VolResource Newsletter
NEWSLETTER 2-9-10
VolResource Notes
---------------------------
With this issue we are back to weekly production, although things are definitely a little quiet at the moment.
Contents
11. Government aims to help with organising a street party
12. Thinking about changing auditors
13. Marketing on own website to come under code of practice
14. Getting to grips with the psychological contract
15. Finance directors body gets new premises
31. Research finds training lacking for managers of volunteers
32. Early end to public benefit assessments
33. Proposed merger of community umbrella bodies
34. How government departments are implementing coalition policies
35. Social Impact Bond gets Lottery fund support
36. Visit fund to learn how to diversify income
37. Ensuring support organisations governance is robust
51. Scottish umbrella gets new website
52. Improving access to transport for volunteers
53. Final guidance from Commission's Faith Unit
54. Improving website findability
Advert: Essential NCVO HR training
61. Trustees Week
10. ADMINISTRATIVE
11. Government aims to help with organising a street party
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The government's Communities Department has published 'Your guide to organising a street party or fete', a couple of pages plus a straightforward form for a "Road closure for residential or neighbourhood street parties" which can be submitted to your local council. This is part of government efforts to reduce the inconsistent paperwork which can surround the process. News item has some background at http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1700138, or go direct to http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/streetpartyguide.
12. Thinking about changing auditors
--------------------------------------------
Third Sector magazine has a short piece on 'How to go about changing auditors', http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/1024728/go-changing-auditors/.
13. Marketing on own website to come under code of practice
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a change, just announced, to the Committee of Advertising Practice Code, adverts and marketing communications by companies on their own websites and on services like Facebook and Twitter will fall within the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority from 1st March 2011. See Out-law.com at http://www.out-law.com/page-11340 or if you prefer Civil Society Media at http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/7226/.
14. Getting to grips with the psychological contract
--------------------------------------------------------------
Personnel professionals body CIPD has updated its factsheet 'The psychological contract', explaining what this is, what can happen if it is breached and other considerations, http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm.
15. Finance directors body gets new premises
---------------------------------------------------------
Charity Finance Directors' Group has moved offices over the bank holiday weekend. They are now at 49 - 51 East Road, London, N1 6AH, but their switchboard phone number remains 0845 345 3192. http://www.cfdg.org.uk/cfdg/move_to_old_st.asp.
20. CONSULT
30. NEWS
More News items are added during the week at http://voluntarynews.org.uk/news/
31. Research finds training lacking for managers of volunteers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nearly half of the people who manage volunteers in the voluntary sector have not received any training that would help them in their work, according to a research report produced for Skills - Third Sector by the Institute for Volunteering Research. The report highlights the need for better access to training and development for volunteer managers. It also calls for further research on the trend towards using volunteers to manage other volunteers and on the differing skills sets required for managing volunteers in different sizes of organisations.
The research was mainly based on telephone interviews of over a thousand volunteer managers. 'Valuing Volunteer Management Skills' in summary or full currently in IVR's news section at http://www.ivr.org.uk/aboutus/News or, along with press release (pdf 293KB), at Skills - Third Sector.
32. Early end to public benefit assessments
-----------------------------------------------------
Third Sector magazine reports that the Charity Commission has scrapped plans to carry out public benefit assessments on private hospitals and other health charities, due to funding concerns. The Commission had previously announced that it would carry out a round of assessments on sports charities and charities working for "the advancement of health" under public benefit requirements of the Charities Act 2006. But while sample sports and recreation charities came under the spotlight last month, this is now to be its final set of such assessments. News item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/1024971/.
33. Proposed merger of community umbrella bodies
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Development Trusts Association and bassac, both of which have community-based organisations as members, are consulting about a merger which would bring together their expertise in community enterprise and community development. They say that this is not down to financial concerns but "the huge potential of a new organisation". Bassac news item, Civil Society Media news item at http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/7219/.
34. How government departments are implementing coalition policies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each government Department is producing a Structural Reform Plan to outline how it will implement proposals in the Coalition Agreement which was produced at the start of the new government. This includes issues such as localism, public service reform, and the Big Society. The plans (SRPs) replace the Public Service Agreements introduced by the last government as part of the Spending Review process. Urban Forum has selected highlights of the proposals contained in two departmental plans, Communities and the Cabinet Office. This also has links to other SRPs, but the definitive list is on the Number 10 website, along with monthly updates on progress, at http://www.number10.gov.uk/other/2010/07/structural-reform-plans-53023.
35. Social Impact Bond gets Lottery fund support
------------------------------------------------------------
Efforts to develop a market for a "Social Impact Bond" have moved forward with the Big Lottery Fund providing funding of £6.25 million to an initial pilot. Such a Bond works by drawing up a contract between the government and a third sector service provider that agrees to deliver a measurable social outcome, with private sector investors getting rewarded for the contract hitting targets. In this instance a project run by the St Giles Trust, in collaboration with the YMCA and the Ormiston Trust, will provide intensive support to 3,000 males serving short-term sentences of one year or less. See Regen Daily, http://www.regen.net/bulletins/Regen-Daily-Bulletin/News/1025129/.
36. Visit fund to learn how to diversify income
-------------------------------------------------------
Only Connect, sponsored by Triodos Bank, enables voluntary organisations to visit another organisation to learn about how they have diversified their income into trading or public service delivery or by using loan finance. The visitor's time and travel is reimbursed £150, and the host organisation gets a £200 consultation fee. Run by NCVO for organisations based in England only, current round closes 10th September, see http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/onlyconnect.
37. Ensuring support organisations governance is robust
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sector support bodies (infrastructure organisations) in England are invited to apply for Governance Health checks provided as part of the Leadership and Governance National Support Service run by NCVO. The previous four rounds have been oversubscribed, and the deadline for this round's applications is 6th September - see http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/nssgovernancehealthchecks for details.
50. E-RESOURCE
PDF note: to be able to read pdf files, download Adobe Reader from http://www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep2.html, for accessibility matters see http://access.adobe.com. Or for an alternative, try Foxit Reader.
51. Scottish umbrella gets new website
-----------------------------------------------
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has a clearer and more colourful new website, based on the open source content management system WordPress, http://www.scvo.org.uk.
52. Improving access to transport for volunteers
-----------------------------------------------------------
Anecdotal evidence gathered during a consultation on congestion charging in Manchester showed that transport issues influenced the ability of organisations to involve volunteers. Further research has found that transport is one factor that could stand in the way. A report, 'Mobilising Volunteers
Transport to Involvement and Opportunity' in pdf or Word format, is at http://www.gmcvo.org.uk/node/2190. (Source: VSSN)
53. Final guidance from Commission's Faith Unit
------------------------------------------------------------
New resources for faith-based charities have been published online from the Charity Commission's Faith and Social Cohesion Unit, which has now reached the end of its life. These include guidance on developing a governing document for faith-based groups preparing to register with the Commission, a pre-registration checklist, and three case studies of mosques demonstrating good governance. News item at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_fscu.aspx or go direct to the resources list.
54. Improving website findability
-------------------------------------
Guidance on search engine optimisation (SEO), otherwise known as making websites easier to find, has been produced for charities by the Internet Advertising Bureau, the trade body for digital marketing. The 'Search Toolkit for Charities and Public Sector' includes an Oxfam case study and can be found via http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/charitiesandpublicservicestoolkit.html. (From Third Sector, http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/1023411/)
60. DIARY DATES
See Events Listings at http://voluntarynews.org.uk/news/event.
61. Trustees Week
---------------------
The first annual Trustees Week is to take place 25th to 31st October, organised by the Charity Commission, in partnership with Charity Trustee Networks, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Reach Volunteering, Getting on Board and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. Other voluntary organisations are encouraged to organise related events and activities. News release at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_trustees_week.aspx, or go to the dedicated website at http://www.trusteesweek.org.uk. Do note that the latter uses Blogger, which may make it rather slow in some web browsers.
-- 8th September, London. Digital Strategies Social Media Seminar, at CAN Mezzanine, no cost. What social media can do for you, how to establish your presence using social networks and how to engage your supporters, donors and others. See http://www.can-online.org.uk/news.php?type=event&id=939.
--------------------------------------
Please do email us (mailing@volresource.org.uk) to let us know what you think of the newsletter, and we also welcome ideas and contributions. Snail mail: 25 Willow Grove, Malvern, Worcs, WR14 2SE. You can forward the newsletter on an occasional basis. Those re-using the newsletter regularly in whole, in part or in print are asked to take out a licence. Consultants, commercial businesses etc are asked to take out a paid sub - please note that this only includes the right to forward within your own organisation. Contact us if you want to go beyond this. All material is copyright of VolResource unless otherwise stated. More info at http://www.volresource.org.uk/main/devmail.htm. If you get this forwarded, and want to receive the newsletter regularly, please go to http://www.voluntarynews.org/lists/ (please don't use the links below here as you may remove the forwarding person from the mailing list). --------------------------------------
Disclaimer: we check all information on the newsletter and web site, but as ever with these things we give no warranties, and encourage active checking before you make any decisions.
Company no 6074763 , Registered Charity no 1119172, Telephone: 08453 580372