Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
Voscur was a member of the C3 Partnership, whose aim was to support organisations in becoming more Competitive, Credible and Confident in the work that they do. In short, to improve their performance. The partnership came to an end in December 2007.
There were three other delivery partners who worked with Voscur as part of the C3 Partnership: Social Enterprise Works, Black Development Agency and Cooperative Development Agency (BRAVE). Between us, we have a shared membership which casts a wide net across 'the social economy' in Bristol and the surrounding area.
Through the C3 Partnership, Voscur was able to offer offer Performance Improvement support to its members. In practice, Performance Improvement is about identifying areas within your organisation which could be improved upon - and actioning those improvements. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start.
Voscur and The C3 Partnership developed a range of self assessment tools- including C3Perform- which can help organisations identify key areas for improvement. The C3 Partnership's performance improvement advisors have:
Facilitated 'self assessment' sessions within organisations
Offered support in prioritising the identified areas for improvement
Offered support in action planning in these areas for improvement
The tools that we have been developing and testing throughout the project are now available for organisations to use themselves.
C3Perform is a Performance, Evaluation and Review tool which has been specifically developed for use by VCSE organisations. It is a workbook which is based on a quality management framework called The Excellence Model.
C3Perform has 46 statements which prompt teams to consider all aspects of their organisational health. Importantly, the process encourages consideration of how organisations measure their effectiveness and impact.
There is also a shorter diagnostic tool called C3Quick Perform which can be completed by individual members of staff within organisations. This can provide managers with an overview of how the organisation as a whole perceives itself. This can be a useful tool for larger organisations as it can involve, and get feedback from all staff members and volunteers. You can download Quick Perform here
C3Workshop Perform is a useful tool to begin a performance improvement process with a large group of people, such as at a team meeting or away day. You can download Workshop Perform here.
C3Perform Toolkit is a resource that has all the latest versions of the C3Perform tools, case studies, useful tips and advice for beginning and continuing the performance improvement process. You can download the workbook here.
As well as offering organisations support with 'self assessment facilitation', we have also supported some organisations in organising Performance Improvement Away Days. This has involved working with the managers of organisations to plan a mixture of team building / training and Performance Improvement activity.
We also run an ongoing programme of training covering many performance improvement issues. Please see our Training and Learning section.
Action Learning helps you make sense of current issues that are affecting you at work and is an energetic, action-focused way of learning and development.
To find out more about Action Learning Sets, you can view a case study here
Depending upon demand, we may well be running another Set, if you are a senior manager of a VCSE organisation in Bristol, it would be helpful if you registered your interest by emailing us
Voscur produces a range of Information Sheets covering many performance related issues. Click HERE to see and download the full range of Information Sheets.
Results and Feedback are a critical element to Performance Improvement. We're always keen to receive feedback on Voscur services such as training, newsletters, ebulletin and website etc. Please click HERE to fill in an online Feedback form, and share your thoughts with us.
You can visit the C3 website www.c3partnership.org.uk for a wealth of Performance Improvement information and advice.