Volunteering in Torfaen is flourishing, but we can always do more to tackle the barriers that deter people from volunteering. 

People are now working longer hours over more years, and so we need to ensure that we are offering the right volunteering for modern citizens.

We want to ensure that volunteering is meaningful for the volunteer whilst also being sustainable for the host organisation.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Develop new volunteering opporuntities beyond those traditionally offered.
• Becom the specialist for matchmaking volunteers with host organisations.
• Encourage a wider pool of people to try volunteering.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• Our number of registered volunteers increases.
• Our Members feedback tells us that volunteer placements are sustainable.
• Case studies from volunteers show impact volunteering has made on them.

TVA actively seek and promote funding opportunities, that enable organisations to develop, grow and manage their resources effectively.

We want to ensure that our members have access to all funding opportunities.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Have a strong and credible reputation with our membersthrough providing direct access opportunities to funding organisations.
• Support our members to maximise available funding opportunities.
• Identify new funding pathways for our members (including private sector routes)
• Deliver a programme of learning and development to build the capacity of organisations to effectively manage resources.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• funding obtained by our members increases.
• Our Members Feedback demonstrates.

TVA is a Membership Organisation. Our members range from small community groups to larger charities, and we have key stakeholder representation from Local Authority, Health and other statutory services.

 Strengthening Member Engagement

TVA believe that our vision for Torfaen’s communities can only be achieved by supporting our members to achieve their own aims and objectives.

Our members can expect us to be proactive and ‘hands on’ in providing advocacy, networking, peer support, collaboration opportunities, brokerage, and signposting.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Have a visible presenceacross Torfaen: Citizenswill know what TVA does and why.
• Increase our capacity to offer proactive governance support to our members.
• Develop new engagement pathways for our members (including private sector routes)
• Develop opportunities for Members throughour involvement on the Gwent Public Services Board, Regional Partnership Board and Provider Forums.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• Our number of registered Members increases.
• The number of Members ceasing to operate reduces.
• Our Members Feedback demonstrates the impact of our proactive support.
• Our Members Feedback demonstrates an more funding coming from the Gwent PSB.
  Our Events Feedback shows that they have created networking and co-working opportunities for our members.

TVA is an umbrella organisation. We will only deliver our goals if we can inspire others to join us on our journey. We need to support our communities and our members so that they have the capacity and capability to travel with us.

Programmes like “OpeningDoors” have given us a strong platform to grow our role in communities but we now need to build on this platform.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Identify and share opportunities where a community or voluntary sector intervention could help to solve a local challenge.
• Intervene early to help new or prospective voluntary groups across Torfaen.
• Increase the amount of proactive governance support we offer to community groups.
• Develop opportunities for private sector funding to help companies deliver on their own corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, governance requirements.
• Support the private sector to engage more effectively with volunteering.
• Support members to organisations to monitor outcomes and performance.
• Support members to collaborate where this would improve theiroutcomes.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• The number of new Members grows consistently throughout the strategy.
• We see an increase in Members as a direct result of our involvement in events.
• Case Studies show an increased role of the community and voluntary sector in meeting the needs of Torfaen communities.
• Member Feedback will demonstrate new private sector partnerships.
• Member Feedback more clearly demonstrates our members outcomes.

 Influencing and Partner Engagement

Good partnership workingand shared decision-making between the communityand voluntary sector and the public sector leads to better outcomes for the people of Torfaen.

TVA will facilitate third sector forums so that organisations can discuss the issues important to them and identify changes we can make together with local and national partners. The community and voluntary sectorare embedded in the Torfaen Communities Strategy.

To achieve this objective, TVA will:

• Be an active partner in the delivery of the Communities Wellbeing Strategy for Torfaen
• Provide representation at local and regional networks.
• Lobby Welsh Government and others for support on behalf of the Voluntary and Community Sector
• Ensure that TVA and its services are valued by partners, our members, and the public.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• Increased partnership engagement Monitoring the breadth and range of partnership forums we are involved with.
• We will actively seek feedback through the services we provide.
• We are asked to contribute to support our members in their development objectives.

Improving our Digital Presence

TVA believes that our members should be able to engage with us and with their customers using a variety of media. But we have a duty to support our members and our citizens to be able to engage in an increasingly digital world.

As we seek to grow our presence across Torfaen it is more important than ever that we have a strong digital presence ourselves.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Build our digital voice through our website, podcasts, and social media channels.
• Implement our marketing strategy.
• Offer our members more opportunities to feedback to us digitally.
• Work with partners to develop and use appropriate resources and digital platforms.
• Support our members and citizens to engage with us digitally.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• The number of hits on our website increases
• We see more engagement on our social media posts.
• Member Feedback demonstrates.
• Digital responses to our consultations and questionnaires will increase.

TVA supports our members with governance and so we must ensure that our own governance is exemplary. We will set a clear strategic direction for ourselves as an organisation, ensure that we use our resources as effectively as possible to deliver that strategic direction, and be fully accountable to our Board and the Members who we serve.

TVA will continue to seek funding to maintain our core provision, remaining a financially sustainable entity with all functions well-funded and secure.

To deliver this objective, TVA will

• Review our funding sources against our mission seeking additional funding to fill gaps.
• Stay true to our values, enabling us to attract and retain high quality staff.
• Work throughour Board to review how we deliverour executive functions to ensure that we continue to deliver as efficiently as possible.
• Quality assure our governance systems to ensure alignment with legislation and guidance as it is introduced.

We will know we are achieving this objective when:

• We continue to meet our financial and legal obligations throughout the strategy period.
• be hands on its engagement, with more capacity to outreach proactively.
• be educating the sector and communities on the role of the voluntary and community sector.
• Advising and informing partners of the role of the voluntary and community sector.