About RVS

Who are we?

We are the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) in Rushmoor. Our role in the community is to champion volunteering and to help and support any charitable, voluntary or community group or social enterprise (VCSE) benefitting the Borough of Rushmoor. We are members of the Hampshire CVS Network, an alliance of 8 local organisations covering 11 districts, who work together to help Hampshire’s voluntary sector to succeed and flourish.

You can find out more about the county network here: http://www.hampshirecvs.org.uk/

Our Mission Statement

To enable all the people of Rushmoor to play a full and active part in the life of the local community in partnership with the voluntary, statutory and business sectors.

Our Area

The area we cover contains Aldershot, Farnborough, North Camp and Blackwater Valley in the Northeast corner of Hampshire.

Who’s who at RVS?

RVS is a Membership Organisation

Membership is free to any not-for-profit group who benefit the people of Rushmoor.

RVS are members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) who provide support to the not-for-profit sector nationally.

In order to provide a dynamic and resourceful membership we ask potential members to learn all about us and tell us all about you! Membership is about working together so that we create a joined up, resilient voluntary sector. To sign up as a member, please read through this information and then complete the online Application Form

Our Role

RVS is a hub for not-for-profit organisations wanting to promote themselves; seeking volunteer help or new members; seeking to make links with other organisations in the area, including funders; seeking advice and information in all areas of governance, funding and volunteer management.

RVS is a hub for individuals wishing to volunteer and those seeking a service for their needs.

Through the RVS Community Development Team (CDT), we offer support and guidance for groups and individuals wanting to set up new initiatives or develop an existing group.

RVS represent the voluntary sector and seek support from member organisations in order to do this effectively.

What is Community Development Work?

Community Development enables people to work collectively to bring about positive social change. This process starts from people’s own experience and enables communities to work together to improve the quality of their own lives, the communities in which they live and societies of which they are a part. By bringing community members together, with support they can:

Identify their own needs and actions
Take collective action using their strengths and resources
Develop their confidence, skills and knowledge
Challenge unequal power relationships
Promote social justice, equality and inclusion

RVS Projects and Services

RVS deliver projects and services that are of community benefit. These are externally funded, contractual or paid for services. They include:

Blooming Marvellous (BM) supported volunteering gardening project. BM aims to improve the mental health and well-being of its members by providing them with a volunteering opportunity.
Home Help, providing shopping and light housework to frail, elderly and disabled people.
Community Transport for Rushmoor and Hart, which includes a group-hire minibus scheme.
Accessible transport for Rushmoor and Hart residents – Rushmoor and Fleet Connect. Connect is for passengers who have a mobility or sensory impairment and have difficulty using the public bus. You can also book if you live more than 400m from a bus stop or you do not have a car and there is no available bus service when needing to travel. All passengers must be registered see here.
Thames Valley Positive Support (TVPS). They deliver practical and emotional support in the community, for residents of North Hampshire affected by HIV.
Social Inclusion Team. Befriending and Buddying is a free service for older residents of Rushmoor Borough, who find themselves socially isolated at home.

Benefits of RVS full membership

No membership fees.
Access to Funds Online search engine.
Reduced rate and first notification on training courses like First Aid and MiDAS (minibus driver assessment scheme).
Members can book a minibus for outings and subject to demand and availability, we may be able to provide a volunteer driver if you do not have your own MiDAS trained driver.
Access to ongoing support from the Community Development Team including:

- Support with recruitment, training and management of volunteers. This includes posting opportunities on https://www.volunteernorthhants.org/
- Guidance and advice on governance, policy and finance
- Opportunity to present at quarterly Voluntary Sector Forum networking event.
- Regular updates from the RVS members and partners.
- DBS checks. There is an admin fee for basic DBS for volunteers. There is a charge for Standard and Enhanced DBS.
- The opportunity to influence the RVS training programme and the focus of Rushmoor Voluntary Sector Forums
- The opportunity to share resources, knowledge and experience with other members.
- Voting rights at RVS’s AGM, plus the opportunity to shape RVS by nominating a member to the board or becoming a Trustee.

RVS circulates information, job opportunities and announcements to its e-mailing list as a service for member organisations and partners.

Additional services

A greater level of support can be requested and depending on capacity of the CDT this can be negotiated. Examples include:

Access to RVS Responder Team for one-off projects and events or to fill in whilst recruiting a team of volunteers.
Support to develop a volunteer recruitment campaign.
Support to develop a new group or project.
Match with a fellow RVS member, for mentoring and expertise in specific subjects or service areas.

Significant or extensive support may have a cost attached.

Membership Eligibility Criteria

The purpose of having eligibility criterion is to ensure members are operating safely and lawfully.

We appreciate each organisation is at a different stage in its development. We will support prospective members to achieve the membership criteria where needed.

Members are requested to participate in an annual feedback survey.

Members are expected to:

Benefit the Rushmoor community.
Have a committee/board/steering group with at least 3 members.
Have a governing document: constitution/terms of reference/articles of association.
Have public and employer’s liability insurance. This includes cover for volunteers.
Have a bank account with 2 or more signatories.
Be registered as a charitable organisation or not for profit company, where appropriate.
Have appropriate policies and procedures for: safeguarding; health and safety; equality and diversity; complaints and compliments; volunteer management. Depending on the purpose or structure of the organisation, we may ask for others.

Affiliated Membership

This membership is specifically for group hire of community transport minibuses and is part of a contract with Hampshire County Council. This is Hampshire’s criteria.

Voluntary and community groups eligible to hire minibuses shall include any non-profit-making body in Rushmoor Borough and Hart District areas concerned with:

Education (schools, colleges)
Religion (church groups, other faiths etc)
Social welfare (groups concerned with older people, people with disabilities, lunch clubs, rehabilitation of offenders etc.)
Recreation (groups concerned with leisure and sport)
Youth Groups (youth clubs, scouts, trips to leisure/entertainment etc.)

Other activities of benefit to the community (Community Associations, Parish Councils, Rushmoor Borough Council and Hart District Council etc.)

NOTE: the terms within the brackets are examples and are not an exclusive definition of each category.

Applicants for affiliated membership will be expected to fulfil the membership criteria applied to full members, apart from benefitting the Rushmoor community. They will need to benefit the communities of Rushmoor Borough or Hart District.