HOW TO RUN A FUNDRAISING EVENT

Workshop for Third Sector Fundraisers

Wednesday 12th May 2010, 10am – 4pm
at VANEL offices, Melbourne House, Town Hall Street, Grimsby

Fundraising Events are a win-win for everyone. Your organisation raises unrestricted funds & gets valuable publicity and all those attending have a great time.

But fund-raisers don’t just happen! They need organising and planning to make sure they’re hitch free and make it worth your while.

This one-day workshop will help you, your staff and volunteers to plan that next fund-raiser more effectively.

£ 20 per person

Every fund-raising event is different, just as every charity, voluntary or community group doing the organising is different. But event management follows certain rules and similarities and this workshop will help you plan your events with practical advice and support. We’ll look at venues, speakers, insurance, permits, funding, staffing, health & safety and much more.

If you’re planning an event this year – perhaps your first or you’d like to look at improving on your last fund-raiser, this workshop will save you time, effort and money in the long-run.

The workshop will be delivered by Helen Howard – VANEL Funding Advice Development Worker, Fundraising Plus project.

Places are limited, so book early. Max 3 attendees per organisation. Only open to North East Lincolnshire based Third Sector Organisations. Priority may be given to smaller groups. This workshop is heavily subsidised through the Fundraising Plus project but additional bursaries may be made available for groups with under £30k pa income – please call to discuss.

To book call Vicky Hardy, Third Sector Hub Administrator at VANEL on 01472 231123 or email booknow@vanel.org.uk. More info at www.thirdsectorhub.org.uk/fundraisingevents

HOW TO RUN A FUNDRAISING EVENT will be delivered by Helen Howard of the Fundraising Plus project based at VANEL, funded via Big Lottery and led through HANA. (www.fundraisingplus.net) The workshop is organised and managed by the Third Sector Hub (www.thirdsectorhub.org.uk) also based at VANEL (www.vanel.org.uk).

The NAVCA Tender Support Project project offers one to one help from a consultant to help with writing a tender submission.

The support is available to third sector organisations who have failed to secure a public contract or are new to procurement. The NAVCA programme will help the group to obtain external consultancy support and will pay a contribution towards this support.

VANEL are aware that this is a very specific support offerring and it will not be right for everyone. It’s not available to help with grant applications or other funding routes – just public contract procurement and just for organisations who are new to this or have had problems.

If you think you might want to take up this service please contact Richard Wendel-Jones at VANEL on 01472 231123 who will be able to explain the support and determine if it is of use to you. If not, it may be relevant to speak to VANEL anyway. Helen Howard is our Funding Advice Development Worker and operates the Fundraising Plus project in North East Lincolnshire. It may be that she can assist in other ways more relevant to your needs.

You can download a 1 page pdf summary of the Tender Support Project here.
or our Flyer is here.

A long hard look might show many areas of our organisations that work well and have no need to change. But are there areas that we need to consider changing?

Many smaller organisations could struggle for funding in the coming years with expected public sector cuts and decreased giving. Increasingly, more is expected for less and innovation is demanded, but how do you get those invaluable new ideas? NCVO have recently published Sourcing Innovative Solutions, an article giving practical advice on how to get the best ideas.

The article can be downloaded here and more information on innovation is on the NCVO website here.

Pathways through the maze

Sustainability for TSOs should at least take procurement and service contracts into consideration. This publication answers all of the key questions organisations will have about procurement legalities, processes and issues.

Printed versions of the publication have been distributed to members of NAVCA but the guide can be downloaded as a .pdf for free.

Download the publication here.

Visit the information page on the NAVCA website here.

Related resources:

The publication itself contains a number of useful related resources.

There is a Compact code for procurement for North & North East Lincolnshire. This is available on the Compact website here.

The Local Commissioning & Procurement Unit (LCPU) was established in 2008 and helps third sector groups through the commissioning process. Their minisite is here.
Download their flyer here.
They have many useful guides and resources listed here – download all the details as a .pdf here.

Within North East Lincolnshire, CERT runs the “Doing Business with the VCS” project to help organisations through PQQs, tenders and the procurement process. Contact Chris Mason at CERT on 01469 572313.

More information about procurement related resources is posted in the “Sustainable Finance” section of the Third Sector Hub website. Go here.

What do you think?

Any thoughts on this resource? Have you read it or used it? Is it any good? Are there other similar resources you can recommend?

Share your comments with others:

What are the threshold and core capabilities that funders look for in a voluntary organisation?
Do different funding agencies value similar or different capabilities in the voluntary organisations they wish to contract with or give grants to?
Do voluntary organisations inherently possess distinctive organisational capabilities?
Which organisational capabilities are likely to become more important over the next 3-5 years?

As part of the Third Sector Hub Sustainable Funding training programme Andy will be presenting a short briefing to help organisations to understand the current landscape of funding decisions.

The presentation and findings will be of particular interest to voluntary organisations operating in a competitive contract environment (tenders / large scale funding applications) and to procurement and commissioning staff from funding bodies, such as local authorities, primary care trusts etc.

The presentation will cover

INTRODUCTION
Setting the Scene – The “Contract Culture” and voluntary organisations
Brief background to the research

FINDINGS
Threshold capabilities – what characteristics, assets, resources and competences does a voluntary organisation need simply to “play the funding game”?
Core capabilities – which, if any, capabilities can begin to give a voluntary organisation competitive advantage?
Do voluntary organisations inherently possess distinctive capabilities that help them gain and sustain competitive advantage?
What do funders say they are going to be looking for in the future?

CONCLUSIONS
What are the implications for your organisation?
Question and answer session

The briefing will be held alongside the December meeting of the Third Sector Pioneer Group but is open to any qualifying indivdiuals. Places are very limited and are available to those North East Lincolnshire based Third Sector Organisations who are involved in contracts, procurement, tendering etc.

For further information or to book please contact Karl Elliott.

Information about the fund itself is on the DWP website http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/futurejobsfund

Our local bid (led by Humber Economic Partnership) is listed here – http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/futurejobsfund/fjf-awards-july2009.pdf

Press Statement

“The Hull and Humber Ports City Region Future Jobs Fund project was submitted by the Humber Economic Partnership on behalf of a pan-Humber consortium of local authorities covering East Riding of Yorkshire, the City of Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire and a range of voluntary and community sector partners. The project has the endorsement of the City Region’s Employment, Enterprise and Skills Board comprising major public and private sector leaders in the area, who will monitor the delivery of the project.

The project will create 350 jobs for young people aged 18-25 years, and people in hotspot areas across the city region, who have been out or work for more than a year or are in danger of becoming long term unemployed. The jobs will last for a minimum of 6 months and be in community settings or social enterprises providing community benefit or be jobs in new or emerging sectors. Where available at the local level, this will include a tailored package of support drawing on existing expertise and services”

Latest information

A presentation from DWP about Future Jobs Fund was delivered on 9th September and has been circulated. Download the presentation (Powerpoint) here.

Presentation

The Powerpoint presentation at the event contained a number of names and useful links. You can view the presentation online here (without the need for Powerpoint software). (This is powered through Slideshare.)

What we covered…

We spoke about…

Working Neighbourhoods Fund – current status
CommunityBuilders Fund – new fund
Fundraising Plus initiative – introducing Helen Howard
Moneymatters Plus initiative – introduced Ian & Brian from CERT
GRANTnet – tool for finding grants
Grassroots Grants – at update from VANEL
Targeted Support Fund – closed now but an update
Hardship Fund – open now
Ward Concilor Funding
FairShare Youth Fund Grant
Awards for All
the LEADER programme

We then concluded with a short development session tackling funding by looking at how organisations could/should work in partnership to develop funding opportunities properly.

Click on the items above to find out more about each option.

Who was involved?

Karl Elliott, Third Sector Hub Manager, VANEL
Richard Wendel-Jones, Third Sector Contracts Manager, VANEL
Helen Howard, Funding Advice Development Worker at VANEL
Ian Oxley and Brian Howell from CERT – Moneymatters Plus project
Helen Atkinson, Grimsby Central Hall, spoke about her Awards for All application
Paul Crompton, the Northern Lincolnshire LEADER Programme

Thanks too to Paul Taylor and the team at Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre for hosting us.

Useful links

The Third Sector Hub is www.thirdsectorhub.org.uk
The Sustainable Finance workstream from the Hub is at www.thirdsectorhub.org.uk/finance
VANEL is at www.vanel.org.uk
HANA (leading on Fundraising Plus) is www.hanaonline.org.uk
GRANTnet is provided through the Third Sector Hub at www.thirdsectorhub.org.uk/grantnet or go direct here.

Where next?

Start reading through articles related to Sustainabe Finance here.
GRANTnet training is on 13th October – call Charlotte on 01472 231123 to book your place
similarly, “First Steps to Sustainability” is on 13th October (am) – more details soon or contact Charlotte

What is Awards for All?

Awards for All England is a simple small grants scheme making awards of between £300 and £10,000.

The Awards for All programme aims to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need.

To do this we want to fund projects that meet one or more of the following outcomes:
• People have better chances in life – with better access to training and development to improve their life skills.
• Stronger communities – with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems.
• Improved rural and urban environments – which communities are better able to access and enjoy.
• Healthier and more active people and communities.

The application form is short and simple. Email us the completed form.

You will find out if you are successful within six weeks.

Can I apply?

You may be eligible to apply for an Awards for All grant if you can meet one of the criteria mentioned above, and:
• you are a not-for-profit group (including social enterprises), or you are a parish or town council, school or health body.
• you have a bank account that requires at least two unrelated people to sign each cheque or withdrawal.
• you have a governing body with at least three unrelated members
• you can spend the grant within one year.

What to do next

• If you think you are eligible to apply, look at our apply page and download the guidance notes and application form.
• Not eligible for an Awards for All grant? Look at the other small grants available from the other distributors.

Contact

• Call our team for advice on 0845 4 10 20 30.
• Email us at general.enquiries@awardsforall.org.uk.
• Call our Lottery Funding Helpline on 0845 275 00 00 or go to www.lotteryfunding.org.uk for details of all the lottery funding available.

CERT has just launched the Money Matters Plus project – an important initiative that could benefit many Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) in the Humber region. There are two aims to the project:
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SERVICE: To raise the level of financial awareness and the standard of record keeping and accounts preparation in the voluntary sector.
CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT: To engage with and encourage corporate sector organisations to provide financial accounting expertise to VCOs, bringing tangible benefits to both sectors.

Research has shown that many voluntary organisations see better management of their finances as an important element of improving the well-being and efficiency of their organisation as well as removing fears and uncertainties. Proper management of money matters will also ease the burden of preparing accounts for the Charities Commission and, should the need arise, the completion of statutory returns for items such as tax, VAT and PAYE. Applications for funding are also increasingly likely to rely on sound financial systems.

The Financial Assistance Service can help VCOs in a number of ways:
•Assessing the type of systems required to manage their finances.
•Devising the acceptable minimum level of money management necessary.
•Utilising the skills and resources already available in the organisation.
•Providing training to fill any gaps in knowledge.
•Linking them with other organisations that can provide practical help and advice.
•Providing general advice, information, and pointers to other useful resources.

The service is free: we do not sell hardware, software, or services through the Money Matters Plus project.

For more information on the Financial Assistance Service, or to register interest as a VCO, please contact:
Ian Oxley
Financial Assistance Manager
ian@cert-ltd.co.uk
01469 572313 Ext 21

The Corporate Engagement Programme will operate in tandem with the Financial Assistance Service and will actively be identifying companies (of all sizes), and other corporate organisations, that are willing to support VCOs through the provision of finance & accounting expertise. This is very much seen as not only a way of helping VCOs, but also of facilitating corporate social responsibility, improving business’s connections to the local community, and enhancing staff and organisational performance.

For more information on the Corporate Engagement Programme, or to register interest as an organisation potentially wishing to support the Programme, please contact:

Brian Howell
Corporate Engagement Manager
brian@cert-ltd.co.uk
01469 572313 Ext 22

The Third Sector Hub runs events to help local Third Sector Organisations understand how to make the most of funding opportunities and how to develop strategic thinking about income, funding and finance. The key is thinking Sustainable finance rather than simply moving from one funding source to another. Check out articles under “Sustainable Finance” for more information.

Our events take many forms. Every few months we deliver a “Sustainable Funding Event”. Other courses may be more specific.

17th Sept 2009, “Sustainable Funding Event”

Thur 17th Sept 2009, “Sustainable Funding Event”, Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre
The September meeting of the Third Sector Forum will take the form of a Funding event.

This will include a series of briefings on a number of new grant & funding schemes available to help your organisation build financial resilience.

overview of the event

There are a number of new or upcoming funding schemes providing grants, other funding sources and support that can be accessed by third sector organisations within North East Lincolnshire.

This free afternoon event consists of a number of briefings on a range of these funding opportunities. You will also have the opportunity to discuss, share information and network regarding these opportunities and working together to access them.

The event will also allow you to learn about the role of the newly appointed VANEL Funding Advice Development Worker, and how she may be able to support your organisation.

details

Refreshments from 12.30pm
Event starts 1pm and will run until around 3pm followed by opportunities to discuss funding and GRANTnet with the presenters.

Places are free to third sector organisations, but please ensure you book.

Useful downloads

Download the flyer for the 17th Sept event here.

Book a place

Call Charlotte at VANEL on 01472 231123 and go here for more information on booking.

See also

Read more articles on Sustainable Finance
Details of venues
training on GRANTnet service