The C3SC Board met in June and there were three key areas which the Chair Paul Keeping wanted to raise awareness amongst staff and membership:
- OPERATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN
The Board approved the 2025 – 2026 Operational Business Plan which provides detailed information about the current context under the four pillars of activity.
Thriving and Sustainable
Good Governance
Volunteering
Representation and Influence
In these challenging times, public spending pressures are expected to persist, leading to increased hardship in communities. C3SC is committed to supporting voluntary organisations and is urging public sector partners to explore new strategic approaches for collaborating with the third sector to build resilience in this difficult economic and social climate.
- IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS
The Board discussed further improving communication with members and external partners. It will create a Communication and Marketing Strategy to support its’ Strategic Business Plan based on the following principles:-
Creative engagement – Develop innovative ways to engage with members and the community, highlighting the Third Sector’s positive impact.
Strong partnerships – Communicate the value of collaborations to enhance influence and access resources, amplifying our message and further building the sector’s credibility.
Clear identity and narrative – Ensure a consistent narrative across all communication channels, regularly updating it to reflect members’ and communities’ experiences and response to current conditions.
This Strategy will highlight our five pillars and clearly show how the Third Sector benefits people in Cardiff. It will also illustrate C3SC’s role in supporting, representing, and promoting volunteering and the voluntary sector.
3. CEO TELLS BOARD OF PROGRESS MADE AT VOLUNTEER CENTRE
The Volunteer Centre aims to enhance volunteering based on the city’s priorities and local needs. Efforts are underway to solidify this approach and build on current progress. Most external targets have been met and many exceeded:
- Influencing and engagement activities.
- New volunteer sign-ups on our database, following the switch to the new Volunteering-Wales system and a decision not to migrate former users to clean up data.
The following Key Performance Indicators were confirmed at the meeting:
- We dealt with 478 volunteering enquiries.
- We supported 60 voluntary groups to create volunteering opportunities.
- 1,060 applicants signed up on Volunteering-Wales.
The Trustees noted the significant work done by the Equalities sub-group in establishing C3SC as a role model for integrating Equality & Diversity policies into the daily practices of Third Sector organisations. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan aims to support Staff and Trustees to improve their understanding of how Equality Impact Assessments can help identify opportunities for further development support and training.
