Several organisations multiply civic capacity rather than mainly delivering front-line support themselves

What we noticed

The Boys' Brigade In Birmingham Stechford Trust, Browne Jacobson Charitable Trust and Open Door Youth Counselling Ltd use three different mechanisms to extend the capacity of other people or organisations: grants to local bodies, discretionary charitable grantmaking, and recruitment and training of volunteer counsellors.

Why it is interesting

Taken together, these organisations suggest that some of the ecosystem's influence may sit upstream of visible services. One organisation appears to resource a youth network, one can fund charities across a very broad remit, and one develops a volunteer workforce while providing counselling. Their importance may therefore be greater than a count of their direct beneficiaries alone would show.

Why this would be easy to miss

Considered separately, grantmaking can look like an administrative function and volunteer recruitment can look like a delivery detail. Looking across the organisations reveals a shared capacity-building role, despite the organisations working through different sectors and methods.

Question

Do these organisations reach parts of Birmingham's voluntary sector that have limited access to unrestricted grants, specialist volunteers or organisational support?

Additional evidence needed

• Grant recipient lists, grant sizes and selection criteria for both trusts.
• Information on the numbers, qualifications, retention and onward destinations of Open Door volunteer counsellors.
• Evidence about unmet capacity needs among youth, counselling and voluntary-sector organisations in the areas served.

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