Bulletin Contents - 19 February 2008

Back to Basics – Focussing On and Developing Board and Committee Skills

Managing Grassroot Grants

Sample Documents for Committees

Blogging for a Cause

Experiencing Disaster Response

Clore Leadership Programme

Co-operative Foundation – Community Support Programme

net:gain

Grants Offered for Children's Charities

Community Organisation / Building Workshops and Training

Focussing On and Developing Board and Committee Skills

Does your board or committee have the range of skills it needs to be effective?  Trustees and committee members are busy people who already give their time and energy to their organisation.  This interactive workshop looks at the range of skills needed to run effective committees and boards, how to identify them, assess any gaps or needs and how to target and deliver board training as efficiently as possible.  A basic overview of skills auditing and how this can support the work your group currently does or their aspirations for the future, using simple techniques and user friendly materials.

Nicola Cowburn is a voluntary sector consultant working in the North West of England. She has over ten years experience in the sector both as an employee and a volunteer in a range of organisations.  She holds a CIPD in Volunteer Management and works with a variety of organisations locating funding, designing and delivering training and managing projects.

Date and time: Wednesday 27th February, 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.
Venue: High Peak CVS, Bingswood Trading Estate, Whaley Bridge

Cost: Free to High Peak Voluntary groups without a paid worker, £15 for High Peak Voluntary groups with paid worker, £30 to all other groups.

Managing Grassroot Grants

The Community Development Foundation is inviting local third sector funders to apply to manage the local delivery of the £130 million Grassroot Grants programme set up by the Office of the Third Sector (England only).  This is split into two parts: £80 million small grants fund for community organisations, and a ‘groundbreaking’ £50 million endowments programme to enable local funders to generate additional donations on a matched basis and invest them in endowments.  Closing date is 30th April.  OTS news item, CDF details on how to apply.

It will be after July before funding for grassroots community and voluntary groups opens.  Charity Finance has more background on the aim of the endowments fund: www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/preview.php?id=1150 and Society Guardian has an interview with Minister for the Third Sector, Phil Hope, covering the programme too, at www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/06/voluntarysector

Sample Documents for Committees

Governance Pages, a project of community research group Arvac, has a range of useful documents to download.  The listing could do with some more information on what they cover before you click on a link, and please note that the 'web' link is to a FlashPaper version – the Word version is probably more useful.  www.governancepages.org.uk/contents/Sample%20Documents.html.

Blogging for a Cause

The second edition of 'Blog for a Cause!  The Global Voices Guide to Blog Advocacy' has been published.  Nonprofit Online News says that the solid advice includes why you would use a blog for advocacy, crisis versus issue blogs, the basics that every blog needs and steps towards launch.  A largish pdf, 1.06MB, at advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/downloads/gv_blog_advocacy2.pdf

Experiencing Disaster Response

Disaster Response Challenge is a two day event providing an opportunity for participants to experience first-hand the issues and decisions faced by the British Red Cross Emergency Response Unit.  This national event takes place on 28th to 30th March (a weekend) – see www.redcross.org.uk/events_page.asp?id=52474

Clore Leadership Programme

The Clore Leadership Programme is designed to help develop the knowledge, skills, networks and experience of potential leaders across a wide range of cultural activities.  This includes the visual and performing arts, heritage, museums, libraries and archives, and cultural policy and administration. 

They offer about 25 Fellowships a year to exceptional individuals who are either working within the cultural sector, or who are working outside it but demonstrate a knowledge, understanding and passion for culture. 

If you want to apply for a Fellowship, you must be able to demonstrate most or all of a list of given attributes and the extra imaginative ‘spark’ that marks an outstanding potential leader.  This should give an indication that you will be able to initiate and innovate, to energise and inspire, as well as deliver.

The preferred form of application is online, but if you want to fill in your application on paper, you should ask for a form by email – info@cloreleadership.org – or telephone – 020 7420 9430.  Large print or audiotape application forms are available.

If you wish to discuss any general aspect of the application process, or if you have any other enquiry, please contact Fellowship Applications, Clore Leadership Programme, South Building, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA or see the website for mmore details – www.cloreleadership.org

Applications for the 2008/9 Fellowships close on 3rd March.

Co-operative Foundation – Community Support Programme

The Co-operative Foundation is keen to support community and voluntary sector activity through grants to local groups and organisations across its trading area.  It is particularly interested in locally led and run groups which can demonstrate evidence of co-operative values and principles: self-help, equality, democracy and concern for the community.  In support of this community-led approach the Foundation has one focussed grant-making programme, the Community Support Programme, for community based groups.

This programme is aimed at grass roots groups who want to make a difference in their own communities.  The community can be geographically based – such as a village, town or housing estate - or could be a community of people brought together to address as specific issue which affects them.
The Co-operative Foundation provides grants to a diverse range of community led projects, which support a range of thematic and geographic communities across The Co-operative Group - United Regional trading areas.  Grants are available for between the values of £500 and £30,000 to cover one-year projects and capital and revenue costs but not salaries – please check their website for exclusions.

Grants are available within The Co-operative Group – United Region trading area: Yorkshire; South Cumbria; North Wales; Northern Ireland; North West; North Midlands and Staffordshire.  If you are not sure whether your project falls into the trading area, please call the Foundation office on 0161 246 3044.

Contact the Foundation Office to request an application form and guidelines, or download the relevant application form from the Community Support Programme page on their website below.

The Trustees meet four times a year to approve grants.  The closing dates for submission of applications to the Foundation office in 2008 are:

Website: www.co-operative.co.uk/en/foundation/communitysupportprogramme/

net:gain

net:gain is a highly subsidised development programme to help leaders of Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) in England tackle planning for communications, technology and performance – whatever their existing expertise, organisation size, or area of work.  It is funded by Capacitybuilders under ChangeUp, and is tailored and delivered by local net:gain centres

It offers an inclusive, easy to use planning framework, that helps fit technology needs to overall strategy.  Devised by the sector, for the sector with support available locally and for a full year, the flexible planning method can contribute to: trustee away days; stakeholder or staff meetings; strategic planning sessions; and planning for future funding.

Any VCO interested should register for the programme by 30th March to qualify for the generous subsidies on offer, telephone 024 768 53054.  The website – www.net-gain.org.uk – offers information about what net:gain delivers; details about how VCOs can enrol for support; current events; hot news; and links to other sites.

Grants Offered for Children's Charities

Children's charities are being invited to bid for three grants of £500,000 by BBC Children in Need and venture philanthropy organisation the Hunter Foundation.

The three-year grants programme, called Positive Destinations, aims to fund innovative and effective projects to boost the future chances of vulnerable young people.  Projects can either offer a holistic response or target key life stages such as pre-school, the transition from primary to secondary school, or the 14 to 16 age range.

The charities are also offering three smaller grants adding up to £500,000 in total.  Each winning project will be independently evaluated.

For more information email Children in Need – pudsey@bbc.co.uk – with Positive Destinations in the subject line.  Full details are available on the charity's website: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/  The deadline for applications is 30th March.

Community Organisation / Building Workshops and Training

Workshops and training for Staff, Volunteers, Management Committee members and anyone else involved in running a community organisation or community building

• Funding
• Lease and other occupancy arrangements
• Community Anchors and Asset Transfer
• How to manage a community buildings
• Easy Quality Standards!

Thursday March 13th 10am - 4.15 pm - Free Event
Pleasley Landmark Centre, Mansfield, NG19 7SP - www.pleasleylandmark.co.uk

Further information from Lorna Jones lorna.jones@communitymatters.org.uk