Skip to Navigation

About Dorset Community Gateway

Home ›

Welcome to this ‘Gateway’ for Dorset’s voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises, collectively known as the Third Sector.

This website is intended to be a useful tool and resource for the Third Sector. It is provided and managed by Dorset Community Action (DCA) and was originally funded through the Government ChangeUp initiative.

Please view our pages within this website to see what information and advice is available from DCA to help and support voluntary and community organisations.

Dorset Community Gateway is your online source for information and resources, offering information on:

  • Events and activities taking place across Dorset
  • Groups and organisations that provide advice and support on issues that concern you
  • Up to date information on voluntary and community groups across Dorset

Giving you the opportunity to:

  • Get involved in improving your local area
  • Share ideas with like minded people and discuss topics of interest
  • Participate in local groups and activities

Supporting local groups by:

  • Providing networking opportunities on a local, national, regional and global level
  • Providing a means for groups to promote their own organisation and its activities
  • Giving access to relevant information on issues such as job opportunities, funding and best practice
  • Encouraging the recruitment of new members and volunteers
  • Providing information on resources and facilities available within the borough

Joining the Gateway - Benefits to voluntary and community groups

Third Sector groups who have joined the Gateway can develop and manage their own website.

Please see the ‘Contact Us’ page if you wish to report any offensive material you have found on this site. Any such comments shall be gratefully received and dealt with immediately.

At present our on-line database is not viewable by the public, we hope that this will be available to you early in 2010.

Organisations currently on DCA’s mailing list will be represented on the Gateway. After initial training from DCA, groups can nominate one or more people to adminster their pages of their micro-site, which will include events/activities in the diary and creating your own web pages about your organisation.

Many voluntary organisations and community groups do not have the resources to build and maintain their own website. The Gateway removes barriers by providing all organisations with a free set of web pages that can be built and maintained easily.

So if you have access to the internet (available in most libraries, community centres, and other community venues) then you effectively have access to a free website.

Pages of a Microsite could typically include:

- A homepage including the latest news

- A what’s on page

- Staff or volunteer profiles

- Contact us page

- Upload online booking forms, minutes etc

· Individuals can use a search facility to find a page providing contact details about your organisation and a brief overview of your activities.

· You allow individuals to join your group, so you always have a list of interested people and their contact details allowing you to email them with news or important announcements.

· Your pages will help your organisation communicate with its members more efficently

· By having a presence on the Gateway those who did not previously know of your organisation will be able to find you.

· Allows you to search for and contact any other like minded organisations and allows them to contact you.

If you have any queries please contact gemma.catterall@dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk or

Tel: 01305 216404 to find out how to get it listed.

Benefits to individual users

The Gateway provides a central database where you can find a list of organisations that are relevant to the issue you are interested in. Not only can you benefit from these search facilities but you can find further information on the organisation of your choice by browsing their web pages. In addition you can apply to be a member of the group, which allows you further access to their site, and to get updates on the group’s news and announcements.

As a registered user of the Gateway you will:

  • be able to create your own personal menu, with quick links to all the organisations you are particularly interested in.
  • gain further access to browse the site and search our on line database for organisations involved with all sorts of community issues from advice and support, to training and education, to health and social care. You can become a member of groups that you are interested in, in order to receive updates from them
  • Be able to make entries onto the online community diary, so you have an up-to-date calendar showing you a wide range of community events. This also enables you to check to see if other  events are planned for a date that you are also planning an event for.