Welcome to VISIBLE Communities™ quality systems and standards for the community sector. Developed by Community Matters in consultation with its members and other core stakeholders, VISIBLE Communities™ is a unique approach to promoting quality and best practice in the community sector.

VISIBLE Communities™ is based around a set of seven core principles that we believe underpin strong sustainable community organisations.

By sustainable we mean well run, financially sound, and delivers high quality social impacts.

On this website you can find out about:

  • The VISIBLE Standards, the nationally accredited quality standards for community organisations. These standards are aimed at medium to large community organisations often referred to as community anchors. However, with the ability to shape the quality standards to fit your organisation by choosing which indicators to measure yourself against many other community organisations beyond just community anchors can benefit from the VISIBLE Standards.
  • The preVISIBLE Review is a development tool which tests the management systems and policies that a community organisation has in place via a series of online questions and requests to attach specific pieces of supporting evidence. The  preVISIBLE Review is packed with advice and guidance and looks at whether an organisation is fit for purpose and legally compliant.
  • You will also find on this website extensive guidance on best practice for community groups and how to implement it along with sign-posting to further information.

ENDORSEMENTS

"Community associations and other charities that provide space and facilities for community services and activities make an enormous difference to the well being of local communities. Quality standards and frameworks play an important role in encouraging good practice and helping charities to review and improve their effectiveness, most importantly in meeting the needs of the people and communities they were set up to benefit. The Visible CommunitiesTM standards have been designed by and for community associations. The Charity Commission welcomes the publication of these standards, and hopes that all community associations will make use of them."
Geraldine Peacock, Chair of the Charity Commission

"The Local Government Association warmly welcomes the Visible CommunitiesTM health check tool as a constructive development which will encourage the setting of benchmark standards across community associations. The tool benefits from being highly versatile, both for use in quality assurance, and organisational development. The LGA feels sure that local authorities, and in turn local communities, will benefit from its use through the fostering of good practice and a better understanding of the strengths and abilities of community associations."
Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Chair of the Local Government Association