Merlin has been designed specifically for local Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS). It aims to capture as much information as possible on the extent of the local Voluntary and Community Sector and to provide a resource to the public and the Sector itself in quickly finding relevant information on the many organisations in Portsmouth.

Merlin is currently under development. When complete, it will have the following applications:

• A definitive list of all known not-for-profit organisations based in or active in Portsmouth, identified by name and activity.
• A publicly accessible index of groups with relevant information, cross referenced according to type, location and fields of search, with contact details, profile etc
• A “State of the Sector” analysis showing the social and economic value of the Sector, including its size, scope and range and statistics on paid staff, volunteers and Trustees. An annual State of the Sector report will be published.
• Contact lists (not public) available for organisations which are members of local networks, forums or partnerships specific to their fields of activity. Inclusion in these is optional but they will provide a fast way of disseminating information.
• An annual directory (Wealth of Support) will be published from data held on Merlin in hard copy and disc form.
• Membership data (see Membership section)
• Cross-referencing with eVOLVe – the community database managed by Hampshire County Council on behalf of the local authorities of Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. It depends on accuracy from feeders from local data. If you are in Merlin, you can also choose to be in evolve.

* Note: Community First is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Data Protection Agency as was). Data is carefully checked and screened. Groups registering are made aware of the use to which data is put. Lists are not circulated to third parties but Community First may (with permission) contact organisations from time to time with information relevant to them. Personal details are never given out unless these are within the publicly accessible section of Merlin (e.g. contact details for a group/centre). The purpose of Merlin is to provide a service to the public and a valuable resource to the Voluntary Sector.