MODA has developed an integrated training programme aiming at building the capacity of refugee, migrant and minority ethnic community organisations and developing their internal resources in particular the personal and professional skills of their workers and models of good practice and effective governance and management. The programme is different and distinctive in three ways:

1. It adopts a holistic approach viewing all aspects and elements of organisational management, operation and development as parts of a whole, the understanding and control of any part necessitates and enhances the understanding and control of the other components. Therefore the programme will not, for example, separate financial management from planning, and planning from monitoring and evaluation and this from quality standards and measures.
   
2. The programme is based on the belief that any experience and expertise gained by workers and volunteers in community organisations in any aspect of organisational management and the development of organisational aims and projects, is a valuable asset which can be explored, supported and built upon to develop the work experience, skills, and knowledge of the workers and the operational systems and practices of their organisations in a systematic and professional way. Therefore the training will be participative and customised to the real needs of the organisations.
   
3. Our training programme can be used as part of our overall capacity building support to community organisations which follows an effective community development model based on empowering participation and meeting needs and aspirations identified by users themselves.

TRAINING PROGRAMME

The programme consists of two elements:skills audit, training and mentoring /or follow-up technical support.

1. Auditing the skills already available within the participating organisations and identifying training needs with interactive participation of trustees, staff and volunteers. This will help to identify the skills and strengths of the organisations and areas of weakness or gaps which need to be dealt with. If. for example, an organisation has developed skills and expertise in staff support and supervision but lacks knowledge and expertise in strategic planning, then the worker with expertise in supervision will be encouraged to attend the training programme so that s/he can build upon and contribute to this area while benefiting from other elements of the programme from the trainers and people who have experience and expertise in other areas.
   
   
2. The training programme will cover major organisational areas and issues with the aim of enabling the participants to acquire essential knowledge and technical tools, develop their management skills and help sustainable development of their organisations.

Evaluation/assessment is incorporated into the programme. There will be questionnaires, verbal feedback and participatory appraisal for each training day.

The training will cover eigth organisational aspects:

1. Developing organisations and projects within a community development framework
   This can be a three-day or a five-day course (according to the needs of specific organisations) introducing the concept and tools of community development based on the work and community experience of participant organisations.
   This part of the training includes:

   • Introduction to British socio-economic system: public sector, private sector, voluntary sector and PPP (public private partnership)
   • Introduction to multiple definitions of community and relating these to self-definition and overlapping definitions of communities focusing on the significance of interaction with their wider community and environment.
   • Introduction to user involvement and participation including scientific methods and tools of needs survey, research and consultation.
   • Introduction to the concept of organisation with focus on distinction between informal and formal organisations and the role of volunteers and roots within each type of organisation and the way it affects the governance and management of each type.
   • Introduction to leadership, governance and management with emphasis on distinction between these concepts. As part of this training the role of constitution, management committees, staff and volunteers will be addressed.
   • Team work and organisational structure: explains operational structures of organisation, the concept of tasks, individual work plans, team work and performance management.


 For more information and booking this course click here.

2. Constitution, governance and management
   This course helps to explain the concepts of leadership, governance and management, and understand the significance of the recognition of the distinctiveness of each concept and the implications of this for good practice in managing a community organisation. This course is designed for trustees and management committee members. It is a three-day intensive course.

   The course covers:

   • The concept of organisation and relating this to Constitution.
   • The types and models of Constitutions used by charities and voluntary sector organisations; the importance of having an appropriate usable constitution and its understanding by trustees and members. The course will explain how to review and modernise your constitution in the light of the new Charities Act.
   • Legal responsibilities of trustees and directors
   • Roles and responsibilities of officers and members in running an organisation.
   • Organising and chairing effective meetings
   • Establishing effective work structures and team work
   • Developing vision, mission statement, values and participation strategies and structures

    For more information and booking this course click here.

3. Resources and Fundraising
   We understand and appreciate the fact that no organisation, however strong its roots and voluntary base and however realistic its plans may be, cannot survive without a secure long-term funding base or core funding, and cannot develop its remit and scope to meet existing or emerging community needs without being able to plan strategically and develop an effective flexible fundraising strategy supported by long-term vision and diversified sources of funding.
   This Course includes:

   • Developing fundraising strategy: Step by step interactive presentation and guidance to explore the issues involved in developing a fundraising strategy and how to do it.
   • Practical fundraising covering all issues and aspects of the process of fundraising from approaching right donors, developing appropriate proposals and filling in application forms. The training programme includes production of a proposal/project ready for submitting to funders by every participant.
   • Therefore there is a strong emphasis in our programme on introducing usable concepts and practical tools to develop comprehensive realistic fundraising strategies befitting the exact needs and prospects of organisations and providing various tools and exercises to enable community groups to engage in planned fundraising activities. We do not look at fundraising as a separate activity but as an essential central function related to the whole strategic plan and operational mode of an organisation.

   
   Our fundraising training programme can be a three-day programme for organisations with some experience in strategic fundraising or a five-day programme for organisations that do not have a functional fund-raising strategy and whose staff have not had previous effective training in fundraising.

    For more information and booking this course click here.

    

4. Strategic planning
   Fundraising strategy and practice cannot be separated from an organisation’s overall vision, mission and long-term plans. Forward Strategic Planning can equip an organisation with ideas, inspiration and practical manageable processes and tools to achieve its short-term and long-term aims. MODA offers a unique original strategic planning framework which is user-friendly and usable. We also provide concrete examples of realistic strategic plans tailored to the needs of participating groups. The Strategic Planning course can be a one-day course for well-established groups or a two-day course for developing groups.

    For more information and booking this course click here.

    

5. Quality Assurance Systems
   To ensure that community organisations understand and promote quality standards in their approach and service delivery, and meet the needs and expectations of their users and beneficiaries, the meanings and relevance of Quality and quality assurance systems will be explained and introduced with multiple practical exercises to facilitate the application of various organisational and management tools essential for setting up quality standards and planning continuous improvement through sustainable quality management strategies. PQASSO, Quality Mark and other basic quality standards will be introduced with focus on community development model. This course will be covered in two days.

    For more information and booking this course click here.

    

6. Outcome Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation
   This course will be presented as an extension of quality assurance measures. It will use community development model of monitoring and evaluation and provide the participants with practical tools and models to set us self-assessment systems as part of their overall strategic plans for the sustainable development of their organisations. It is a one-day course.

    For more information and booking this course click here.

    

7. Empowering the participation of minority groups in networks and forums
   This is a special course which has been experimented with various networks. It provides effective concepts and participatory tools to enable newly-formed or established network to empower, include and effectively involve special target minority and disadvantaged groups in their organisational structures and programmes. This course is useful for public sector bodies, large organisations and networks and forums for refugees, women, disabled and other disadvantaged minorities. This is a one-day seminar and workshops for 10- 30 people.

    For more information and booking this course click here.

    

8. Capacity building for community organisations
   This is a five-day course which deals with all aspects of capacity-building in a clear step-by-step systematic way. It covers:
   • Leadership and governance capacity
   • Resources and fundraising capacity
   • Management capacity
   • User involvement capacity
   • Administrative capacity
   • Operational/delivery capacity
   • ICT and marketing capacity
   • Monitoring and evaluation capacity

      For more information and booking this course click here.