All our consultancy is rooted in our associates' collective experience of community regeneration, over many years and in many different places. We offer tailored support packages to provide the most useful advice and support, using local expertise where appropriate. Please visit the Projects Page to view some case studies of our work.
Our services include:
The Pool has extensive experience in delivering local development projects and programmes. We work with local and national Government, Regional Agencies and other organisations to help plan overall visions and priorities for regeneration as well as developing exit and succession strategies. We use country-wide expertise in supporting community regeneration and developing local capacity.
Our associates can offer support in all areas of community enterprise including business planning, governance, finance, green issues, fundraising, legal advice, marketing, property management investment readiness and decision-making and social return on investment. We think that the best business plan is one that is developed with the people who will be running the business, not one which is written for them. This will lead to a tailored plan for the business to be delivered, covering operational and governance structure, market and demand, potential partnership working as well as competition, income generation and monitoring, outlining the current position as well as suggesting routes to development.
The Pool is helping community organisations throughout the country to develop an asset base, so they can become sustainable agencies for community renewal. Our associates are experts in supporting local people and organisations to transform land and buildings into vibrant community spaces whilst supporting development of a thriving third sector.
We help clients move towards a better understanding of local needs and opportunities and to develop a shared vision with common goals, to generate solutions that single agencies might not achieve, and to underline a strategic approach which can help unlock funding streams. We are a trusted and impartial broker between public bodies, service providers and community organisations.
We include some highly experienced facilitators within our consultancy who will ensure the group works constructively towards defined goals. They are used to provide training in groups, large or small, or one-to-one coaching and mentoring. We use blended approaches, including utilising the DTA’s online meeting platform, to offer the most flexible approach with the best value for money.
This service allows clients to ‘pick the brains’ of some very experienced people without over-burdening them with consultancy days or costing a fortune. We send background material and prompt questions to 4-6 of our most senior associates with relevant experience. They return their comments to us and we prepare for you a synthesis of their contributions – a ‘Constructive Review.’ As a stand-alone service for organisations wishing to get some immediate feedback, the Constructive Review can be a useful tool for both broadening and sharpening the focus. As part of a wider support package helps to clarify key points for detailed investigation and ensuring that any future consultancy is clearly defined to provide value for money.