How to run a community centre

Running a community centre is no small task, but when it’s done effectively, it can be extremely rewarding for those who get involved.

Not only do community centres help bring people together, they also provide volunteering opportunities, help combat feelings of loneliness, and can help encourage arts and culture initiatives within your local community.

In this blog, we’ll go through how to run a community centre effectively, so you can ensure you and your community get the most out of organising your work and projects.

 

How to run a community centre

 

There are various things you need to consider to run a community centre effectively. We’ve listed 7 of them below to help get you and your community started.

 

1. Decide what kind of community centre you will run

Presumably, if you’re thinking of setting up a community centre in your local area, you must have noticed a need for one. As you begin planning, you’ll need to decide what kind of community centre you want to run and what services or activities you would like to offer to the community.

If you aren’t sure, the best people to ask are those in your community, as they’re the ones who will be coming to your centre after all! You might find that there’s a need for more clubs for young people, or an interest in having more groups for arts and theatre lovers.

A great way to get things started is to hold a group meeting and invite members of the community along so they can have their say. This can be an open discussion for people to put forward their ideas and ask any questions about how the community centre will be run.

It’s worth nothing that if you do choose to run a community centre for young or vulnerable people, you’ll need to organise DBS checks for any volunteers or those who will be working regularly at the centre.

As a group that helps people or communities, you may also want to set up as a social enterprise depending on how your organisation will operate. This includes limited companies, community interest companies (CIC), and charities, for which you can find more information on the gov.co.uk website.

Related:

• 10 youth group activities to keep your students engaged
• How to start a theatre group

 

2. Make sure you’re legally compliant

As you will be in control of non-domestic premises by running a community centre, you are legally responsible for making sure that the premises, as well as any equipment and substances provided on the premises, are safe.

The Health and Safety at Work Act states that those in control of the premises, such as committee members or volunteers, are legally responsible for any risks created by their work activity.

Further information on your responsibilities in regard to health and safety can be found on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website.

You’ll also need to research data protection law and employment law to ensure you are compliant.

Even if you only use volunteers, it’s worth making sure you are aware of any actions you take which may make them count as paid workers, and subsequently have different rights.

If you’re planning to sell alcohol or hot food and drink from your premises between 1pm and 5am, you’ll also need a premises license.

You may also need a premises license if you’re offering some forms of entertainment from your community centre. The full list of relevant forms of entertainment are listed on the gov.co.uk website.

Depending on whether you employ people at your community centre, you’re legally required to have Employer’s Liability Insurance. Beyond that, it may be a good idea to invest in specialist community centre insurance to help provide financial protection and peace of mind should the worst happen.

Alongside the information in this blog, it’s important that you also do your own research on your legal responsibilities in regard to running a community centre. That way, you can ensure you have information specific to your situation.

 

3. Organise your committee

Having a management committee set up can help keep you on track to achieve your goals, as well as manage your schedule and budgets. A management committee usually consists of a Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, and you can add more committee members as your group grows if needed.

It’s the committee’s responsibility to make all key decisions that will affect those who attend your community centre, but it’s good practice to always have an open-door policy with your community members and ask for their input on any decisions made.

The committee are also responsible for ensuring that the community centre adheres to the correct health and safety regulations as well as ensure that the community provides an inclusive environment for all.

 

4. Plan out your finances

Once you have your committee together, you can begin planning out your finances and group funding strategy. This could include options such as asking for donations or sponsorship from local businesses, fundraising, or applying for grants.

Fundraising events can be a great way to get members of the community involved and they can be a lot of fun at the same time! You can find lots of ideas for fundraising events online, and you can read our blog on how to run a fundraising event for some extra guidance.

If you’re interested in applying for a grant, you can do so through the government website. You’ll need to know which grant you want to apply for, but the government website has a list of grants you can look through to find one suitable for your community centre activities.

You can also use the gov.co.uk website to apply for funding for community projects from your local council. Simply enter your postcode to see further information on what’s available, you can also contact your local council directly to find out.

 

5. Set clear goals

Working with both the management committee and your community members, you can draw up a constitution which sets out the aims and rules of your organisation. It can help keep all of your actions as a group on track and can be adapted as the groups needs evolve.

Writing up a constitution can also encourage conversations from both your committee and the community on what they want the running of the community centre to achieve.

You can also decide at this stage how you will measure the success of your group in achieving these goals, such as through regular feedback surveys carried out with responses from the community.

To help keep the running of the community centre on track, it’s also a good idea to hold regular meetings, both with the committee and members of the community. This helps to ensure that the constitution stays up to date and everyone has a chance to give more detailed feedback on the running of the community centre.

 

6. Organise events and activities

Once you’re all set up, it’s time to begin the running of your clubs, groups, and events. You may only start with a small schedule of events each week to ensure things run smoothly, but over time, you could be working with a full calendar!

Hopefully by this point, you will already have an idea of what your community is looking for from the community centre. So whether it’s a theatre group, sports club, or arts and crafts activities, you should have some idea of where to start.

 

7. Promote your community centre

Now you have some clubs and events in the calendar, you need to get the word out into the community, so people know when and where to attend. You may have some of your budget assigned to marketing your community centre, but there’s still many options you can try for free too.

For example, you could print out some flyers and posters at home which you can post around the community and in local businesses. Using social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and X is also a great way to increase your reach within the community.

Facebook, in particular, is a great tool as it allows you to post in local community group pages that have already been created to make sure you’re reaching the right people.

If you have a local newspaper, you could even seek advertising opportunities within the publication, too. It’s important to remember that the promotion of your community centre should be something that you continuously work on to make sure you’re always attracting new members.

 

Specialist community insurance through Ripe

Running a community centre can take a lot of hard work, so you may want to consider protecting yourself and your volunteers with specialist insurance.

If you run an organisation in the sports, leisure, or community sectors, you'll face a number of risks daily, as well as when running public events and clubs. However, sporting club, leisure, and community insurance through Ripe is designed to safeguard against these risks.

There are many cover options to choose from through Ripe, including Public Liability, Products Liability, and Legal Costs cover for pursuing or defending a claim.

Click here to learn more about sporting clubs, leisure and community insurance coming soon to Ripe.