Welcome to the website of Dumfries & Galloway Federation of CVS.

The Federation acts as a focus for joint activity for Councils of Voluntary Service in Dumfries & Galloway and facilitates effective representation of and consultation with the voluntary sector and community sector within Dumfries and Galloway.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LEARNING JOURNEY BURSARY

Dumfries & Galloway Local Social Economy Partnership has agreed to provide a small bursary for current and aspiring social enterprises in our region to expand their knowledge and understanding of the social economy sector.

An award of £500 per organisation will be granted if organisations can demonstrate they will gain worthwhile experience from their learning journey which will impact on their organisation.

This could include:

• Visiting similar organisations in other local authority areas to exchange best practice ideas;

• Visiting organisations to look at new ideas to expand or diversify the services you deliver;

• Inviting social enterprises from other areas to come and share their experiences.

Successful applicants will be expected to provided a short report on key outcomes/project ideas from their experience.

If you are interested in applying for the bursary, or would like more information, contact Joyce Harkness (see below) or your local CVS for more details. You can also download an application form here.

COMPLETED APPLICATIONS MUST BE RETURNED BY 19th MARCH 2010 TO:

DGLSEP
c/o Joyce Harkness
DGFedCVS
PO Box 7736
Lockerbie
DG11 1WD
Tel: 01387-810011
joyce.harkness@dgfcvs.org.uk

STOP PRESS! – THE BRIDGE DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

The Bridge Dumfries and Galloway is a new charitable organisation, formed from a merger of Wigtown Council for Voluntary Service and Dumfries & Galloway Federation of CVS. The merger has been agreed by the organisations’ members in preparation for planned changes in Scottish Government funding of voluntary sector support organisations.

The Bridge Dumfries & Galloway will continue to support voluntary organisations and not-for-profit businesses (known as social enterprises) in Wigtownshire and those regional and national organisations which operate across Dumfries and Galloway. Support can include providing training for volunteer Board members, advising on issues encountered by the organisations or helping with applications for grant funding. There is also an important role in keeping these organisations informed about local and national issues which affect them, opportunities to attract funds and ensuring that their views are heard in discussions with statutory organisations such as the Council and the NHS.

Chair of both Wigtown CVS and Dumfries & Galloway Federation of CVS, Robert Sneddon, said “I am delighted with the decision to merge the two organisations into The Bridge Dumfries & Galloway. It will give us the opportunity to fulfil the Scottish Government’s requirement to be more effective and represents an exciting new development.”

Contact our office for more details

Community Toolkit
Need Information or Advice?
Go to our Toolkit page where you'll find information on funding, good practice, constitutions & charitable status and much more! You can download templates, including constitutions the Toolkit is updated monthly.

Dumfries & Galloway Compact
The Compact for Dumfries and Galloway is a written agreement which defines the relationship between the voluntary and community sector (also known as the Third Sector) and public sector bodies.

Visit our Compact page to find out more details, including details of recent consultation events

Dumfries & Galloway Third Sector Forum
Dumfries & Galloway Third Sector Forum – 3SF was established in April 2008 following on from development of the Compact. Go to our 3SF page for more details.

Scottish Government and Local Authority Concordat
The Scottish Government and Local Authorities in Scotland have signed a 10yr Concordat which outlines Themes and Outcome Indicators Local Authorities have to achieve for the funding they will receive. Read through the Concordat and national Outcome Indicators here.

Dumfries & Galloway Single Outcome Agreement
The Dumfries & Galloway Single Outcome Agreement is part of the process for delivering on the Concordat. It will show how Dumfries and Galloway Community Planning partners are going to use their funding to deliver services within the region whilst contributing to the national outcomes set by the Scottish Government. Dumfries & Galloway Single Outcome Agreement for 2009/11 has just been endorsed by the Community Planning Joint Board. Community groups or voluntary organisations can contribute to the SOA indicators either directly or by contributing to one or more of the relevant regional plans or partnerships. Contact our Executive Officer Joyce Harkness for more details. Download a copy of the SOA here.

Dumfries & Galloway Community Plan – draft 2009-12
In line with the SOA for 2009/11 a new Community Plan has been developed which outlines high level aspirations under the 5 key themes of the SOA. Download a copy of the Community Plan here.

Discussion Page:  Log on to our Discussion Page to find out the latest news for the voluntary sector in Dumfries & Galloway, including upcoming events, consultations,  and developing the local Compact

Links Page: You’ll find information on a range organisations including advice on charity law, community engagement and good practice toolkits.

Want to know about volunteering?
Volunteer Action Dumfries & Galloway is  “your local Volunteer Centre”
If you're interested in volunteering, you'll find all the information you'll need at www.volunteeraction.co.uk .