GMCVO NEWS, EVENTS and TRAINING
Talent Match application submitted
GMCVO submitted the first stage application to the Big Lottery Fund for Talent Match funding by the deadline of 5th November 2012. We will hear back formally by the end of January 2013. The second (final) stage application would be submitted sometime in May with a decision around June enabling us, if successful, to commence the actual project in September 2013. In the meantime, a film is to be made by local young people in support of the application, to be submitted early January.
Behind the submission of the application lies a great deal of additional material and ideas provided by stakeholders for which we are very grateful. Over the next few weeks we will be arranging further meetings and discussions with as many people and organisations as possible, with a view to identifying:
● what are the risk factors leading to young people becoming NEET for 12 months (we already have quite a lot of narrative information on this);
● what do we think are the critical facilitative factors that enable young people in this situation to become employed (again we have narrative);
● what examples are there of projects/initiatives that provide evidence of offering this (from which we could more closely define the elements of good practice.
We will also start to organise some ‘shadow’ meetings, including setting in place a process for selecting a representative steering group.
An outline of the application can be seen via
We also submitted information about the proposed governance structures including the future involvement of young people and the credentials of the partners, a first draft of milestones/activities, a draft budget, and some suggestions for how learning would be shared.
□ Young people and young people’s organisations in Greater Manchester have responded positively to the new Talent Match programme, according to surveys carried out by the Greater Manchester Youth Network.
The surveys highlighted the potential of the programme to bring young people and organisations together to work more closely in order to develop and provide more aspirational job opportunities to young people.
Feedback also indicated that limited support is currently being provided to young people. JobCentre Plus was identified as the main support service but it lacks a young person approach and can only provide a limited service.
The need for a joint approach to communication and referral processes was highlighted too, along with a more intensive personalised ‘youth-focused’ approach to meet the different needs of young people and remove barriers.
GMYN’s report on the surveys can be seen via: .
From poverty to financial inclusion
Welfare reform, high unemployment and the recession are placing new stresses on individuals and families. Simultaneously, voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) organisations are increasingly acting as the safety net by providing advice and services.
Whilst the VCFS has always fulfilled this role, the current economic situation is witnessing increasing demand for the most basic of provision – food.
Against this backdrop, the Oldham Voluntary, Community and Faith Partnership hosted a special cross-sector forum in October to share information and ideas on reducing the impact of poverty on individuals and families, and to support community action towards building financial inclusion.
A report on the meeting, From Poverty to Financial Inclusion, has been produced by GMCVO.
VACANCIES at GMCVO
Databases Manager
GMCVO’S ‘Databases’ is a successful small business returning profits to the charity.
It specialises in open source database development, installation and support, with a broad customer base and a full order book.
We are looking for a dynamic manager to take the business to the next level.
The successful applicant will understand both business and IT.
They will be customer focused and hands-on with excellent project management and team leadership skills.
Full Time
Salary: £30,000+ with possible bonuses and pension contribution – to be negotiated.
Application by CV – further details via:
Databases Technical Assistant
We require a Technical Assistant to provide customer service and technical support in our Databases team.
As the first contact point with clients and customers, the successful applicant will be experienced in customer service, with an excellent grasp of IT systems and the ability to learn and multi-task.
Full Time
Salary: £19,621 – £21,519 NJC equivalent points 22 – 25 plus 7% pension contribution.
Closing date for applications: 31st December 2012.
Further details via:
Volunteers wanted to help shape contracting marketGMCVO is seeking Volunteer Contracting Agents to help develop and maintain systems and processes whereby the contracting market can be grown and shaped for the benefit of the voluntary sector in Greater Manchester.Among the tasks are scanning various media sources for relevant contracting opportunities and producing regular briefings on identified opportunities.
One day per week (to be reviewed in September 2013).
The closing date for applications is 4th January 2013.
For further details and application form, please go to:
Grand Design
24th January, St Thomas Centre
This groundbreaking event will give you the opportunity to design new and unique wellbeing service pathways and structures. By bringing together voluntary sector organisations’ expertise in service delivery we'll produce a coherent offer for commissioners in Greater Manchester. Following on from the information we've collected through last year's ‘Get Connected – Go to Market’ events and the more recent survey ‘Creating Bidding Opportunities in Health and Social Care,’ Grand Design will provide an arena where we can innovate to create. We'll use the intelligence we've gathered from local commissioners to inform the service area headings. Event organised by GMCVO’s Health Partnership Project.
9.30am to 12.30pm at the St Thomas Centre. Fee: £10.
Details: Neil Walbran, GMCVO, 0161 277 1036, .
Bookings:
GMCVO Training Programme
● Project Management
19th, 20th & 21st December
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects
● ILM Level 4 Award in Leadership and Management
10th, 17th & 31st January and 22nd & 28th February
A 5-day course to develop the management and leadership skills of practising and aspiring middle managers.
● Customer Service
14th January
The course will give you the skills to develop customer loyalty and will teach you how to feel confident in any customer situation.
● Train the Trainer
5th & 6th February
A 2-day course is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of participants’ training skills and practices.
● Project Management
11th, 14th & 15th February
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects.
● Managing A Community Building
20th February
This course is aimed at staff, volunteers and trustees who manage or have responsibility for community centres or buildings or other community facilities.
● Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS)
1st, 8th & 15th March, and 11th, 18th & 25th April
This updated and improved 6-day course is suitable for new and existing trainers who want to develop their skills and gain the nationally-recognised PTLLS qualification.
● Designing Research
18th April
The first in a series of three 1-day courses on research.
● Creative Research Methods
5th June
The second in a series of three 1-day courses on research.
● Making Sense of Qualitative Research Data
9th July
The third in a series of three 1-day courses on research.
All courses to be held at the St Thomas Centre,Ardwick Green North,Manchester M12 6FZ.
For further information, contact Tanya Coutts at GMCVO, 0161 277 1002, , or visit .
NEWS and INFORMATION
What’s special about the third sector?
Is the third sector special? And how can it demonstrate its unique, and varied, value?
These are the key questions asked in the latest discussion paper from the Third Sector Research Centre.
The paper notes that there is little evidence to demonstrate why the third sector is distinctive. But while moves to measure impact will help organisations demonstrate their value and effectiveness, they may avoid fundamental questions about what the sector is worth, and to whom.
Is the third sector so special? What is it worth?says that we need to move beyond questioning whether the ‘third sector’ is special. We need to think about the functions and characteristics of different organisations, from service providers to community groups, and how they are special in different ways.
The paper says we must also be wary about using monetary systems of measurement, such as Social Return on Investment (SROI). SROI tends to focus on services where there is a real or assumed saving to the Treasury – such as reducing reoffending, or getting people into work. But can things like social justice, fairness or belonging be reduced to a financial concept of social value?
The TSRC has set up an online forum where comments about the issues raised in the paper can be posted. GMCVO’s director, Alex Whinnom, is on the TSRC’s ‘sounding board’ panel, which will debate thetopic on 11th December.
Groups and individuals are encouraged to join in the dialogue by adding their views to the online forum (see link below) and/or e-mailing comments to Alex at GMCVO ().
The paper is the third of five discussion papers that will be produced as part of the TSRC’s Third Sector Futures Dialogues.
BLF’s framework for building capabilities
The Big Lottery Fund has produced a report summarising the responses to its discussion paper about how Lottery funding can help voluntary organisations build their skills, confidence and capabilities. Following last December’s discussion paper, the new report details the next steps that BLF will take with itsBuilding Capabilities for Impact and Legacy framework.
The framework supports the BLF’s mission to ensure that Lottery funding brings improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need by building the capabilities of voluntary and community organisations.
Over the period up to 2015, BLF will focus on providing ‘pre-grant’ and ‘in-grant’ support for organisations linked to their funding initiatives.
The aim of pre-grant support is to focus on those groups which work with the communities most in need or of importance to their strategic impact or which have great ideas, but need to develop their skills, systems and confidence in some way before they can fund them. This will mean that the BLF receives better quality proposals, and hence maximises the impact of funding.
In-grant support is to develop the capabilities of organisations while they are receiving grant funding from the BLF. This will not only enhance their ability to deliver the projects successfully, but also make them more effective and able to sustain their work even after their grant finishes. The BLF will focus on three areas wherein-grant support can make the biggest difference – supporting organisations to engage in continuous improvement of their organisational capabilities; responding to crisis; and planning for the future after their Lottery grant finishes.
[from: VSNW website 31.10.12]
Free banking guide for charities
The Charity Finance Group and the British Bankers Association have published a free guide to help charities with their banking arrangements.
Banking for Charitiesis designed for trustees and managers of charities, and provides information on opening a suitable bank account, understanding fees and charges and switching your account.
The guide looks at features likely to be important to charities, such as getting multiple authorisation on online or phone banking, claiming tax relief on interest and determining banks’ ethical policies.
Charity Commission opens CIO registration
New charities with expected incomes of over £5,000 can now make online applications to the Charity Commission for registration as charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs).
The CIO is a new legal form designed specifically for charities, offering some of the benefits of being a company, without all of the associated burdens. CIOs will be able to enter into contracts in their own right, with trustees having limited or no liability. Therefore CIOs will only need to register with the Charity Commission, not with Companies House.
As the relevant regulations do not come into force until 28 days after they are made, no CIOs will be able to join the Register of Charities until 3rd January 2013. However, the Charity Commission will begin accepting and considering certain types of online CIO applications before that date.
In order to help the Charity Commission manage demand for the new structure, applications will be accepted using a staggered approach. As reported in October, the provisional timetable for registration is as follows:
● From 10th December 2012 – brand new charities with incomes of over £5,000.
● From late March 2013 – existing unincorporated charities (to set up a CIO and transfer assets into it) with incomes of over £250,000.
● From May 2013 – existing unincorporated charities with incomes between £100,000 and £250,000.
● From July 2013 – existing unincorporated charities with incomes between £25,000 and £100,000.
● From October 2013 – existing unincorporated charities with incomes between £5,000 and £25,000.
● From January 2014 – existing unincorporated charities with incomes less than £5,000 and for brand new charities with anticipated annual incomes of less than £5,000.
No timescale has been given yet for existing companies limited by guarantee to convert – although it is believed to be unlikely before spring 2014.
The Charity Commission is urging parties considering applying to register to ensure that the CIO structure is suitable. It anticipates that the structure will be most beneficial for small to medium-sized charities which employ staff or enter into contracts.
Final 50 areas to receive Big Local funding
The Big Lottery Fund has announced the final 50 areas which will receive funding from its £200million Big Local scheme.
The scheme, launched in 2010, is designed to spread funding of at least £1million over 10 years in 150 communities which have traditionally been overlooked for funding and investment. The residents in these communities are given the power to determine how the funding is spent, working in collaboration with local charities, businesses and public sector bodies.
Of the 150 funded areas, nine are in Greater Manchester:
● Tongue with the Haulgh (Bolton)
● Collyhurst (Manchester)
● Clarksfield, Greenacres and Littlemoor (Oldham)
● Kirkholt (Rochdale)
● Little Hulton (Salford)
● Brinnington (Stockport)
● Ridge Hill (Tameside)
● Sale West (Trafford)
● Leigh West (Wigan)
In order to receive funding, local residents must work together to make their communities better places to live. The funding can be used for a number of different things that will benefit the area. This includes training and employment schemes, tackling anti-social behaviour, creating new community facilities or providing more activities for young people.
In addition to the funding, each area will receive support, training, and networking opportunities to help residents develop plans to improve their area and empower them to find solutions that work for their communities.
Employment advice service to close
Greater Manchester Pay and Employment Rights Advice Service (GMPERAS), which has delivered support to and campaigned on behalf of low paid workers for 27 years, has decided to close following a severe cut to its funding.
At the beginning of the year, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) announced that it would no longer fund the service – along with a number of other social/welfare organisations working across the city-region.
Despite attempts to secure alternative funding in a fiercely competitive funding environment, GMPERAS has not been able to raise a significant amount to secure its base. The service will be forced to close at a time when vulnerable low paid workers need advice and a campaigning voice more than ever to help them protect their pay and employment rights.
GMPERAS is interested in sharing its ideas with any agency interested in developing their own projects that have an employment rights/awareness aspect to them. Organisations interested in discussing this further should contact .
In the meantime the GMPERAS advice line will continue to operate until further notice. The eventual closure date has yet to be determined, but will be marked by an event and the final edition of its publication, Bottomline.
Trustee resources in The Guardian
A ‘trustees hub’, full of articles and guides about trustees and their roles, was launched recently by The Guardian Voluntary Sector Network in association with NCVO.
Current features include Top tips for recruiting good trustees and Charities must do more to educate people about the role of trustees.
Hurd rejects trustee payment proposal
A proposal that charities with incomes of more than £1million should be allowed to pay their trustees without first getting approval from the Charity Commission has been turned down by the Government.
The decision comes in an interim response from Nick Hurd, the minister for civil society, to Lord Hodgson's review of the Charities Act 2006, which came out in July and included the contentious recommendation to make it easier for large charities to pay trustees.
Hurd's ruling has disappointed the chief executives body Acevo, which has consistently favoured relaxing trustee payment, but has been welcomed by seven other sector organisations, including NAVCA and NCVO which had opposed the proposal.
There is an 'amber light' for the Hodgson proposal to change the mandatory registration thresholdfrom an annual income of £5,000 to one of £25,000. Hurd says it needs further thought in the light of a mixed reaction from the sector and evidence that the public would prefer to see more rather than fewer charities registered. And a ‘green light’ is given to Hodgson's view that there should be no change to the definition of charity and public benefit.
[from: Third Sector Online 4.12.12]
Fundraising music amnesty seeks collection centres
The Manchester Music Amnesty is a new fundraising initiative from Forever Manchester where local people donate their unwanted entertainment, which is exchanged for cash and put back into communities. For each CD album, DVD or computer game donated, a minimum of 50p is passed to Forever Manchester, which will use the proceeds to fund local charitable and community activities across Greater Manchester.
Forever Manchester is inviting local organisations to get involved by acting as collection points for the initiative. The charity will provide posters, a template e-mail to send to staff and contacts, and branded boxes for people to drop off their unwanted items. They will also arrange to collect boxes when they are full (each box holds about 100 items).
Organisations interested in acting as a collection point for the Manchester Music Amnesty, should ith their details so that a pack can be sent out to them.