We are super excited to announce our new and improved membership process at Bolton Together. Our membership process has been redesigned to help streamline your journey to become a member.
‘As we grow in the amount of funding we distribute, the number of programmes we deliver and our number of members, it felt the right time to review our criteria, to ensure the membership process and the benefits are clear. Alongside this we want all existing and new members to understand what they are committing to as a member of the consortium and what we can expect from each other. This will support transparency and joint working and maintain our excellent working relationships,ensuring we are delivering the best possible outcomes together for children, young people and families.’ – Louise McDade – CEO
What’s New
Your Journey to Becoming a Member: The processes required to become a member are clearly laid out in a step-by-step diagram that new Members can see when they visit our website. We want you to be able to visualise the application and onboarding process.
Membership Criteria: We have reviewed the criteria new members need to match to join the consortium. This will ensure a continued quality offer. Here it is with a few tweaks.
Application Form: Our previous application form had to be downloaded, filled out and submitted to us via email. Our new application form has been updated from a word document to a Microsoft form that can be submitted online, saving you some extra steps!
Membership Agreement: After applying to become a member, you will meet with us to let us learn more about your organisation. After the initial meeting, we will let you know if you have been accepted to join our consortium. You will then be sent our membership agreement which includes things like; what we expect from you as a member, safeguarding, our principles etc.
Membership Principles: We have a set of 8 principles that form our code of conduct. These principles create a positive partnership environment, which Bolton Together commit to abide by with our members and expect the same in return. You can read these here.
Onboarding Induction Meeting: We are offering new Members a further induction meeting in the first few weeks of joining us. This is a one to one meeting with a member of our team to welcome you onboard and talk you through our welcome pack.
Welcome Pack: The most exciting part of our new membership process is our welcome pack. This is a new addition to our onboarding journey, and is shared with Members after the membership agreement is in place.
The Member’s Welcome Pack brings together all the information you need as a new member, in one 13 page pack.
So, if you’re new here and this is the first time your organisation has heard of Bolton Together, here is why you should apply to become a Member:
• Being part of a Bolton Based network of community and voluntary sector organisations delivering services for children, young people and families
• Access to opportunities to apply for member only funding opportunities
• Being made aware of new funding opportunities available
• The opportunity to be part of the delivery of large longer term contracts
• Being kept informed of strategic and operational developments in Bolton
• Access to training and development opportunities
• Working collaboratively to retain investment in Bolton based providers
• Improved connectivity and communication with our statutory partners
• Shared insight and understanding of the needs of children, young people and families in Bolton
• Enabling the best support possible to be available to children, young people and families in Bolton
Timelines:
Interested in becoming a Member? Here is what your application journey will look like: Become a Member – Bolton Together Charity
You will:
- Read our Membership Criteria to see if you are eligible, this is a 5 minute read.
- Complete and submit our application form with your details, this should be filled out with a key person from your organisation and should take around 15 minutes.
- After receiving your application, we will take up to three weeks to get back to you to request the policies we require.
- Upon reviewing the documents and ensuring all policies are in place, we will arrange to meet and discuss your organisation, this will be up to two weeks after policies have been reviewed.
If you are eligible, you will sign our Membership Agreement and start your journey as a Member of Bolton Together. We aim to process your application within two months, this can take longer on some occasions if we are awaiting information.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Team Bolton Together