Welcome to Fit for Action - a tool kit to help you check the health of your organisation.

Many of us are familiar with the idea of having regular health checks to monitor our fitness.  Illnesses caught early have a better chance of being put right quickly.  We are perhaps less familiar with applying this same idea to the well being of the voluntary organisations and community groups to which we belong.

Getting into the habit of regularly reviewing the health of your organisation will help you to spot problem areas quickly and help you to keep in touch with your progress.

How the checklist will help you

Fit for Action is aimed at helping your organisation get into peak shape and be more effective and successful.  By working through the health checklist you will be able to answer the following questions:

• are we meeting legal requirements?
• are we managing our organisation according to good practice?
• are there gaps in the way that we manage our organisation, activities or services?
• where do our strengths lie?
• in which areas do we need to improve?
• what are our priorities for the future?
• what are our training needs?

Who is it for?

Fit for Action is especially suited for small sized voluntary organisations and community groups e.g. local advocacy services, care and self-help groups, clubs working with children and young people, conservation groups, arts societies etc.  It is suitable for organisations and groups run entirely by volunteers or for those with a small number of staff.

Fit for Action can also be used by registered charities as it covers key areas required by the Charity Commission’s The Hallmarks of an Effective Charity.  It is a valuable starting point for larger organisations and those that are constituted as a company limited by guarantee although there are additional aspects that these organisations will need to think about.

Fit for Action can be used both by organisations and groups that are setting up and those that are established.  If you are setting up a new group, club or voluntary organisation you can use the health checklist to concentrate your planning on areas you should address from the start to ensure the success of your organisation.  If your group is already set up, you can use Fit for Action to take stock and review your activities.  You can then plan how you will manage the changes needed to become, or continue as, a successful and well-run organisation.