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Many organisations do not appreciate the importance and usefulness of Budgets. They tend to be done only when a potential funder asks for one. In fact, the Budget is the cornerstone of any financial system. It enables the Committee to carry out its duty of good financial management. It is the key element in establishing internal controls and making sure the organisation does what it should. Budgets can be used to plan, to communicate, to control, to motivate and to monitor.

This day will take you through the process of creating and monitoring a budget. It is a practical workshop so bring along a calculator.

Suitable for treasurers and committee members who are new to budgeting or need a refresher session.

Tutor Jeanette Stafford from Community Accounting Plus has over 20 years experience working in the voluntary sector.

Free to High Peak voluntary and community groups without paid workers, £20 to voluntary and community groups in the High Peak with paid workers, £25 to voluntary and community groups outside the High Peak, £35 all others.

Grants for the Arts

Thur 21 May 10am-1pm at High Peak CVS, Bingswood Trading Estate, Whaley Bridge

Do you need money for an arts related project? ‘Grants for the Arts’ is a competitive, open access funding scheme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. They are for activities carried out over a set period, which engage people in arts activities, and help artists and arts organisations carry out their work. ‘Grants for the Arts’ is funded by the National Lottery.

This Free short course aims to give you

details of what can and cannot be funded
a greater understanding of how ‘Grants for the Arts’ applications are processed and assessed
enough knowledge to produce better quality ‘Grants for the Arts’ applications

Tutor Nigel Caldwell is the Arts and Creative Business Manager and Development Programme Manager at High Peak CVS. He has attended Arts Council East Midlands briefing sessions and has Arts Council training materials to share with you in this session.

Further details and online booking at highpeakcvs.org.uk/training/events.asp

Contact Louise - louise@highpeakcvs.org.uk , 01663 736431

Apportioning VAT on Membership Subscriptions

An HM Revenue and Customs VAT briefing, issued in February: Extra-Statutory Concession 3.35 allows non-profit making membership organisations to apportion the membership subscription between standard-rated, zero-rated and exempt elements. "However, the concession may not be used retrospectively where you have previously treated the subscription as a single supply.” This means that claims for overpaid VAT where previously submitted VAT returns are reworked on this basis will be rejected. See www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/vat/brief0609.htm

Official Scale Rates for Subsistence Allowances

HM Revenue and Customs has introduced an advisory system of benchmark scale rates which employers can use to make daytime subsistence payments to employees who incur allowable away from home/work expenses, without incurring tax or National Insurance liability. This can be used instead of applying for a dispensation, but employers will need to notify HMRC of their intention by ticking the appropriate statement/box on form P11DX before starting to use the new system, available from 6 April 2009. See information in HMRC Brief 24/09, www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/income-tax/brief2409.htm (Thanks to WCVA trustee newsletter)

Criminal Records Bureau Joins the Electronic Age

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has launched an electronic application system, e-Bulk, for clients who make more than 3,000 checks a year. It can be used to send multiple applications and to get the results electronically in many cases, and faster. Girlguiding UK was the first one to use it. News release at press.homeoffice.gov.uk/press-releases/electronic-apps-faster-CRB

Delivering Budget Objectives

The welfare-to-work elements of the Budget are expected to have a large role for the third sector, according to ACEVO, the chief executives body. Charity Times reports Works and Pensions minister James Purnell as saying "This budget provides the funding that will enable the voluntary sector to develop local, useful jobs for the young unemployed.”
DWP news : nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=399378&NewsAreaID=2

Other Government Support to the Sector

More details are now available on the Modernisation Fund, set up by the government to help organisations providing services to those worst hit by the recession. The £16.5 million of funding will be used in two main ways:

bursaries of a thousand pounds to pay for initial advice on how organisations can become more resilient and work more closely with others to increase their impact, and grants of up to £10,000 to help pay costs involved in moving towards collaboration or merger; and
interest-free loans of between £30,000 and £500,000 for third sector organisations with existing plans for mergers and collaboration or other activities to help them prepare for difficult times.

See the website at www.modernisationfund.org.uk

The £15 million Targeted Support fund will be launched by the Office of the Third Sector shortly (end of April/start of May). Grants will be available to small, local third sector service providers who have experienced increased demand as a result of the recession. The fund will be targeted at fifty areas in England which have been selected as most at risk of increased deprivation, and the following service areas:

information, advice and guidance (housing, financial, debt and legal advice and support);
employment and employability (training and support related to finding employment); and
health and wellbeing (mental health, relationship breakdown, counselling, domestic violence and substance abuse).

More details from OTS.

Timetable for New Sector Skills Organisation

Third Sector magazine reports that 'Skills – Third Sector', the new voluntary sector skills body, should be established by September with the website online in June. The Office of the Third Sector and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills are to give it £2.5 million over three years. News item at www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/899357/ (registration required).

Third Sector Strategic Partner Programme from Health Department

The Department of Health has announced a Third Sector Strategic Partner programme. Eleven specialist organisations such as Age Concern England and the Men's Health Forum will share £5.5 million to build on their skills and knowledge to improve health and social care services and act as advocates, as well as ensuring input from the sector in developing health and social care policy. See news item at nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=399052&NewsAreaID=2

Increase in Volunteering Enquiries Confirmed

Volunteering England this week highlighted that the number of people looking for opportunities to volunteer has increased in recent months. In research for the Institute for Volunteering Research on the role of Volunteer Centres in supporting and developing the link between volunteering and increased employability, the overwhelming majority of centres had seen an increase in enquiries in the last six months, and YouthNet, the home of volunteering website do-it.org.uk, saw applications rise by 115% between 2007 and 2008. News release.

Projects Wanted to Break Down Community Age Barriers

A new Government programme, Generations Together, will fund twelve intergenerational community projects across England that bring older and younger people together, to "break down barriers and challenge negative stereotypes". Bids are invited from local authorities, which must involve third sector organisations, and at least half of the funding must be deployed within the third sector. See Office of Third Sector information.

Electronic Communication Gets Sophisticated

AskCharity blog has a few notes from the eCampaigning Forum held recently in Oxford, in particular on the variety of ways that organisations now communicate with their supporters and the levels of sophistication involved.
www.askcharity.org.uk/blog/2009/04/ecampaigning_more_than_emails.php

How to Grow and Sustain Your Membership

NCVO Membership Schemes Conference - 27 May in London

Find out how you can successfully recruit, engage with and retain members. This event will give you new ideas and inspiration on successfully managing your membership schemes, techniques for maximising your subscriptions and lots of practical and cost-effective tips to apply to your own organisation.

Book now and you could win a copy of the NCVO Good Membership Guide.

Information and booking at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/membconfmay09 call Matt on 020 7520 3160 or email marketing@ncvo-vol.org.uk

Creative Campaigning

6 May in London

Part of Charity Talks series from Centre for Charity Effectiveness, Cass Business School. John Stewart, key to orchestrating the Heathrow third campaign, draws lessons from how they generated such impact. Download booking form at www.cass.city.ac.uk/cce/

East Midlands Friends of the Earth 9 May Gathering

Sat 9 May 2009 10am – 5pm. Lunch included.
Leicester Adult Education College, 2 Wellington St, Leicester LE1 6HL

This free event will be packed with opportunities to meet local FOE members and other East Midlands-based activists, learn more about brand new campaigns, learn new campaigning skills and take part in a fun mass action to kick start Summer of Action 2009.

FOE will be launching two new campaigns

Get Serious – taking action to reduce emissions in our local areas

Food Chain – tackling the environmental and social impacts of the global meat and dairy industry

A free (veggie) lunch and refreshments will be provided. If you’d like to attend, you will need to book your place by this Friday 1st May at the latest - please email louise.hazan@foe.co.uk today.

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