Component 4: Investment and resources

What works well

Charities have strengths and assets to bring to the strategic decision making table.

However, they are often funded solely to deliver frontline services, making it difficult to engage strategically in an equitable way.

Where the public sector has truly understood the value of the voluntary sector and shown commitment to the long-term vision, we have seen financial investment not just in service delivery but into strategic and coordinated development and engagement. This is particularly true of the partnerships that we followed.

Likely impacts

Where investment is in place, it has enabled the sector to develop structures and processes to engage strategically on a more equitable footing. This can:

  • aid engagement of smaller user-led groups
  • enable more cohesive messaging
  • lead to smoother representation processes.

The impacts of this include:

  • clear, accessible processes for all stakeholders
  • sustainability
  • inclusion of rarely-heard voices
  • sharing of power.

Without a financial investment by way of salary backfill from [name of public body], we would not have been able to progress this work so quickly and effectively.

Voluntary sector colleague

The funding from NHS England / NHS Improvement has been a massive enabling factor in creating capacity to move the ideas from the alliance forward at a pace.

Voluntary sector colleague

This page was last reviewed for accuracy on 14 January 2020