The Future of CLAPA’s Branches
After a lengthy review of the Branch Network that has been a part of CLAPA since the very beginning, we’ve made some changes to improve the ways volunteers and fundraisers can work together.
CLAPA’s Branches will no longer exist as of May 2018, and in their place we will invite volunteers and fundraisers to form Events Groups and/or Fundraising Groups, known collectively as CLAPA Groups. These will be part of Regional Networks connecting all volunteers in a UK region.
To find out more about volunteering with CLAPA or setting up a CLAPA Group of your own, get in touch with your Regional Coordinator or Engagement Officer.
Why Make This Change?
We gathered a large amount of feedback from CLAPA Volunteers last year, including CLAPA Branch Committee Members and other volunteers like Happy Faces Group Coordinators. The feedback indicated that the Branch structure upon which CLAPA was founded had become old-fashioned and was no longer working in many areas.
It’s important to CLAPA that people can volunteer in a way that interests them, suits their busy lives, and still benefits the wider CLAPA Community. That’s why we decided to make a change which benefitted volunteers whilst also keeping in mind what would be realistic for CLAPA’s small staff team with limited funding and resources.
The Details
New Regional Networks now connect all our volunteers in their respective UK regions. Each region is managed by its own Regional Coordinator or Engagement Officer; these are home-based CLAPA staff working to support volunteers and generate activity locally.
CLAPA Branches have been phased out, and in their place we have established CLAPA Groups. Aside from a name change and scrapping formal requirements, most existing Branches haven’t had to change much about how they operate, and will be supported to keep delivering the fantastic local events that bring so many of you together every year.
Each Region already has a dedicated section listing the latest local news and events, and over the next few months the listings for Branches will be replaced by CLAPA Groups.
At the heart of this new structure is flexibility for volunteers and better communication across regions. We hope the CLAPA Community starts to see the benefits over the next few months as we make the change.
What Do The Changes Mean For Me?
We’re contacting existing volunteers and Branch Committee Members directly with more information about how the new structure will help them get the most out of their work with CLAPA.
Prospective Volunteers and people looking to fundraise for CLAPA on an ongoing basis will find a simple structure which is easier to get involved with and which invites them into a supportive community of local and national volunteers.
People in the wider CLAPA Community will see more local activities and events which benefit from stronger connections between the Groups and staff organising them.
Find Out More
Learn more about opportunities in your area and how you can get involved as a volunteer by contacting your local Regional Coordinator or Engagement Officer.
