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Background Information
About Lambeth Voluntary Action Council (LVAC)
LVAC is Lambeth’s Council for Voluntary Service (CVS). Most boroughs in England have a CVS,
which provides support to and represents the voluntary and community sector in their borough.
LVAC is an independent charity providing a range of support and representational services to
Lambeth’s voluntary and community sector. LVAC was set up in 1994 and is a registered charity
and company limited by guarantee. We have our own shop front premises between Brixton and
Clapham Common (Head Office) and a Volunteer Centre in the heart of Brixton.
LVAC is a member organisation, with membership open to any voluntary or community
organisation working for the benefit of Lambeth residents. LVAC has a database of over 1,000
contacts and our membership is continuously growing. The LVAC Board of Directors/ Trustees is
made up of our member organisations.
Volunteer Centre Lambeth, also a project of LVAC’s has a database of over 20,000 individuals
interested in volunteering and more than 410 organisations who involve volunteers and these
numbers increase every month.
Lambeth is a large and diverse borough with a population of around 270,000, with 38% of the
population coming from ethnic minorities and approximately 150 languages being spoken. The
make-up of Lambeth’s voluntary and community sector is reflective of Lambeth’s population.
Change Up 2005 estimated there to be over 2,000 organisations, and the majority of these are
small Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee community organisations working at a grassroot
level. This is likely to have increased since 2005.
LVAC’s Vision:
To meet and exceed the support needs of Lambeth’s diverse voluntary and community sector to
improve the quality of life of all who live, work and visit Lambeth.
LVAC’s Mission:
To provide representation, capacity building and other forms of support to Lambeth’s diverse
voluntary and community sector, to ensure its growth, effectiveness and sustainability.
LVAC’s Purpose:
To develop, enable, promote and support local voluntary and community action throughout
Lambeth.

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LVAC currently provides the following services/ support:
Information via the Lambeth Link newsletter, regular e-bulletins, library/ resource area
and a new website (coming soon).
Representation/ engagement via attendance at a range of meetings at a local, sub-
regional, regional and national level to feed in on behalf of and represent Lambeth’s
voluntary and community sector.
Annual training programme for representatives of voluntary and community
organisations serving Lambeth residents.
One-to-one capacity building support via LVAC’s Capacity & Development Team in
the following areas:
- Community Accountancy Project: Information, advice, support and training on all
accounting and financial management related matters.
- Quality Assurance Project: Information and advice on quality assurance and
systems relevant to the voluntary and community sector, in particular the PQASSO
quality assurance system.
- Monitoring and Evaluation Project: Information, advice and support on all matters
associated with monitoring and evaluation. Support is only available to small (i.e.
those with 70 or less paid staff hours per week) organisations.
- Funding Advice Project: Information, advice and support on all matters associated
with fundraising. Support is only available to small – medium (i.e. those with 140 or
less paid staff hours per week and to organisations that are formally set up (i.e. a
management committee and governing document in place).
Volunteer Centre Lambeth is a project of LVAC’s and provides information, advice,
support and training to individuals looking to volunteer and volunteer-involving
organisations, this includes:
- Information via monthly e-newsletters and through LVAC’s Lambeth Link newsletter.
VCL has also collected a bank of information on volunteering for both organisations
and individuals which can be accessed on request.
- Annual Training Programme for volunteers and volunteer managers.
- Brokerage Service bringing together people interested in volunteering with voluntary
organisations needing volunteers.
- Drop-in Centre providing face to face support for people who need extra help to get
involved in volunteering.
- The Good Practice Project providing advice and support to groups and
organisations in Lambeth to develop Good Practice systems, policies and procedures
in the recruitment, management and retention of volunteers.

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- Volunteer-Involvers Network which is an extension to our Good Practice Project
and provides a bi-annual Volunteer-Involvers Network. This gives organisations who
work with volunteers and volunteer managers an opportunity to meet, network, share
good practice and get involved in volunteer related debate and policy shaping.
Compact/ Policy Development Officer who provides support, advice and guidance to
both LVAC members and the wider voluntary and community sector around issues
related to the Compact. LVAC has developed a local Compact with the local Council and
NHS Lambeth following in the footsteps of the national Compact, which is a framework
document to improve the relationship between the sectors.
LVAC also offers the following charged for services:
Consultancy/ bespoke training services.
Room and equipment hire including fully accessible training/ meeting rooms and a
range of equipment for use both onsite and offsite.
Administration services including photocopying, laminating, binding, computer access.
Advertising services via our quarter Lambeth Link newsletter, regular e-bulletins,
targeted mail outs, our website and at events.

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LVAC Organisational Chart
LVAC Board of Directors/ Trustees
Director FT
Finance Officer PT Volunteer Centre Manager FT Capacity Building Manager FT
Good Practice Development
Manager FT
Volunteer Development Officer FT
Community Accountant PT
Capacity Building Officer (Quality
Assurance) PT
Capacity Building Officer
(Monitoring and Evaluation) PT
Capacity Building Officer (Funding
Advice) PT