Aim to retain wealth by supporting mutual-self-help where communities can meet their identified needs without losing wealth to outside providers.

A great deal of community wealth is lost where outside providers 'sell solutions' (goods or services). Such 'leech' providers control what is available and at what price, often profiting not only from local consumers but also from the local workforce.

 Missed opportunities as funding directed towards dependency support.

A great deal of potential community development is missed because of funding being directed to organisations that specialise in the 'doing it for you' approach. Financial support for Charity and Voluntary Organisations IS of course needed but funders should recognise that is very different from supporting community economic development.

This new approach must shift from community participation to community power. 

Because power is not achieved by asking more of volunteers. Shifting services from the public sector to the voluntary sector is not empowering, it is taking advantage. 

Power demands ownership and control.

If you wish to create resilience and community empowerment then you should ensure that some of your funding is directed towards organisations that support community economic development, community enterprise and empowerment. 

Funding for community support should be separated into budgets that not only support those organisations that specialise in the voluntary and 'doing it for them' approach but also  those that specialise in developing resilient communities through social enterprise and mutual self help.

To be frank, voluntary infrastructure organisations are likely to bid for community empowerment budgets but whilst they might have the 'desire' most do not have the specialism required for co-operative community economic development or real community empowerment.

Their expertise in the approaches needed for their main activities can override the community empowerment needs.

Communities up and down the country are grappling with deep inequalities, squeezed household budgets, a cost of living crisis and the erosion of rights in their workplaces. 

Many communities feel left behind, ignored, disenfranchised.

This demands that we widen ownership in our economy and devolve decision-making. Fundamentally, we need to trust local communities to draw on their lived experiences of services and the local economy to lead change. This is a co-operative mission, where wealth and power are shared, not coveted by a narrow political and economic system.

Remember the  saying.. 

'If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But if you teach a man to fish you will feed him for a lifetime.'

To contact an EXPERIENCED Consultant for your project please indicate your needs using our CONTACT FORM.

Please Note: We are specialists in Community Economic Development.

We do NOT offer infrastructure services for the voluntary or none-trading charity sector, these are different specialisms.