By Alan Webb, CEO Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway
As we enter a new year (Happy New Year), the pressure and the intensity of focus on money, people and services ramp up for many across our sector approaching the financial threshold of April. It has been this way for decades, but could we help each other make it a little easier?
Whilst there are a range of ways money flows into our organisations and groups, traditionally we rely on grants and contracts to fund our work. It is true that these do not always fit neatly within a financial year (great if you have managed to diversify a range of funds that do not end at once too). I am thoughtful about how those models might have influenced our own practice and thinking, where we perpetuate the pressure cycles on jobs, services and supports as if this is the way it must be. With money lies power, right?
For years, throughout my time connected to the community and voluntary sector, we have had the same asks of anyone who has money to share with us – give us more, for longer, with fewer strings. And to their credit, many funding organisations have changed their practices significantly, including the Open and Trusting Grantmaking funders highlighted by IVAR as examples. I fully agree with Fair Funding, and do not disagree with the long-term asks as it happens, but the main question I have is – perhaps more of a friendly challenge – have WE changed enough?
To be clear, I am not criticising. The majority of our sector is small and medium community organisations, groups and charities. They are locally based and their main focus is on delivering purpose for people and place. When resources are limited, finding the time to move away from a way of working is a commitment to make; there is no doubt. But with money feeling much harder to come by, what would help our sector to do more together, to lift some of the pressure? And what wider benefits for people and place could be realised in the process?
I would be keen to hear from sector colleagues about how we might make this happen. We have been developing the DGCollective and InvestDG concepts to help us work differently, to give greater collective focus and leadership to outcomes and impact, and we would love to have more sector leaders involved in turning it into a reality. If you haven’t already, join others who have signed up and share your thoughts by visiting www.dgcollective.org.uk
Here are some of my own reflections, for what they are worth:
- It’s not me, it’s you – I have no doubt of the commitment of our sector to do good and of the impact our sector has on people and our communities. There are thousands of incredible stories across Dumfries and Galloway every year. We are also great believers in our work – that is why we do it. There are times, however, when our sector’s focus can seem more on preservation and on the idea that we must, at all costs, exist – that every one of our organisations should be there, thriving, forever. And we will use any means to share that message and garner support. I suggest that is not sustainable, nor always true, and I am keen to understand how using the best of all our expertise can bring even greater community benefits.
- Diversification makes it harder – going for growth by creating new services and models of working when they already exist elsewhere is damaging for our sector and does not always give our communities the best of us. It creates even more competition, and in every competition someone does not win. In what can seem an endless treadmill of survival, I believe we could be more sustainable by focussing on what we are good at and collaborating with others to complement what we do.
- History hasn’t helped us – I remember a decade or so ago when funding organisations and others were telling us that mergers were the way, that there were too many organisations and groups in our sector. I am not entirely clear on the motivations, however I am clear that a sector full of only large organisations is not the answer to responding to our communities. Working together, yes. Creating huge, centralised organisations – it is a no from me.
- Please sir, may we have some more – language can change a lot. I strongly feel that a focus on grants and funding creates such a sense of dependency, yet if we talk about investment, we can build a sense of ownership. Investing in what you do well, rather than funding your organisation or group to exist, is not just a change of language, it changes the relationship too. Being an investable sector is much more important for our communities and the people we connect with too, meaning we do what we know to be right because the people we are alongside tell us.
- The power of togetherness – we should not underestimate the importance of leadership and capacity building. At TSDG, we are focussed on having the right resources to support better collaboration, collective and individual leadership, to help navigate change, to bring together experiences for shared learning and to create spaces that remove competition. We recognise that they are only useful for those who want to be part of it, and that is okay. But in any case, there is power and greater impact that lies in bringing us together, without losing our individuality or independence.
Just before the festive break, our local Integration Joint Board announced a change to how public money is invested in health and care outcomes for Dumfries and Galloway. This means a move away from contracts and services, towards collaboration and outcomes, and will be designed with our sector. It protects £6.3m of sector investment when other areas across Scotland are making cuts. This does mean change, and we fully appreciate this is difficult. We will continue to advocate for a supportive approach to change and transition. Overall, it is a sign that things are moving and that our sector is valued, and I expect there will be more across other thematic areas of work as we attract investment into Dumfries and Galloway.
So, the big story of 2026 looks like it will be collaboration and collective leadership. The alternative is to continue facing the same pressures for the longer term, because if we have not noticed, just asking for more money has not worked (perhaps except for a lucky few).
Building a sustainable, investable sector embedded in our communities is what I hope for and I would love as many of you as possible to be part of it.