How to Create a Community Organisation

Getting Going

If there is no other group then you need to get some people together to start creating a group. The easiest way is to ask those you know if they would be interested in helping you and being a part of the group. You could see if your local church is an eco congregation and ask them if they would like to help you create a group or approach your community council.

If there is no other group, you need to get some people together to start creating a group. The easiest way is to ask those you know if they would be interested in helping you and being a part of the group. You could see if your local church is an eco congregation and ask them if they would like to help you create a group, or approach your community council.

You need to have a meeting to get people together and start a group. Simple is best. Decide if you will have an online or face-to-face meeting. Where it is safe to do so, face-to-face is the better choice to get people enthusiastic and join in where they don’t know each other. Pick a place that is welcoming and accessible to all – a village hall, community centre, etc., and a time that most people can make. Consider childcare provision to enable parents to attend. Give yourself a few weeks to publicise the event before you run it.

If you are creating a place-based group, two easy and cost-effective ways to publicise your events are to make posters and put them up in the local library, shops, community centre, schools, churches, etc., and use social media to share posts in local group pages. You can also ask other local groups to mention your event at their meetings. If you would like further information, take a look at the Transition Network as it has some good guides on how to create a group and run an event.

When you get to the actual meeting, the basics are to let people know: Why are you having the meeting, and why do you want to create a group, plus what you hope will come out of it.

It’s also a good idea to discuss what the purpose of the organisation will be, what kind of activities it will do, and what commitment is needed from people joining the group.

It is best to encourage everyone attending the meeting to talk about their thoughts and ideas so that they feel a real part of the group’s creation. Depending on the number of people attending, you might have to split into groups for this discussion. Don’t forget to agree on how to record the outcomes of these discussions.

Once you have a group of people interested in working with you to create a community organisation, you need to decide your vision, aim, and objectives, and what projects and activities you will start with. You will also need to think about if your group should be legally constituted. Should it be a charity? A community interest group? A company limited by guarantee, or just a simple group? To make the decision, it is best to talk through all the pros and cons with your Third Sector Interface, who can provide advice on this, other governance issues, funding, business planning support, and gaining volunteers. If you live in Aberdeen, contact if ACVO or AVA if you live in Aberdeenshire.

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) has useful information about how to run a community organisation: https://scvo.scot/support/running-your-organisation. While Community Enterprise Scotland can provide dedicated support with funding, planning permission, securing assets, and involving your community to turn your project from an idea into reality on the ground. We are here to signpost and help with whatever the other support services don’t cover, to ensure you get complete wrap-around support from start to finish, so get in touch.