Empowering Communities Impact Report available

Empowering Communities, which Voluntary Norfolk is a lead partner in, has been going for over 18months. In that time the partnership is proud of the work they have done. You can read about it in the Empowering Communities Impact Report, which covers the period October 2021-March 2023.

Empowering Communities is a partnership of local organisations that support voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations of all sizes across Norfolk. The key partners are ourselves at Voluntary Norfolk, Community Action Norfolk, and Norfolk Community Foundation. Additional knowledge and expertise is provided by Norfolk Community Advice Network and FUSE Norwich (from April 2023).

Their combined services and know-how cover the whole of Norfolk and represent a rich body of contacts, experience, specialist and local knowledge built up over many years. Norfolk County Council are funding the partnership until September 2024.

Empowering Communities is becoming a recognised and trusted brand through which the partners deliver a comprehensive range of support services.

The goal for Empowering Communities is for Norfolk to have a thriving, sustainable and diverse VCSE sector that embraces innovation and change to deliver high-quality, trusted services. Empowering Communities also aims to ensure that VCSE organisations have access to supportive networks, valued resources, and relevant skills to enable collaborative working within and across sectors. Finally the partnership is working to ensure that the VCSEs are recognised by key funders and stakeholders as equal partners in making Norfolk a fairer and more inclusive place to live.

How have they achieved their goals?

Their Impact Report outlines how they have achieved their goals and made a difference to Norfolk’s VCSEs. The partnership has done that by:

  • Providing a single, joined-up, VCSE sector support programme.
  • Encouraging and enabling wider volunteer engagement.
  • Building VCSE capacity and capabilities & sustainability.
  • Strengthening VCSE leadership and collective voices.

Empowering Communities Impact Report cover You can read the full Empowering Communities Impact Report here. It explains how the partnership has supported VCSE organisations of all sizes across Norfolk during its first 18months.