// Start here

Welcome to the Third Sector Hub.

The Hub exists to support and develop organisations in the Third Sector based in or operating in North East Lincolnshire.

There’s plenty of information on this website, so your first starting point should be the SEARCH option above.

But we’re not a newspaper – if you want up to the minute Third Sector news, check out this article about news sources. Members of VANEL also have access to regular, local, sector specific news through the VANEL website here.

And if you’re after information related to operating within the sector then there are possibly better places to look. Try www.knowhownonprofit.org.uk in the first instance.

However, if you’re looking to develop your organisation, your staff, your volunteers, your board or committee and your trustees, and looking to survive, thrive, grow and develop for the long term, then the support and initiatives the Third Sector Hub operates are for you.

Read some detail about all the things the Hub does here, or read on…

We have resources. We run a meeting and training room and IT suite in the centre of Grimsby. We have a wide range of equipment and resources available for you to hire. We even have a library of useful books!

We run a training programme with briefings, workshops, courses and events all there to develop your organisation with sustainability in mind. Read all about our training here.

If you are a Charity then we operate a uniqiue Trustee Network specifically to support individual Trustees and boards of Trustees. Basic info here and a separate website at www.thrivetrustees.org.uk. There’s also training for Trustees (Roles and Responsibilities of Trustees workshop) and a masterclass for chairs of Trustees.

To give third sector organisations strong guideance into the future, we’re helping to support current and future leaders. Our Leaders Network gives direct, practical support for those wishing to develop their leadership skills and looking for support as they help drive our sector forward. The basics are here and the website for the network is at www.thriveleaders.org.uk.

Inevitably, all organisations need income to survive. We can help you search out Grants using our GRANTnet service, but sustainability is about income diversification.
We have training courses on fundraising, we run regular Sustainable Funding fairs or events, we have information online related to fundraising, loan finance, grant possibilities and procurement opportunities. We’re here to help organisations looking to develop their tendering and procurement capabilities – we’ve supported groups through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund route – so get in touch if this is for you.
We’re not here to sort out your funding for you – we’re here to help you better understand how to take a strategic, sustainable approach to funding. Read more on funding here.

Every organisation – third sector or otherwise – needs to communicate well. Communicate is a skill and an art. We’re running initatives to help third sector organisations communicate better.
We’re running Communication training courses, developing new opportunities for organisations to practice communication and media skills, and looking to develop outlets through which organisations can clearly tell their stories to as many audiences as possible. Keep an eye on our communication workstream for further information.

For some organisations, buildings and capital assets give a longer term sustainability option. We’re helping to support those organisations with community buildings, helping to move the public asset transfer agenda forward, and helping to keep organisations up to date on options around asset development. More information on capital assets here.

Most third sector organisations benefit from connecting with one another, working in partnership, collaborating or at least networking and communicating. The Hub helps empower the North East Lincolnshire Third Sector Partnership, the Third Sector Forum and its four working groups. We provide support in many ways, and more information about the Partnership and groups is on the separate website www.neltsp.org.uk.

Information can be empowering. Organisations working with the public sector need to have an understanding of Public Law so that their interactions are beneficial and fair. We’re championing understanding of public law through briefings, training and our support of the local Compact (VANEL and others) – www.vanel.org.uk/compact.

Organisations within the Third Sector are lagging behind in the IT stakes. Few make the most of their IT facilities, many websites are basic or poor (or non-existent) and many groups and individuals don’t even access computers, the internet or email. With ineffective IT putting local third sector organisations at a serious disadvantage and risk we’re looking to help support organisations make their IT more effective.
We’ve run some simple IT training courses, are supporting other IT training organisations, are opening up our IT suite for groups to use and are holding a series of briefings. Assuming you’re online and reading this then there is more information in our Effective IT workstream here.

But we can’t run training courses on everything and we’re trying to concentrate on those training & development opportunities that truely strengthen and grow organisations. So we have a guide online covering other training providers and options here.

If you think there’s something we’ve missed – something we should be delivering to help you develop your organisation to the full then please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

Get involved

We’d like to hear from you. By registering on this website (for free, here) you can comment on the articles you read here. You can also get involved in our discussion boards to open up topics for fuller discussion.

You can also register with us to receive information on networks, courses and other important news as it becomes available. If you’re not getting emails from us then please let us know by registering here. If you can’t get emails but still want to be kept up to date, just give us a call and tell us.

And organisations can get involved too. If you want the opportunity for your group or organisation to discuss how to develop and grow, or you’d like the Third Sector Hub to share information and stories about your group with others, then sign up with THRIVE (here) so we can support you better.
Thrive membership is simple and free, and if you’ve been involved in any way with the Hub to date then we’ve probably already got you signed up anyway. If not, get in touch, tell us what support you’d like, what information you’d like to receive and we’ll keep you informed and supported as best we can.

And finally…

What if I’m not in the Third Sector??

The Third Sector contributes significantly to the economic and social wellbeing of North East Lincolnshire. Individuals and organisations outside the sector should know more about what voluntary & community groups, social enterprises, development trusts, community interest companies, charities and the like are about.
The Third Sector Hub tries to promote the sector (and individual organisations) outside of the sector.

The sector offers people and skills, services and products, opportunities for partnership, volunteering or Corporate Social Responsibility. The public sector has a responsibility to connect with the Third Sector, and the Hub is here to help that happen.

Read more about cross sector support here or contact the Hub team for more information.

Where next?

Do a search for the topic you’re interested in. Browse through our categories for different types of information. Use our quicklinks page to get to a few popular tools quickly. Visit the Hub initiatives on our various websites.

Or give us a call. Not everthing is online. The team is just a phone call away on 01472 231123. Or email enquiries@thirdsectorhub.org.uk.

If you’re not looking to change direction at this stage, not seeking new ways to develop, but still need support with basic information, volunteer support, CRB checks, other training and signposting, then VANEL is still here to help. Get in touch.