Lessons learned
Fair Share Trust is different to other funding programmes because we work with communities and involve them in decision making. We’re trying something new so there’s bound to be learning which could benefit others in future.
These examples highlight some of our learning from the past 9 years.
- The importance of volunteers for Disability Can Do in Caerphilly
Lesson learned in brief: recruiting a diverse group of volunteers brings a wealth of skills to the charity and promotes a positive image of disabled people as volunteers.
- Open Door Centre helps young people with depression in Wirral
Lesson learned in brief: local panels have the knowledge to mitigate 'risk' in grant making because they know the specific issues related to an area and understand what will work and what will not.
- Bournemouth - legacy of Fair Share Trust in West Howe
Lesson learned in brief: knowledge sharing and signposting of achievements has given everyone involved in the programme an opportunity to have a stake in their community, which has enabled West Howe to secure future funding for regeneration projects.
- Stockton-on-Tees - legacy action plan
Lesson learned in brief: Bespoke 1:1 support is a good solution to engage with small community groups who may not have staff to send to training.
- Darlington - challenges of volunteering
Lesson learned in brief: volunteer-run projects need to be careful about the capacity and availability of members when expansion is proposed.
- Caerphilly - capacity building
Lesson learned in brief: experience gained through Fair Share Trust funded work enables projects to take on larger roles within the community.
- Bolsover - Panel Engagement
Lesson learned in brief: recruiting and retaining panel members is increasingly difficult as the programme reaches its end.
- Brent - Public Relations
Lesson Learned in brief: Consider appropriate service providers that fully understand your requirements rather than just local organisations.
- Knowsley - Youth Support Service
Lesson Learned in brief: Sometimes it is difficult to manage wide reaching organisations within small and specific geographic boundaries.
- Kimberworth Park - Financial Inclusion Project
Lessons Learned in Brief: If the need is there, don’t give up on a project even if it is difficult to get of the ground.