Natalie Masterson, chief executive of Stirling Voluntary Enterprise, explains how a new sector hub will empower voluntary organisations
As an organisation Stirling Voluntary Enterprise has been working on a current strategy in line with the needs of our stakeholders, and the announcement of our new voluntary sector hub could not come at a better time.
Our new mission is to organise and strengthen partnerships, within and beyond the third sector, that deliver real change by connecting people, ideas and resources.
To me this encapsulates the very heart of what the third sector hub is all about.
SVE shares its aspirations with the aims of the new hub. In a time of austerity and concerns over funding, the opportunity to share accommodation and service costs will lead to greater efficiency in third sector organisations.
Resources can be pooled and costs can be shared, also giving smaller organisations the opportunity to access quality accommodation and resources. SVE envisages this as the way forward for many voluntary sector organisations.
We envisage the hub to be much more than just an office building. Yes, it will be a place for the third sector to work within the same space, but the co-location of local organisations offers new prospects of working together in an integrated way to provide better services for all.
My hope is that the benefits of the hub will be widely felt and will ripple across the whole of Stirlingshire, as we take the opportunity of sharing resources and knowledge and therefore ultimately tackling the big issues that affect our local society.
While the City Deal aspires to reinforce Stirling as an economic and cultural powerhouse by building on its assets, so too will the hub create and increases opportunities for all.
It will make Stirling an attractive base for third sector organisations, bringing jobs and social value to our area.
Having the Robertson Trust on board is brilliant for Stirling. In 2015/16 the trust have made approximately 559 donations to support the third sector in Scotland, and it’s overwhelming to have them directing this level of support locally to create such a beneficial resource for our third sector and community.
The partnership between SVE, The Robertson Trust and Stirling Council will be a strong force driving the project forward over the coming months and years. I look forward to supporting third sector involvement in this project to develop and design the hub as the heart of voluntary action in Stirling.
