Hannibal Smith, the rogue commandos' leader, is the ideal chairman — an unflappable strategic planner. Faceman, his con-man second-in-command, is the vice-chairman, a fast thinker with well developed marketing skills. And the secretary? Who else but B. A. Baracus (Mr T), the practical member who gets things done.

Before anyone is tempted to ask "What you talking about, fool?", there is a serious side to this exercise.

This is one example Anne Angus of the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) gives when she is trying to explain the concept of governance to someone setting up a new voluntary group, such as young skateboarders who want to set up their own skateboard park.

A similar exercise asks potential group members to pick their chosen office bearers from a selection of celebrities, including The Queen, Graham Norton, Jeremy Paxman, Tony Blair, Madonna and round the world yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.

"There's no right or wrong answer and that all stimulates discussion about the roles," Anne explained.

"They all end up as chairman and it's amazing the people who choose them. Sometimes the people who think Madonna would make the best chairman because she's such a strong personality. A lot of people say The Queen. And there's a lot of discussion about Ellen MacArthur's emotional state. From that we move on to talk seriously about the role of management committees."

As chief executive officer of CVS, advising groups on how they can set up a management committee is just part of her duties.

Based within the Volunteering Highland office on Millburn Road, CVS Inverness is one of 57 similar organisations throughout Scotland.

Though there had previously been a CVS service in the Highland Capital, the city had been without it for a few years until a number of representatives of local voluntary organisations came together in 2006 to form a new CVS Inverness to fill the gap.

Anne came into her post last March and, with the help of four undergraduates, set up the policies, database and tools that allows CVS Inverness to do its job, helping the local community and voluntary sector to operate effectively.

So far, she has given advice to more than 100 different organisations and training sessions for some 20 separate groups in addition to working with other organisations providing workshops and advice.

If this was not enough, Anne also provides an information and communication service for local groups, letting them know what might be of interest and allowing them to speak with a unified voice. And with 700 organisations currently on her database, Anne and sole current staff member, undergraduate placement Mirka Vybiralova from the Czech Republic, have plenty to keep them occupied.

Adding to the challenge, Anne revealed: "We get the same level of funding as somewhere like Dingwall and because it's the city, it needs a lot of work."

Working in the Highlands' only city might in itself mean Anne and Mirka are busier than corresponding offices elsewhere in Scotland.

"There are 23,884 active charities registered in Scotland," Anne said. "Of that, 1787 — 7.8 per cent — are in the Highlands. As the population is just over four per cent, it's clear that the Highlands need voluntary organisations."

These voluntary and community organisations, known in Government speak as "the Third Sector", involve people of all ages and cover a wide range of aspects of Highland life, including health, children, religion, disability, sport and leisure, culture and heritage.

"The first organisation I worked with was Care in Strathnairn, providing a community service in Farr. The next organisation was Kilchuimen Heritage Trust, who are trying to restore a bridge in Fort Augustus and yesterday I was working with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme in the Highlands," Anne revealed.

"The range of people involved is quite amazing. But if you look at any room full of people, most of them are volunteers in one way or another."

Nationally, there are an estimated 1.2 million volunteers — along with 129,000 paid employees — in 45,000 diverse organisations in Scotland, raising over £3.2 billion and responsible for assets worth over £8.6 billion. In the smaller communities of Scotland, places like Fort Augustus and Beauly which also fall in Anne's patch, such services may have an even greater impact than similar services in towns and cities.

"The benefits of voluntary organisations in small communities are just enormous and they are the best people sometimes to have a view about what should happen in those communities," Anne said.

Anne Angus Gary Anthony

If part of Anne's role is bringing together the experience and knowledge of the area's different voluntary organisations — and in new initiative Highland Compact bringing them together with the region's professional bodies such as the council, NHS Highland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Forestry Commission — then on a personal level that is what she believes she is doing in her new role.

"I worked for Marks and Spencer for 23 years as a manager in various parts of the UK and overseas," the Carrbridge resident revealed.

"Then I decided that I wanted a change and I went to Cairngorm Chairlift Company where I was operations director while the funicular railway was being built."

Her next move involved more conventional rail travel as GNER's general manager for Scotland, followed by a job with the Timber Transport Forum.

"In the days when lorry drivers were blockading refineries for the first time," she added.

She then worked for Highlands and Islands Enterprise in Aviemore and became involved in setting up Scotland's first destination management organisation.

"When I came here, I suppose I wanted to bring all the amazing information that had been poured into me during my career and use it," she said.

"There certainly needs to be an ability to relate to all sorts of people and a level of planning and organisational ability because we work in a very small area physically so it's really important to be as efficient as we can and deliver a quality service.

"My business background has enabled me to work in areas that are quite technical — subjects like constitutions and policies and how to set up organisations."

Which is why she is not worried about making more work for herself.

"I'm well aware that the more I say I want more people to know about us, the more work comes along, but that's what we are here for," she said.

"Definitely my biggest concern would be if people needed to avail themselves of our services and didn't know about us."

Perhaps one thing that helps her cope with the demands of the job is the commitment and selflessness of the volunteers she works with.

"It's absolutely incredible. On a daily basis I'm just so impressed by the goodness of people," she said.

"From what I can see, there are many people who are putting in a huge effort to make their communities better."

It is certainly, she concedes, a job which allows her to see the best of human nature, young or old.

"I quite often think when I read reports about young people and what they do that's right and wrong that I want to shout: 'Hey! Look at what they do that's really, really good'."

c.macleod@inverness-courier.co.uk

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