Working with community and voluntary sector organisations

The community and voluntary sector sits alongside the state sector and the private sector. As such, it is sometimes referred to as the 'third sector'. It plays an important and active role in society.

The sector includes organisations differing in size, structure, legal status and in the nature of their activities. These activities may range from sport and recreation, to emergency services, conservation, social services, and arts and heritage.

A key feature of community and voluntary sector organisations is that they are not run for profit. Any profit made is typically reinvested in the organisation. Their work may be carried out by a mix of paid staff and volunteers. Many small groups are entirely reliant on volunteers.

Community and voluntary organisations might focus on:

• providing services to strengthen communities
• mutual aid and self-help for members of organisations
• policy advocacy or campaigning
• advocacy on behalf of individuals
• expressing and fostering culture and identity.

Relationships between communities and government agencies can be affected by wider government policies, decision-making processes and historical issues.

In August 2011, the Kia Tūtahi Standing Together Relationship Accord was signed at Parliament. The Accord is an important symbol of commitment between government and communities to engage effectively to achieve social, economic and environmental outcomes. It sets expectations about how government agencies and communities will work together.

In 2007 and 2009 national community-government forums confirmed that fundamental areas of concern still existed in relations with government. Forum participants called for the public service to improve consultation processes and create a more respectful and collaborative culture of engagement. See background and reports from the 2007 Community-Government Forum and the 2009 Forum.

• The 2009 Building Better Government Engagement (BBGE) project identified ways to improve government engagement with community and voluntary organisations and citizens in policy and service development processes. Read documents produced by the Building Better Government Engagement group - including key recommendations.
• The Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa (ANGOA) was funded to assess government responsiveness to the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship. It explored whether any aspects had been particularly important, what changes had been seen, how stronger relationships and mutual trust could be built between government staff and community and voluntary organisations, and how the effectiveness of such engagement might be measured.

The early document that expressed Government commitment to strong community relationships was the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship. Read the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship.

Learn about various approaches to strengthening relationships in New Zealand and overseas

In September 2009, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector released a Cabinet paper entitled Government Commitment to Building Strong Community Relationships.

This paper proposed a programme of actions to strengthen government engagement with citizens and communities. The programme of action was in response to the Good Intentions report by the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Aotearoa (ANGOA) and the From Talk to Action report by the Building Better Government Engagement reference group.

The Cabinet paper notes that a relationship agreement could include a joint vision for working together, respective roles and responsibilities, and commitments from both sides. 

Cabinet agreed that a national Community-Government Forum, to be held in Wellington in November 2009, will discuss development of a Relationship Agreement to replace the 2001 Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship.  A number of other actions were agreed and noted.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector can assist you in working with community and voluntary groups. This Office was established to inspire co-operation and superb relationships between the Government and the community and voluntary sector.

The OCVS work programme has five streams:

• Supporting the community and voluntary sector to build its capacity
• Building knowledge by supporting research
• Overcoming policy barriers
• Building good practice in the public service
• Encouraging participation and promoting volunteering.

How do you find the right people to consult when the topic is highly specific?

If your agency seeks participation from a particular section of the community and voluntary sector, the right umbrella groups may be able to help you.

Umbrella groups are councils, federations, collectives or associations of organisations in the community and voluntary sector, usually covering a subset of the whole sector. They are formed by member organisations that wish to co-operate for shared purposes. They perform roles for their members such as training, information sharing, research and lobbying. They are sometimes known as ‘peak bodies’.

Remember that community and voluntary organisations, including umbrella groups, have limited staff and funding, and may need to be resourced in order to participate effectively.

Some examples of umbrella groups:

When your agency needs to reach a wider community audience, you could distribute your messages, or seek feedback on an issue, via others' communications. These communications can be through regular e-mails, electronic newsletters, printed publications or web alerts.

Factors like timing, relevance, deadlines and editorial policies will impact on what is actually included, but many organisations have indicated a willingness to include content from others in their publications.