The leading voluntary sector group has joined forces with Triangle Consulting and the Third Sector Research Centre to launch the Value of Infrastructure Programme – a three-year England-wide initiative to transform the way infrastructure organisations support the voluntary and community sector.

To mark the launch of the programme, NCVO is holding an event on July 1 2009 for senior sector staff, trustees and volunteers from infrastructure agencies.

At the free, half-day workshop, attendees will learn how the infrastructure programme will work and discuss the sector’s role in its implementation.

The event will also include presentations from Peter Wanless, chief executive of the BIG Lottery Fund and Matt Leach, chief executive of Capacitybuilders.

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the programme will identify effective ways for infrastructure agencies to communicate the value of infrastructure to sector organisations and improve the planning and monitoring of their work.

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said: “This ambitious programme will give a major boost to infrastructure agencies working with the sector. By harnessing the skills that exist within these agencies, and by strengthening their ability to support the sector in the long-term, we will create a step change in the culture and practices of infrastructure organisations.”

As part of the programme, NCVO and Triangle Consulting will develop a range of online tools to help infrastructure agencies accurately monitor the effectiveness of their work.

The Common Outcomes Framework and Infrastructure (COFI) tool will, for the first time, give agencies robust comparative data about their own achievements, and allow them to compare their results against other infrastructure agencies.

The recently launched Third Sector Research Centre will carry out research to identify which infrastructure programmes are having the biggest impact on the sector, allowing agencies to tailor their work to meet the needs of voluntary and community groups more effectively.

To book a place: contact Marissa Charles on 020 7520 2587 or email: vip@ncvo-vol.org.uk by June 20.