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Get helpful information about tax, self assessment, expenses, business records and so on. The trainer for the course is from HM Revenue and Customs Advice Team.

The session takes place at High Peak CVS, 1a Bingswood Trading Estate, Whaley Bridge SK23 7LY

For more information or to book a place email louise@highpeakcvs.org.uk or contact Louise on 01663 736431

Free Professional IT Help!

Does your community organisation need free professional IT help?

iT4Communities matches IT professionals who want to volunteer their time and technical skills to organisations that need IT help. iT4Communities has 6,000 IT professionals across the UK who are willing to give their time to charities, community groups and social enterprises.

If you would like to be part of this valuable network of advice and practical IT help please register with iT4Communities – there is an annual registration fee of £85. You can expect expert guidance from the staff at iT4Communities, who will help you to define your IT needs and then put your projects onto their website so that volunteers can apply to help you.

On average organisations get £3,000 worth of support from their volunteers. That support can be strategic advice, practical work, training or troubleshooting. Volunteers have helped plan databases, build websites, network computers, write policies, and maintain computers. For case studies, testimonials and examples visit the iT4Communities website.

iT4Communities is a project of AbilityNet, a UK registered charity.

Get Help to Win Bids!

Derbyshire Contracts Advice Network (DCAN) now has a mini site which aims to spread the word to the creative industries, a term which includes all kinds of artists, performers, workers in the media and web designers, about how DCAN can work specifically with not for profit organisations to help them win contracts.

For help and advice visit the Arts Derbyshire website.

Community Spaces Grants

Community Spaces is a £50 million open grants programme that is managed by Groundwork UK. The programme helps community groups in England create or improve green, open spaces to enhance people's quality of life.

Community Spaces is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. Grants start at £10,000 and applications must come from community groups for projects that are within two miles of a residential area and will be open to the public.

For more information and an application form visit the Open Spaces website.

Live UnLtd Grants

Live UnLtd helps young people to create their own opportunities and to develop their community for the better. Young people can start up their own businesses, sports teams or recreational groups. Funding of up to £2,000 is available, coupled with support from a designated development manager.

For more information and to apply for the awards visit the Live UnLtd website. The deadline for applications is 1 July.

The Community Fund

The Community Fund is the Co-operative Charitable Foundation grant scheme that helps local communities throughout the UK. Since it was started in 1997, thousands of clubs, community groups and self-help organisations have benefited.

Committed members of The Co-operative Group, who want to help improve the lives of others, donate part or all of their share of the profits to enable the scheme to work. These members have already raised millions of pounds each year for all kinds of community projects and last year alone gave away £1.2 million in donations.

If your community, voluntary or self-help group needs a grant of up between £100 and £2,000, you can apply by visiting the Co-operative website.

New Occupational Health Advice Line

The Government is piloting a new Health for Work advice line for organisations with less than 250 staff. The service provides free, quick and easy access to effective professional advice and guidance in areas of employee well-being.

The helpline is available during office hours on 0800 077 8844.

For more information, visit the Working for Health website.

Accounting for Trustee Expenses

Following the report from The Independent Expert Group on Expenses in charities in February, the Charity Commission has produced a Questions and Answers web page covering some of the common issues around the disclosure of trustees' expenses in charity accounts. Also see the Commission's response to the Expert Group's recommendations.

Guide to Tax Implications of Charity Trading

The Charity Finance Directors' Group has produced a comprehensive guide on 'The Tax Implications of Charity Trading' which can be downloaded from their Good Practice publications page. Written by the charity tax team at Horwath Clark Whitehill, in pdf 727KB, at www.cfdg.org.uk/cfdg/good_practice_publications.asp

Updated Statutory References in Charity Tax Exemptions

There has been an update to HM Revenue and Customs 'Tax exemptions for charities' guidance, with revised statutory references for the tax exemptions relating to charitable trusts and charitable companies.
www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/annex1/annex_i.htm

Legal Factsheets from LawWorks

Volunteer lawyers with LawWorks for Community Groups have written a range of legal information fact sheets, covering Employment Law, Corporate Structure and Charity Law, Intellectual Property and Data Protection. Find the download links (largely in Word format?) via www.lawworks.org.uk/?id=Usefulinformation

Tool to Improve Organisations People Management

The 'Workforce Wheel' from NCVO is "an outcomes tool to help you support and measure change in people management". It should be used in a joint process involving for example managers, staff, trustees and volunteers, with an internal or external facilitator, to help identify areas of weakness and how to address them. Download (pdf 405KB) via www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/workforce-wheel

Diversity Resource Guide

A new guide "to help you find the diversity information you need to develop your organisation" has been published for the Workforce Development team at NCVO. 'Diversity resources for voluntary and community organisations' in pdf 300KB at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/diversity-resource-march-2010.pdf (or see more HR resources at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sources-of-hr-support).

Case Studies on the Compact in Use

Case studies showing the Compact (agreement between public and voluntary sectors) in use within public sector organisations, illustrating good practice, have been produced by the Commission for the Compact. The first three cover a borough and county councils and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (now Education), with more to come. Compact News item or go direct to www.thecompact.org.uk/casestudies

Social Media and the Voluntary Sector

2009 was dubbed 'the year of Twitter' by the media and Facebook has millions users in the UK. It's getting hard for even die-hard technophobes to argue that social media is a flash in the pan that won't impact on the way that we work. The Capacitybuilders' funded National Marketing and Communications workstream (led by the Media Trust), and ICT Champions (coordinated by NAVCA) discuss some of the implications for the sector. To read the full article please visit: www.improvingsupport.org.uk/communications

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