The Power of Small

SENDS 4 Dad attended a Micro Voices Roundtable on the 19th of October 2023 which was a Partnership event between Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire and Community Spaces Northampton, supported by two other West Northamptonshire Infrastructure Organisations in Daventry Volunteers and South Northants Volunteer Bureau. 45 small organisations attended. My reasons for attending were many and various.

It’s a known fact the 94% of the Northamptonshire Voluntary and Community Sector is considered micro or small. By default, only 6% of our sector can be considered moderate or large.

Despite this, the Integrated Care Board fund only 11 VCSE organisations across the sector and to the value of £5.9M per annum.

There are currently over 1,600 organisations in West Northamptonshire. SENDS 4 Dad performs an important function for the local community. Without it, the community would be poorer.

Despite this, we are struggling to have a voice and to gain influence with Stakeholders, Commissioners and Policy Makers.

SENDS 4 Dad is now alignoing to Micro Voices, a programme facilitated and supported by Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, Daventry Volunteers and South Northants Volunteer Bureau.

I believe that Micro Voices is SENDS 4 Dad's best option to gain information, obtain training and provide influence at a local level.

By aligning to Micro Voices, I will display the Micro Voices Logo, meet and connect with other small organisations and work in partnership to achieve the best results for our community. The three Infrastructure Organizations across West Northamptonshire will be our main conduit for discussion, information, training, advocacy and understanding. Our organisation will also take a lead in talking about Micro Voices to other small community organisations that need support.