Setting up a Steering Group

A steering group is the first ‘informal’ stage of a community group or project.  The steering group will usually be made up of volunteers who have put themselves forward (or been nominated) from an initial public meeting. They should share the enthusiasm and commitment for the ideas that the community want them to take forward and explore further. They will also need the time, energy, skills and knowledge to ‘steer’ things forward to the next stage.

Holding an initial Public Meeting 

Holding an initial public meeting is a good way to start.  No community service or activity is ever going to be successful if there are just a couple of people talking about it. It is essential to do the ground-work and take time to ask what other people in the local area think.

Choose a venue which is accessible (the local hall or community centre may be an ideal choice). Make sure that you advertise it appropriately to encourage a good attendance.  At the meeting set out the ideas clearly and encourage discussion. This will enable you to gauge public opinion and enthusiasm – are they for or against your ideas?  If the majority of attendees consider the ideas to be sound and worth investigating further, thank them for their participation and invite volunteers to form a steering group. To keep the momentum going, the volunteers who put themselves forward for the steering group should aim to meet as soon as possible after the public meeting.

The next stage – tasks for the Steering Group

The steering group needs to work together as a team and to be in agreement about what it is trying to achieve, why it exists, who is going to benefit and how it intends to conduct itself. To form the framework for the operation of the community group, the steering group should have a clear vision, mission statement and shared belief and values.

It is helpful for the steering group to write a plan of action – the complexity of this will depend on the nature of what the steering group is trying to achieve. It is also a good idea to draw up a list of initial tasks. These may typically include:-

• deciding on how to organise the steering group itself.  Very often the steering group members will need to be doing several things at once, and it may help to allocate specific tasks to individuals. It is also useful to nominate someone to act as ‘chair’
• identifying basic start- up costs and agreeing on how these are going to be paid for. Outlay for things such as postage, phone calls, photocopying, venue hire all add up and at this stage the group will not be able to open a bank account
• speaking informally to local support agencies (find these via your local Third Sector Interface).  They can offer valuable information and advice on all aspects of setting up a community group or project and they can help you identify possible funding sources
• identifying similar projects or groups that already offer activities and services in the local area. Talking to the volunteers (or staff) involved in the running of these, and asking about their experiences, will help avoid duplication of effort and highlight possible ways of working together

Setting up a community group or project takes time. The steering group needs to keep talking to each other, to support agencies and to the wider community. All this will help to clarify the need, find the best means of finding a solution and to keep ‘steering’ the idea forward.

For more information visit your local support organisation

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Last Updated 04/02/2013 11:46