Bulletin Contents - 17 September 2007

£60,000 for 'Choosing Health' - Open to VCS Groups

New Programme to Help Groups Take Control of Technology

Piano

Acevo to Probe DWP Procurement System

Fundraising Web Resource Goes Live Today

Umbrella Bodies Dispute Audit Commission Grant Finding

First Online Charity Shop Launched by Oxfam

Community Foundations Plan for Dormant Cash

£60,000 for 'Choosing Health' - Open to VCS Groups

Choosing Health is the Public Health White Paper and stresses the importance of promoting health by improving social and environmental conditions and promoting healthy lifestyles.  The Department of Health has allocated funding to Derbyshire County PCT to promote this. In High Peak and Dales area there is £60,000 to bid for this year and in future years too.

Expressions of interest  by email are invited for projects that promote health. Applicants may apply for a one off grant or for funding for up to 3 years. Bids are expected to be for less than £10,000.

Expressions of interest are invited for projects and initiatives that promote health in High Peak and Derbyshire Dales and that fit with the LSP (Local Strategic Partnership) themes and partnership working.  Applicants of projects that best meet the criteria will be invited to submit a more detailed, second stage application.

Timescale
This year (2007/08) the closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 28th September and the closing date for the second stage applications is October 31st.  Successful applicants will be informed shortly after this and the funding will be available from then.  In future years the application process will begin earlier.

Small groups and voluntary/community sector applicants can request help and application form from their local CVS. In High Peak please contact Nigel Caldwell on 01663 736423 nigel@highpeakcvs.org.uk and in Derbyshire Dales please Marion Beloe on 01629 812154 marion@ddcvs.og.uk .

For more general information please contact
Julie Hirst 01629 817931 julie.hirst@derbyshirecountypct.nhs.uk or
Lesley Stevens 0845 129 7777 lesleys@highpeak.gov.uk

New Programme to Help Groups Take Control of Technology

net:gain is a national professional development programme that helps leaders of voluntary and community organisations take control of strategic planning and apply it to technology. It’s not just for larger organisations and groups – organisations of all sizes can benefit. Digital Umbrella, the IT Services Wing of High Peak CVS, are delivering net:gain across Derbyshire.

net:gain is not designed for 'techies', but is for anyone who guides the strategic direction of their organisation: Chief Executives, Trustees or Managers - the size of the organisation is not important.

At the end of the programme you will be able to:

• demonstrate to funders and stakeholders that your ICT plans link into your mission and offer direct benefit to those you serve
• understand and harness the potential of ICT for your organisation, to inform current and future plans
• identify areas where ICT can improve business practices and service delivery
• identify people who can help you
• understand the full costs of ICT ownership, and put in place plans to cover these
• say NO to ICT options

One of the early net:gain delegates, Tracey Simms, Deputy Director at Amber Valley CVS, said about the programme “Although I was a little unsure of what we were signing up to when I attended the first workshop, the process of our staff team identifying our goals from the four different perspectives in step one really widened our understanding of what we should be doing, what we are currently doing and where we may be able to improve.”

The net:gain programme consists of three workshops as well as mentoring support which enable participants to :
Master a simple an effective Ten Step planning method
Share issues with experts and peers
Become a more effective leader of their organisation

Those organisations that undertake the programme benefit from:

• A whole year's access to a support network
• A reference guide on how to develop their own ICT plan
• Templates and planning tools that will help them make the changes happen
• Mentoring and advice
• Demonstrations of technology that maybe useful to their organisation
• Discounts on ICT hub publications and access to Experts Online (worth £60)

And, for signing up to net:gain delivered by Digital Umbrella you will receive a range of special local discounts and services worth up to £420:

• £100 off website services from Digital Umbrella#
• Free 512Mb memory stick - worth £20
• 2 free places on a Digital Umbrella IT course - worth up to £100
• Free technical support - worth up to £200

The programme is worth over £600. However, all organisations receive a subsidy, meaning that organisations will pay between £40-£350 (depending on size and turnover.  For some organisations this may seem a large amount. However, bear in mind that this includes 3 full days workshops, one to one support, the local offers and access to the Experts Online resource for a year  (worth £60 alone).

Dates are now set across the county:
Chesterfield             Wednesday 17th October
Derby                      Tuesday, 6th November
Whaley Bridge         Friday, 23rd November
Derby                      Tuesday, 4th March
Chesterfield             Tuesday 11th March
Whaley Bridge          Wednesday, 12th March

To find out more, visit www.digitalumbrella.co.uk or call 01663 735 350

Piano

Lynne Hyland from Social Services has an upright Piano, in good condition that she would like to donate to a group or organisation.  Lynne can be contacted on 07894 069983 or you can e mail her on lynne.hyland@derbyshire.gov.uk.

Acevo to Probe DWP Procurement System

Chief executives body Acevo is to launch an independent enquiry into the Department for Work and Pensions' procurement procedures, after just two out of 16 Pathways to Work contracts announced last week were awarded to sector organisations.

Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, said the sector had been “comprehensively stuffed” by the DWP’s procurement practices, with many voluntary organisations having missed out on contracts.

A DWP spokesman insisted that all of the contracts had been won through open and fair competition in accordance with public procurement policy and EU regulations.

Fundraising Web Resource Goes Live Today

A free online research community for fundraisers launches today. The site, fResource.info , will let fundraisers and researchers around the world share knowledge about products, tools and resources.

Umbrella Bodies Dispute Audit Commission Grant Finding

The Audit Commission's assertion that local council grant funding to the voluntary and community sector is not in decline is incorrect, according to Navca and the NCVO.

In its recent report 'Hearts and Minds: commissioning from the voluntary sector', the commission said there was no evidence councils were reducing total expenditure on grants. It claimed they were merely “aligning their grant giving better with their strategic priorities”.

However, Kevin Curley, chief executive of Navca, has written to Steve Bundred, the commission’s chief executive, to dispute that claim. He said it did not accord with a Navca survey of local infrastructure organisations in 2006 that found 27 per cent of local authorities were no longer providing grant aid to local organisations.

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the NCVO, also disputed the Audit Commission’s finding. “The NCVO almanac clearly shows a decline,” he said.

First Online Charity Shop Launched by Oxfam

Oxfam has launched what it claims is the UK's first dedicated online charity shop selling donated items. The website will support its 170 high street stores.

The site, www.oxfam.org.uk/shop, will sell 50,000 items donated to 16 high street shops and the charity wants it to raise £2m a year. By January 2008, a further 17 shops will come on board to offer a total of 120,000 items to internet shoppers.

Community Foundations Plan for Dormant Cash

A national project to put money in dormant charitable trust funds to good use in the voluntary and community sector is to be launched next week. The Boost Initiative is designed to use the expertise of the UK’s 50 community foundations and help trustees of underused funds deliver grants in the most effective way.

The project will be led by the Community Foundation for Merseyside on behalf of the Community Foundation Network. The Merseyside foundation will gather information, introduce trustees to the concept of community foundations and, if necessary, put them in contact with their local foundations.