Rural Community Gateway

What's your project? 

Community Toolkit online resource for community groups - including a wealth of information to help set up and run a community group or project efficiently and effectively.

There are sections to help with choosing a legal structure, charitable status, writing a constitution, good practice guidelines, advice on community consultation and feasibility studies, help with finding suitable funding and tips on making successful funding applications.

The site includes templates and policies for your group to download and tailor as well as the facility to print sections as reference for the whole committee.

Where is it?

On the www! The Community Toolkit is available as a syndicate feed and can be accessed from many Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) websites. Try www.slcvo.org.uk/toolkit for the Skye & Lochalsh version or http://www.shetlandcommunities.org/ for the Shetland version. 

Who's involved?

The online Community Toolkit resource began as a three year partnership project in Skye and Lochalsh. The site was developed in consultation with local community groups and the agencies involved in the local Community Learning Plan Partnership – Skye & Lochalsh Council for Voluntary Organisations, Highland Council, the Local Enterprise Company and web developers Sitekit Solutions.

The Skye & Lochalsh Community Toolkit resource went live in July 2004. The original project ended in March 2006 and since then the Community Toolkit has been made available to other CVS and agencies as a syndicate feed which can be tailored to different geographic areas. 

How is it funded?

Original funding 2003-2006 was through the European Western Isles & Skye and Lochalsh LEADER+ funding scheme with match funding from Highland Council and the Local Enterprise Company. In kind contributions came from Skye & Lochalsh CVO and the web developers Sitekit Solutions.

Ongoing maintenance and editing of the site by Skye & Lochalsh CVO is now financed by the sale of the syndicate feed (annual fees paid by syndicate partners) and with phased assistance from HIE and Highland Council.

When is it funded to?

Offering the Toolkit resource as a syndicate feed will contribute towards the sustainability of the project, with the ultimate aim that it becomes self financing by 2009.

Biggest achievement so far?

The development of the original Skye & Lochalsh Community Toolkit website was the first huge acheivement. Involving local groups and getting them to actively contribute was crucial to this and showcasing local projects and community groups brought the generic information to life. User comments were very positive right from the start and user statistics continue to show an average 8,000 hits per month.

Our next big achievement has been in responding to the interest the site gerenerated amongst the CVS network. We received many requests from CVS asking how they could access the generic content of the Toolkit and incorporate the information into their own sites. The challenge this presented prompted us to draw up a business plan for the syndication of the resource. It also involved closer working with the web developers (award winning Sitekit Solutions) who adapted the original site into a syndicate feed which could be maintained by us, but edited to include local content by any syndicate partner.

Positive support from HIE has enabled us to develop the Community toolkit as a syndicate feed and we already have three CVS signed up as syndicate partners taking the feed on their own websites and using it in their local areas.  

Any downsides so far?

Much of the project has gone beyond our original expectations. If there are any downsides at all they have only come to light as the resource has been offered as a syndicate feed across the CVS network.

The downsides recently have been a slight cash flow problem in the time it takes to promote the feed and then turn the genuine interest into a firm commitment and payment.

It is also worth noting that despite their support for the project and their continued use of the Skye & Lochalsh Community Toolkit, some small CVS do not have sufficient funds to develop an online service and buy into the Toolkit resource. 

Further Information

For any CVS or development agency interested in adding the Community Toolkit as a syndicate feed to their own website - contact Michelle at Skye & Lochalsh CVO 01478 612921 email michelle@slcvo.org.uk

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