Infrastructure support

Development support and advice for groups and organisations with Warwickshire and Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA).

CAVA Logo

Warwickshire and Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA) provide bespoke one to one face to face or online support for charities, community groups, social enterprises and faith organisations.

Support from CAVA

We support the development and sustainability of organisations by providing the following advice and support:

For established groups

  • undertaking an organisational health check to identify areas of strength and areas for development
  • assisting with governance and policy review
  • finding the right sources of funding, diversifying your funding sources and strengthen your funding applications and tender submissions
  • looking at strategic /business planning and your future sustainability
  • providing more detailed support on assessment of need, project planning, budgeting and impact evaluation

For new groups

  • considering different structures for setting up an organisation
  • organising your group and having the policies and governance needed in place
  • implementing your ideas through project planning and financial planning
  • becoming ‘funding ready’, so that you can make a strong case for support
  • identifying appropriate sources of funding and understanding the geographical needs of your area
  • supporting you to fill in grant funding applications

CAVA also provide:

If you would like to access group support, please contact CAVA by phone 0121 270 7127 or by email solihullinfo@wcava.org.uk.

Networking and representation

We aim to strengthen the voice and visibility of the voluntary, community, social enterprise and faith sector (VCFSE) in Solihull by:

  • mapping the representation of the VCFSE on strategic partnerships across Solihull and supporting organisations who want to represent the sector
  • informing you about the VCFSE specific networks that exist for geographic areas of Solihull or for topics such as mental health – we lead some networks and play an active part in others
  • finding out about the needs of the sector through regular surveys and what you tell us and informing the local authority about the state of the sector
  • ensuring the VCFSE has a voice in relevant decisions in Solihull, across the West Midlands, and nationally. We work closely with the integrated care system to help join up health partners to improve health outcomes for communities in Solihull
  • promoting and celebrating the impact of the VCFSE at meetings, through case studies and via social media
  • giving a voice to seldom heard communities

If you want to hear more about our work on networks, voice and representation please contact our Networks and Representation lead Lisa Rawlinson on lisa@wcava.org.uk.

Volunteering

You can promote your volunteer opportunities on or look for volunteer opportunities at the CAVA Volunteer Connect Portal.