP
and the constituent groups is the fact that the handbook is a really hard
to digest document, whilst still containing all the necessary information
for people that are interested in it. This issue could be easily solved by
splitting up the handbook into sections relevant for each type of activity
and group, which would make the information more accessible and clear.
• Create Web Library
Based on the analysis of the survey responses, we feel that the idea
of creating a form of general web documentation would be of utmost im-
portance. Therefore, we recommend creating a section on your website
where not only members, but also the general public could access ecolog-
ical information posted by members of the “friends of” groups and also
the aforementioned TGSP handbook sections.
• Legal Status
The result of the survey indicated the fact that most of the groups
agree on TGSP’s need to register as a legal entity – therefore, we strongly
suggest embracing the idea of becoming a trust, which is outlined in the
recommendations section. By doing so, you will be putting in a small
amount of work by completing the trust deed, but you will open up a lot
of doors regarding substantial funding that will support insurance appli-
cation and renewing the current equipment.
• Update Constitution
We believe that the majority of TGSP’s issues arise from the fact
that all of the administration responsibilities fall within the chair’s du-
ties, especially because the treasurer and secretary positions are currently
open. In the light of this argument, we strongly recommend adapting
the constitution to create more roles within the committee as mentioned
earlier.
• WordPress
The issue of the website not being regularly updated with news re-
garding the ’friends of’ groups activities can be solved by setting up the
website on wordpress. By using it, the volunteers would be able to create
an account and then publish posts in the ’news’ section of the website.
This means that the developer would only need to supervise their pub-
lishing activity instead of actually e-mailing the volunteers to ask for infor-
mation and then posting it on the current website. We believe that this
would also support the idea of sharing knowledge between the diﬀerent
groups, which is certainly considered one of the most important beneﬁts
of TGSP membership.
15

• Regular Surveys
A great deal of our research was based on the survey that TGSP
conducted last year, and the feedback that the groups provided proved
to be instrumental in the process of formulating a solution. Therefore,
we strongly suggest embracing the idea of doing regular surveys which
will help you assess the success of the transition period. We believe that
it would be best if you conducted these surveys twice per year and then
thoroughly analyse the feedback to identify the possible issues and take
into consideration the volunteers’ suggestions.
• More Meetings
Running regular and smaller meetings would certainly contribute to
solving the misunderstanding between the ’friends of’ groups and act as a
networking opportunity. These meetings could be organised as a method
of solving conflicts between parties when differences arise between groups
that have different opinions on how the site should be managed. Moreover,
they could also be organized by volunteers who share the same interest to
strenghten their relationship and provide an environment in which their
expertise can be exchanged and valued.
• Joint Events
TGSP could establish a strong collaboration relationship between the
groups by organising joint activities on sites – for example, one group could
involve the others in surveying activities and share their knowledge on this
particular subject, thus educating the other ’friends of’ groups that will
understand the importance of managing this aspect of the site. This will
surely lead to dissolution of conflict as each party will understand the other
perspectives as well and provide training experience for the volunteers.
• Outreach Events
We believe that TGSP could raise awareness by reaching out to lo-
cal schools, businesses and parishes through organising events meant to
educate their members regarding the amazing green spaces of their com-
munity. These events will lead to an inflow of passionate volunteers coming
in to help the ’friends of’ groups and also people that will want to invest
their time in becoming a part of TGSP’s committee.
• Connect with local Parish Councils
The current chairman of TGSP is currently employed by South Telford
Right Of Ways Partnership so there is already a link into that parish.
Other local parishes to approach could be Chetwynd Aston and Woodcote
Parish Council, Edgmond Parish Council and Kentley Parish Council.
16

0.6.2 Add Committee Roles
Following the meeting with Alec Connah, the current Chairman of TGSP, and
Becky Eade on Tuesday 7th June, we feel one of the main ways the forum can
evolve is simply by involving more people. We became aware that members of
the committee are unable to spend as much time as they would like responding
to email queries and social network demands and more people would mean each
individual has more time to carry out their specific role. After some more
research into the structure of TGSP and other similar organisations, it became
apparent that it is akin to the way a university society is organised and so
prompted us to consider modelling the structure in this way.
CHAIR MAN
FRIENDS OF GROUPS
SECRETARY TREASURER
SHROPSHIRE
WILDLIFE TRUST
SEVERN GORGE
COUNTRYSIDE
TRUST
TELFORD AND
WREKIN
COUNCIL
Fig. 1: Current Structure
LOCAL
BUSINESSES
LOCAL SCHOOLS
PARISH
COUNCILS
CHAIR MAN
TREASURER
FUNDRAISING
VICE CHAIRSECRETARY PUBLICITY
FRIENDS OF GROUPS
SHROPSHIRE
WILDLIFE TRUST
SEVERN GORGE
COUNTRYSIDE
TRUST
TELFORD AND
WREKIN
COUNCIL
Fig. 2: Society Based Structure
One way in which we feel extra committee members would be useful would be
to have a dedicated social media representative. By keeping the website, email
account and social media accounts regularly updated, more people would want
to get involved and would therefore join the organisation. Increasing the social
presence of TGSP would also improve the chances of funding and sponsorship
with in the community as more people would become aware of the fantastic
work they carry out.
Another committee role we think could really improve TGSP is having a
dedicated fund raising officer. Again, Alec Connah made us realise just how
long completing a bid application could take, and in the current position there
are just not enough days in the week to complete the desired amount. By having
a dedicated fund raising officer, we feel this would ensure more bid applications
17

are completed and there would be someone who is able to answer questions and
queries to individual groups about applying for sponsorship. Once a funding
officer has been appointed, we suggest looking to local businesses and companies
for sponsorships and funding. There are two major business parks in Telford
and many other smaller locations which could all be approached for funding.
Other roles we feel would be necessary are treasurer, secretary and a training
coordinator to organise the training for both these new administration roles as
well as practical training for the ’Friends Of’ groups.
How?
We have learnt that TGSP works with other organisations, like the Shropshire
Wildlife Trust, to provide the training of practical conservation skills, and with
the sheer number and size of many businesses in Telford, there is definitely
opportunity to find training for the administration roles too, as we know this
was a worry.
Furthermore, there are chances to work with the local schools and younger
volunteers to help with the social media campaign. Through schemes like Duke
of Edinburgh and Work Experience, there are plenty of opportunities for young
people to spend time volunteering which could either involve providing training
to the groups about their social media and websites, or the students actually
taking on the publicity themselves.
0.6.3 Set Up As a Trust
To register as a “charitable trust”, TGSP will have to write a trust deed as
their governing document, which has to include basic information about the
organisations objectives, the charity trustees, their responsibilities and the fi-
nancial plan. This can be easily done by following the template provided by the
Charity Commission on their website (See appendix). We wholeheartedly feel
that this is the next step that must be pursued by TGSP in the short-term, as
the registration can be easily done by adapting the current constitution of the
partnership.
The main issue associated with becoming a trust is having to identify poten-
tial trustees. It is likely that individuals may be reluctant to become charitable
trustees because of the fear of being held accountable for any wrongs or losses.
However the risk of this occurring can be reduced by designing and provide de-
tailed documents to potential trustees, based on the current financial position,
as well as forecasts. This will inform potential trustees of the position that the
TGSP and of the risk associated with their investment. The risks of becoming
a trust are demonstrated in the table below under section R1.
18

0.6.4 Helpful Contacts
• Chairlady of the Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
Sarah Royal: 07982 401933
• Committee member of Meres & Mosses
Craig Baker: 01743 284276
0.6.5 Quick Funding
The first source of funding we would recommend TGSP to use would be crowd-
funding. The benefits of crowdfunding have previously been mentioned so we
believe it is important to outline, roughly, how to start a crowdfunding cam-
paign.
1. TGSP would need to make the campaign specific, with a clear outcome.
For example, explain that the campaign is for supporting, maintaining and
preserving green spaces in Telford.
2. Needs to be clear how much money TGSP is asking for and where that
money is going. However, not only funds need to be considered, TGSP can also
ask people to donate time and skills. Also important to consider a budget in
respect of how much commission the crowdfunding site must be paid as well as
their rewards.
3. TGSP should prepare a video explaining what the project is, what the
money is needed for and what difference funding can make.
4. Finding a platform is the next step and for a voluntary organisation such
as TGSP we believe that JustGiving campaigns are the most suitable. This is
because there is no time limit and people can fundraise for the campaign easing
the burden on TGSP itself.
5. Then the campaign should be started online to get people to the TGSP
crowdfunding page and encourage donations. The community should be invited
through email and social media to back the project and they should also be
encouraged to share the campaign when donating. The most loyal supporters
should contribute right at the start to show demand thus encouraging more
donations.
19

6. Finally, supporters should be kept updated about progress and how close
TGSP is to its target and also thank them for contributing.
It is important for people to realise that projects cannot just be put out there
in the hope that other individuals will stumble across it. The whole point of
crowdfunding is about sustainability and building a fan base that will stick with
the company. For example, when the platform SoLoCo (crowdfunding for social
enterprise) launched they found that only 1 out of 15 projects that appeared on
the site reached his target and received any funding. This highlights the fact
that many organisations do not realise the amount of work that is necessary
to raise money successfully. These issues can be overcome by having a plan,
strategy and network in place. The risks that come with the use of crowd
funding are labelled as R6 in the table below.
0.6.6 Paid Staff
The initial issues that the TGSP may have with employing a member of staff
include the requirement of substantial funding to support the recruitment pro-
cess, insurance costs and also the pay of the employee. Further the TGSP will
require assets such as office space, furniture and computers for staff to use. The
risk that come with employing members of staff are demonstrated in the table
below in sections R2 – R4
20

0.7 Future Proof
As part of the brief, we have been asked to help TGSP adapt to these changes in
the most efficient way in order to ensure the group remains sustainable, relevant
and active in the future.
We believe some of the solutions we have produce will definitely encourage
long-term growth of TGSP and help with the expansion of such an important
organisation in the community. Specifically, by increasing the media coverage
of TGSP, the presence of the group in the local community and further afield
will encourage more groups to join, more events to be run and so TGSP will
remain an extremely active and up-to-date organisation. This may also lead to
expansion of TGSP from the Telford and Wrekin area to county or even country
wide - possibly a forum like British Green Spaces Partnership.
Another way in which our suggestions will help in the long term is, by altering
the legal status of TGSP, some of the organisation structures allow permanent
and paid employees or members. This would build on the society structure that
was mentioned earlier and mean there would be dedicated, full-time people to
aid with training, transition and funding which would further aid with TGSP
becoming self-financing and self-sufficient.
22

0.8 Appendix
0.8.1 Reference documents and stakeholder meetings
• Meeting with Becky Eade and Craig Baker- Monday 6th June
We were introduced to the challenge and found out about the struc-
ture of the forum.
• Site visit to Madebrook Pools & Stirchley Dingle Local Nature Reserve
on Tuesday 7th June with Becky Eade and Alec Connah (Chairman of
TGSP)
Found out about the range of activities groups participate in and the
amount of time he, as chairman, can commit to.
• SurveyMonkey results from all 23 Friends Of groups
Provided research regarding size of groups and how the individuals
within TGSP feel the forum could move forward. We used this information
specifically in the stakeholder analysis.
• TGSP constitution
Provided information about the legal standing of TGSP.
• Trust Deed template from Charity Commission
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/
file/269509/gd2text.pdf
0.8.2 Glossary
Umbrella organisation
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific)
institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool re-
sources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella
organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organiza-
tions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella organization
‘Friends of’ group
A ‘Friends of’ group (in this context) is a group of people who voluntarily work
to maintain, improve and (often) promote a green space.
http://goo.gl/SNIKbr
23

Trust
A legal entity that acts as fiduciary, agent or trustee on behalf of a person or
business entity for the purpose of administration, management and the eventual
transfer of assets to a beneficial party.
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trustcompany.asp
Trustee
A person or organization that has been given responsibility for managing some-
one else’s property or money through a trust; or a member of a group that
manages the money of an organization
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trustee
Social Enterprise
The term ‘social enterprise’ came about from recognition that in the UK and
across the world, there were organisations using the power of business to bring
about social and environmental change without a single term to unite them.
http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/about/about-social-enterprise
Crowd-funding
The practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of
money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdfunding
Match-funding
Match funding is a simple idea. During a match fund campaign, every donation
is either guaranteed or given an equal chance of being matched. The amount
and type of donation matched varies depending upon the specific match fund
campaign running.
https://localgiving.org/how-it- works/matchfunds/
Sponsorship
Corporate sponsorship is a form of advertising in which companies pay to be
associated with certain events. When the sponsorship of a nonprofit or charitable
event is involved, the sponsorship activity is often referred to as event marketing
or cause marketing.
http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/corporate-sponsorship.html
Grants
An amount of money given, usually by a government or nonprofit organisation,
in order to fund certain projects.
http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Grant
24

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