Announcing the Launch of the Help Desk - Personal Support for Grassroots Groups
Written by Saoirse Herbert Barry
Community Development Officer at The Social Change Nest
We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Help Desk; a one-stop-shop to support unincorporated grassroots groups.
SCN is at the forefront of fiscal hosting – we support over 600 groups across the UK and abroad. We already make connections where we can but we know there’s so much more we can do – it’s time to do more proactive network-weaving. This means connecting groups, funders, service providers, partners and everyone in between.
This is what our Help Desk is: a living and breathing ecosystem, designed to support groups navigating the complexities of social change.
We know we’re not reinventing the wheel. There are already loads of resources available for groups – in fact there are so many it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why we want to create a bespoke, no-frills Help Desk where groups can easily access the advice, information and resources that they actually need.
So, what does this look like? We’re currently experimenting with the different ways we can deliver this support including:
- Diagnostic calls with groups to understand their needs
- A jargon-busting resource hub
- Networking opportunities for groups to share learnings
- Free training on the things that matter most to you
We want to facilitate collaboration across the sector, bringing together everyone from funders, grassroots groups, lawyers, accountants and beyond.
Get help for your group or network
Alternatively, if you are already registered with us and would like our help, you can fill out this form and a member of our Help Desk will get back to you.
How it began: The Mutual Aid Fund
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it was mutual aid and community groups that stepped up to support those most affected. From redistributing surplus food in Brighton to supporting those experiencing homelessness with vital tech support and equipment in Haringey, grassroots groups rose to the challenge. Despite the continued (and increasing) need for these groups post-pandemic, we heard that many volunteers felt burnt out, resources were being stretched to the limits, and demand was skyrocketing.
So in 2022, we launched the Mutual Aid Fund. The idea was to support community groups across the UK as they transitioned to a post-lockdown world and sought to bolster their sustainability and infrastructure as the cost-of-living crisis loomed. Through generous funding from Changing Ideas and the Disrupt Foundation, we supported 22 groups through a total fund of over £90,000 over a year. The grants ranged in size from £1,500 to £5,000.
This fund was intended to address just a small part of that struggle we knew groups were facing, and to give much-needed breathing room to re-strategise, regather, and repair. It was our first time running a fund at The Social Change Nest, and we wanted to use our experience of working directly with groups to run a grant-giving programme that worked with them, not against them.
Our Learnings: It’s not (just) about the money, money, money
Throughout the course of the year, many of the groups found it difficult to spend the money they received. Over half the groups needed an extension to the granting period. It wasn’t for lack of trying, or because they didn’t know what to spend the funds on. Instead it became apparent these small, volunteer-led, unincorporated groups are working within a system that isn’t built for them. As a result, many groups continuously ran up against barriers – from legal issues, to finding suitable insurance, to finding contractors willing to work with them. These small hurdles became huge bureaucratic barriers that slowed things down. At times, these issues meant that groups had to pause their projects or change their ideas altogether.
Running this fund has been a huge learning experience for us at The Social Change Nest and we’ve incorporated a lot of our learning into better support for the groups we host. But the most important thing we’ve taken away? When supporting groups, it’s not just about the money. We know there is a chronic lack of funding across the third sector, but for many groups, funding only addresses part of the issue. Small groups that are vital for our thriving civil society need the skills to navigate systems which were not built for them.
More than that, many of the groups were coming up against the exact same issues, such as difficulty engaging with local authorities or how to market themselves. Through peer-to-peer learning within the two cohorts of grantees, groups were able to support one another with these issues and share their own experiences.
Innovation is part of our DNA at The Social Change Nest — the Mutual Aid Fund was always intended to be a pilot, to explore and learn what support groups need. We’re proud of the programme we delivered, but we realised that grantmaking is only one of many ways of leveraging our unique position between grantmakers and social change makers.
Our Help Desk is designed with this in mind, focussing on connecting you with those who could help the most. If we can’t find a solution to your question, we’ll introduce you to someone in our network who can.
About The Social Change Nest
The Social Change Nest CIC (SCN) has a vision of a vibrant, thriving civil society where social change happens from the ground up – and the power to create it is open to all.
We exist to tear down the barriers that prevent people from creating change. We do this by providing impact-led fiscal hosting, grant distribution, grant management, capacity building and infrastructure support to changemakers around the world. Our support enables them to take collective leadership on the things that matter most to them and in doing so, increase civil society space.
Our aims are to:
- Channel funding to grassroots groups
- Support grassroots groups with their admin, skills and capacity
- Inspire change and engagement among funders
Since launching in 2020, we’ve helped distribute over £23 million to grassroots groups and movements and supported funders to get their money into the hands of the people and communities that need it most.
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