eNews

Beginners Workshop - together we will:
* Get the right information about your activities/projects - and in particular we can work out what you need for completing your end of grant forms for funders.

* We can work on the tools to help you make the most of what you do well and look at the areas where you could do even better.

Lunch will be provided.

To book a place (limited places available), contact Louise McNeil on 01663 736431 email louise@highpeakcvs.org.uk or for more information contact Liz Fletcher on 01663 736426 email lizsgp@highpeakcvs.org.uk.

Vacancies at Amber Trust

Amber Trust is a social care charity that aims to promote mental wellbeing by providing professional support services to adults with mental ill health, enabling them to live successfully in their local communities.

They have provided our services for over 30 years in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, and are pleased to announce that their services have now been extended to the High Peak area. They are seeking dedicated individuals to join their talented team at this exciting time.

Support Worker - High Peak area
3 x full time posts – 37.5 hours
1 x part time post – 22.5 hours
£16,735 rising to £17,517 pa

They are looking for confident and capable people to join their operational services team. You will provide housing related support to people recovering from mental health problems in their own homes.

You will have:

A strong desire to make a positive difference to someone’s life
A real commitment to person centred recovery focused support
Excellent communication skills
Ability to promote independence and opportunities for the people we support
A flexible approach to work
Use of own transport

You will have the ability to relate well to people, to understand the difficulties people with mental ill health may face and be able to support them in finding positive ways forward. Previous work experience in the field of health and social care is desirable.

Part-time Administrator
£14,909 rising to £15,605 pa (pro rata) - 25 hours per week

They are looking for reception and administrative support to meet the requirements of the office. You will need to prioritise your own workload to meet deadlines and produce accurate, high quality work.

IT literate to include Microsoft Office Suite
Minimum of 6 months experience in general administration work
Experience of telephone work in a business setting
Knowledge of general administration procedures
Ability to prepare reports

More detailed information about these positions will be sent out with the application packs.

To request an application pack please contact Amber Trust:

Write to: Tracy Litchfield, Suite 4A, East Mill, Bridge Foot, Belper, DE56 2UA
Telephone: 01773 599599
Download: www.ambertrust.co.uk
Request by email: tracyl@ambertrust.co.uk

Closing date for applications is 9.30 am Fri 27 Feb 2009.
Support Worker interviews will be held on Fri 6 Mar 2009.
Administrator interviews will be held on Mon 9 Mar 2009.

Interviews will be held in the High Peak area, venue TBC.

These posts are subject to an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.

Development Programme for Small Art Organisations

Last chance to take part in a development programme for small art organisations.
PROGRESS: Cultivate's development programme for small or emerging arts organisations.

Final application deadlines are 28 February and 31 March 2009.

Are you a small or emerging not-for-profit arts company based in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland or Lincoln that wants to progress? Then this could be the programme for you.

Cultivate, with a range of partners, is offering you the opportunity to be given in-depth advice on how you can develop, alongside a bespoke programme of capacity building activity which could include training, mentoring or consultancy or even a mix of them all.

PROGRESS is free to eligible applicants, so to find out more contact info@cultivate-em.com or 0115 935 2015. Alternatively download an application form from Cultivate's website www.cultivate-em.com to apply.

In order to qualify you need to be a small or emerging arts oganisation or an individual working in the arts sector and have been in business for a minimum of one year. There are only two more application deadlines – so don't delay it, contact them now.

Learn about Community Trading and New Income Streams

The Income Generation workstream, funded by Capacitybuilders and led by ACEVO, has launched an innovative training project for development staff from support providers to help them gain insight and skills in community trading and social enterprise.

With a mix of online and residential participation, the aim is to equip support organisations with the skills they need to help third sector organisations, especially community groups, understand how to grow and diversify income by exploring, through the business planning process, trading activities and new income streams. The first programme starts in May.

More information at www.improvingsupport.org.uk/income/news/community-trading.html

Revised Guidance on National Minimum Wage

Official guidance on the national minimum wage and its implications for volunteers and voluntary workers has been revised. See 'Who need not get the national minimum wage – volunteers and voluntary workers' on the Business Link website.

Funding Commission Meets Up

The Funding Commission set up by NCVO, tasked with looking at future funding of the voluntary and community sector, has met for the first time. It will report in a year, after widespread consultation including regional events. Information about the commissioners in the press release at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/press/releases/?id=12700

How the BBC Makes Websites

From Nonprofit Online News: The BBC Radio Labs have written up their model for building websites, with plenty of resource links and illustrations of the paper and white-board work that they use to make key decisions.

You'll need to be happy handling some technical terms, and probably not for those wanting just a few basic web pages, but could be a helpful round-up, www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radiolabs/2009/01/how_we_make_websites.shtml

Getting Through on the Mobile Web

If your organisation's website needs to get through to those on the move, or the growing domestic user base browsing via mobiles, check out the points made by Jakob Nielsen's latest Alertbox, 'Mobile Web 2009 = Desktop Web 1998', www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-usability.html Do note that he does say "not all sites need mobile versions", as people use their phones for a fairly narrow range of activities.

Transforming Together
Innovation, Public Services and the Voluntary Sector

3 March, Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, London

NCVO Public Service Delivery Network's highly rated conference returns with a powerful line-up of keynote speakers: Geoff Mulgan, Martin Narey, Stuart Etherington, Anne McGuire MP and Pat Samuel.

Our workshops, case studies, advice sessions and drinks reception give you an excellent opportunity to examine the critical issues, including:

sustainable commissioning
individual budgets
innovation and growth

Book your place through the NCVO website www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/psdnconf09 or call 020 7520 3162.

Higher Penalties for Late Filing of Company Accounts

Companies House has brought in, from 1 February, a new set of penalties for late filing of annual accounts, with much higher rates for really late submission. Voluntary organisations with limited status please take note!
www.companieshouse.gov.uk/companiesAct/ca_lateFilingPenalties.shtml
(Thanks to SLCVO Toolkit)

What Do You Think About Campaigning?

NCVO's Campaigning Effectiveness team is embarking on a major evaluation of its work. Those involved in or just interested in campaigning are invited to help shape the support offered in the future by completing the online consultation at
www.ncvo-consult.org.uk/campaigning.
Respond by 13 March for a chance to get a place at their national conference on 1 April.

Government Recession Support for Third Sector

The Government has announced its action plan 'Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises' to help the sector deal with the recession. There has been wide news coverage, but perhaps start with either the piece by Society Guardian's editor at www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/feb/11/voluntary-sector-recession1 or Charity Finance news item at www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2562 both of which have an overview and connect with other recent developments.

Office of the Third Sector's own outline is at
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/real_help_for_communities.aspx, and the Prime Minister is on video launching the package at www.number10.gov.uk/Page18264

The £42.5 million support for the third sector includes:

£16.5 million modernisation fund to support viable organisations to restructure (for example, mergers and partnerships).
£15.5 million Community Resilience Fund that will provide grant funding to small and medium providers in the local areas that are at most risk of deprivation.
Up to £10 million investment in a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people.

The Cabinet Office is also to set up a short-term taskforce to investigate how the third sector and the private sector can work together to help those affected by recession. And the Treasury is having a meeting with major umbrella bodies to discuss proposals for further progress on gift aid reform and address the issue of irrecoverable VAT, according to Charity Finance news item at
www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2565

Capacitybuilders has confirmed details of a million pounds of investment that will be distributed to local support organisations as an immediate response to the recession. More details.

NCVO has cautiously welcomed the action plan to help voluntary and community organisations as a start, "at the beginning of the recession", www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/feb/09/charity-government-money

Tackling and Surviving the Downturn

Charity chief executives' body Acevo has published a special supplement 'Surviving the Economic Downturn – A Charity's Guide'. This is a compilation of advice from key experts in the fields of HR, fundraising and finance, which can be downloaded (large pdf, 4.31MB) but is 'protected' by a Captcha device requiring cookies.

The Local Government Association and NCVO have jointly published 'Backing Communities: local solutions', to highlight some of the positive ways in which local authorities can work with voluntary and community organisations in response to the recession. Pdf, 612KB.

Changes to Grassroots Grants

Two changes have been made to the Office of the Third Sector's Grassroots Grants programme, which consists of an £80 million small grants scheme and a £50 million endowment match challenge:

To allow donations raised in every area of the country to be matched on a pound for pound basis up to the existing allocation.

To extend the eligibility criteria for small local organisations to those with a threshold of £30,000 a year.

Free Theatre Tickets

Working with more than 200 venues, Arts Council England will help to distribute 618,000 free theatre tickets over the next two years to people under 26.

Search for theatres that are signed up to the scheme as well as apply for tickets through the Night Less Ordinary website: www.anightlessordinary.org.uk

eNews Bulletin from High Peak CVS

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Bulletin Contents - 24 February 2009

Let’s make Monitoring and Evaluation Easy