Working with grassroots organisations to deliver services

Providing a service costs money. Charities, particularly in the current climate of the cost-of-living crisis, need to make sure that every penny they spend counts.

 

For charities that deliver services in communities, it’s essential that it meets the needs of the people you serve. The best way to ensure your service is fit for purpose is to work with grassroots organisations and do a deep dive into the needs of the community.

 

 

The benefits of working with grassroots organisations

 

Grassroots organisations are at the heart of their community. The people who work or volunteer for grassroots organisations live in that community too. They are therefore in tune with what the community wants and needs.

 

If you’re having issues with people taking up your service, or you’re not reaching the right people, grassroots organisations can help. They can help you to understand the pain points around your service as well as how, and where, to reach the people who could benefit from it.

 

Working with grassroots organisations can build relationships and develop trust. By working together and co-designing services, you’ll be involving the community directly. Through open conversation, you’ll build key relationships and foster trust.

 

This leads to a sense of ownership and pride and by being involved in shaping the service, it will have greater uptake and make a bigger impact.

 

 

Involving the community leads to better outcomes for everyone

 

Camden Giving is an independent charity working to end local poverty and inequality in the London borough of Camden. They are a participatory funder, which means that Camden residents decide where the funding should be spent. Who better knows the needs of a community than the people who live there?

 

While they don’t provide services themselves, their participatory model ensures that funding is awarded to local charities and grassroots organisations to deliver services that residents in those communities actually need. One example is Clime-it Brothers Academy CIC who were awarded funding in 2024 to support the expansion of their programmes. The Academy provides alternative and legitimate pathways for young people at-risk of criminal exploitation. This helps young people to choose a different path and channel their energy into something positive.

 

Involving the community in funding decisions means that money is spent on solving real-world problems. And it gives people the agency to build the community they want to live in – and are proud to be part of.

 

 

How to involve grassroots organisations in service delivery

 

Here we explore three ways to involve grassroots organisations in service delivery, ensuring your services meets a need and offers value for money.

 

 

Ask grassroots organisations to define what ‘service delivery’ means to them

 

Before designing any new services, invite people from grassroots organisations to have a conversation. They will help you understand the gaps in the current services in that community and what the community actually needs.

 

By involving grassroots organisations, you’ll not only make sure that your money is spent on an actual need, but you will have the support of those organisations in helping your service to succeed.

 

Grassroots organisations have trust, reach, and influence within their communities. Once they have been involved in helping you identify a service that is needed, they will help to promote your service to the right people. Their approval will be invaluable.

 

 

Review current services

 

If you’re already delivering services in a community, invite grassroots organisations to review them. This way you can understand what is currently working well, what needs improving, and what isn’t needed and can be stopped.

 

Not only will this help build trust with these organisations – that you want the best for the community – it will ensure that the money spent on delivering these services is value for money.

 

 

Involve the community

 

As well as speaking to grassroots organisations, you can speak to the community directly. The more people in the community that you involve in making sure your service meets their needs, the greater the outcomes will be.

 

There are many ways to involve the community. You could run an open consultation and invite people to give feedback on what they know about your service, what works, what doesn’t work and what could be improved. This could be done online, via a survey, or in a ‘town hall’ meetup in a local church, library or community centre.

 

You could also identify relevant community groups and ask to come along to one of their sessions to speak with them about your service to get their opinions and recommendations for improvement. Their lived experience will be invaluable in helping design or shape your services.

 

 

Find out more

 

Our 2025 Reimagining Service Delivery Summit unlocked new perspectives on service delivery and how charities can maximise value to service users. Click here to watch the session recordings for free.

 

Our Reimagining Services Hub features regular articles, podcasts, and webinars to support charities in delivering services. Click here to learn more.