Useful information – w/c 06/07/26
July 6, 2026
Events, training, charity news, surveys, research, feedback, reports, services and much more – in one handy place!
This page will be updated with new information as we receive it during the week. Please check back regularly. (Last update: 06/07/26 – items added on this date are marked as [NEW])
You’ll also find the latest Health and Wellbeing news, events and opportunities in the current post on our News page here.
You can view previous Useful Information posts here to catch up on our archive of information.
For useful resources, information, news and events, updates on our climate commitment, blog posts from colleagues about what they’re doing (in a work capacity and privately) to minimise environmental impact and more take a look at Cumbria CVS Green
If you’ve seen something you think we should be sharing, let us know! Email us: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Looking for funding information and news? Check out Focus on Funding here
Every Life Matters – Training
Every Life Matters offer a range of suicide prevention and mental health training, including Suicide Alertness, Safety Planning, Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace.
There are dates for sessions from now until December in this leaflet, online and around the county in-person: Cumbria Training 2026
Free film workshops
The Saltways, a video production company specialising in working with charities, are running free workshops for charities.
These workshops are open to anyone involved with a non profit who is interested in creating more effective video content, including fundraisers, communications managers, front-line staff, beneficiaries, and even marathon runners. There are free workshops taking place throughout June and July.
Spaces are limited, so book your place here.
Cyber Essentials Training: Mastering the Five Key Controls for Digital Security
Tuesday 7th July, online. This three-hour workshop offers an accessible introduction to Cyber Essentials, a government-backed framework designed to help organisations protect themselves from the most common cyber threats.
It also includes coverage of the 2026 ‘Danzell’ updates, explaining what has changed and what it means in practice for your organisation.
Over two engaging sessions, we’ll break down the scheme’s five critical controls and run a live hack, including reconnaissance and initial access, where you will play a lead role in the operation. By the end of the training, you’ll be equipped with actionable strategies to strengthen your organisation’s digital defences.
Digital Fundraising Conference 2026
Thursday 9th July, online. Join Fundraising Everywhere for this half-day conference designed to help fundraisers build the digital skills and confidence needed to succeed in today’s fast-changing fundraising landscape.
Through practical, expert-led sessions, you’ll learn key digital fundraising strategies, strengthen your use of digital channels, and gain actionable insights you can put into practice straight away.
The Future of Marketing
Thursday 9th July, online. Join Charity Digital for a dynamic day of insight, inspiration, and informed discussion exploring the evolving world of modern marketing. This online event brings together bold ideas and practical expertise, creating a dynamic space where attendees and sponsors can build meaningful connections and amplify their impact.
It will welcome hundreds of engaged, forward-thinking marketing professionals from across the not-for-profit sector, fostering a vibrant online environment for learning, collaboration, and shared innovation.
Brunch Bites – Collaborating Smarter in Microsoft Word
Thursday 9th July, online. In this webinar, Qlic IT will show you how to collaborate smarter in Microsoft Word, helping your organisation’s team work together more efficiently, avoid document confusion, and speed up everyday tasks.
Whether your team is office-based, hybrid or remote, you’ll leave with practical techniques you can put into action straight away.
CharityComms Conference: Next-Level Digital Engagement for Charities
Thursday 9th July, online. The CharityComms Digital Engagement Conference brings expert speakers and peers together for a full day of practical sessions on the topics shaping digital engagement right now.
From social trends and AI-driven search to building lasting supporter relationships and reporting the metrics that matter, there’s something here for every level and every organisational size.
Find out more and book your place here
Practical uses of AI for your charity
Tuesday 14th July, online. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers huge potential for charities.
AI can revolutionise the everyday. It provides significant benefits, saving you time, cutting costs, reducing human error, supercharging operations, streamlining processes, and so much more. But such benefits are more often talked about than realised. Charities face a problem: putting AI into practice.
This course aims, in just three hours, to boost your everyday use of AI. The course takes a hands-on, practical approach, showing charities how to use AI to improve meetings, boost email marketing, smash data analytics, enhance workflow efficiency, and so much more.
[NEW] Safeguarding Awareness Webinar
Thursday 16th July, Online. Safeguarding is a vital tool in ensuring the most vulnerable remain protected.
This webinar from CST’s Safe programme is an introduction to safeguarding, and covers what to do if you suspect there may be an issue which needs early intervention.
Creating an interactive dashboard using Power BI
Tuesday 21st July, online. As brilliant as it is, sometimes Microsoft Excel can’t deliver everything you need when it comes to data analysis, visualisation and publication.
This is where Microsoft’s Power BI steps in, enabling you to take your data analysis to the next level creating and sharing powerful, interactive and secure dashboards which can be shared privately or published and embedded in your website.
➡️ Getting to grips with Power BI’s basic building blocks
➡️ Getting data from Microsoft Excel
➡️ Creating & customising charts and visualisations
➡️ Printing, sharing & publishing reports
How to master email marketing
Wednesday 22nd July, online. Email marketing is one of the best ways to attract donors, raise funds, raise awareness, and highlight the impact of your charity. It is, in the simplest terms, an indispensable part of your marketing toolkit. There are 4.5 billion email users worldwide and research suggest two-thirds of marketers believe email provides the best ROI.
This course aims, in just three hours, to boost your email marketing. The course provides a hands-on approach, showing charities the basics of email marketing, the best platforms, strategies for effective list-building, the importance of segmentation, tips and tricks for crafting effective emails, the best way to write a subject line, the virtues of personalisation, and so much more.
The session explores barriers and boundaries that charities face. It shows you how to avoid email marketing traps such as spam filter, the various legal considerations and the best routes to compliance, the tedious tasks that are ripe for automation, how exactly you can start email automating, and more. Basically, in three hours, you’ll learn to be a whizz at email marketing.
[NEW] Driving value: Realising the benefits of your digital project
Thursday 23rd July, Online. The digital journey doesn’t stop when the system goes live – this is when the real work begins.
Adoption often stalls because of competing priorities, inconsistent training, or unclear ownership. Join Hart Square for this free online session.
How to manage charity finances – CPD Accredited
Tuesday 28th July, online. Finance can feel daunting, with the confusing terminology and frustrating processes.
Charities of all shapes and sizes find themselves struggling with finances, which can cause myriad problems: lack of transparency, absent accountability, reduced efficiency, inaccurate reporting, and so on.
This course aims, in just three hours, to help you make sense of your finances. It provides a simple, straightforward, plain-English introduction, covering budgeting, reporting, governance, sustainability, futureproofing, and so much more. In two back-to-back sessions, each lasting approximately 80 minutes, the course offers key insights into the essential elements of charity finance.
[NEW] Ctrl+Alt+Defend: What are trustees’ responsibilities in relation to AI and cyber risk?
Wednesday 29th July, online. Artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber threats are rapidly reshaping how charities think about risk. From AI-enabled fraud and increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks to data breaches and operational disruption, trustees are facing growing expectations to ensure their organisations are resilient in an increasingly digital environment.
Alongside these risks, trustees must also consider their governance responsibilities. This involves, balancing oversight, delegation and accountability, while ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place to protect their organisation’s people, data and assets. The potential consequences of getting this wrong can be significant, including financial loss, reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny.
This session is designed for charity trustees and senior leaders, including those with responsibility for finance, governance or risk. It is aimed at people who are seeking clear, practical guidance to support effective oversight of AI and cyber risk—without unnecessary technical complexity.
Strategic planning for your charity
Tuesday 4th August, online. This half day online course, in two 80 minute sections with a short break, encourages charity trustees and managers to embrace long-term planning. The course will help you to understand what is meant by ‘strategic’, think strategically, understand the importance of strategic planning in charity governance, develop an in-depth strategic plan, understand the tensions that arise between operational and strategic priorities, keep your strategic plan on track, and much more.
In the first session we will explore why your charity must develop a plan, not just to meet governance requirements but to allow effective financial and operational planning. A strategy is not a luxury but a necessity. It ensures your charity meets objectives, practices financial sustainability, and maximises impact. The first session will dive deep to clarify exactly what it means to think strategically and how to separate strategic and operational thinking.
The second session will address the process of generating a strategic plan, from start to finish. Starting with your constitution, vision and mission, and culminating in the production of a tangible document that will guide all areas of your charity’s operations including fundraising, recruitment, operational planning, developing infrastructure, and budgeting.
Introduction to Google Analytics 4
Wednesday 5th August, online. This course aims, in just three hours, to help you get to grips with GA4.
It explores recent changes to the platform, how to ensure you have the best data, the metric that you must know, and a general run-through of the interface, dipping into ‘realtime’ reports.
Google Ad Grants for beginners
Wednesday 12th August, online. Is your charity looking to set up a Google Ad campaign, but don’t know where to start?
This 2-hour course is specifically for nonprofit staff who have been awarded the $10,000/month Google Ad Grant, but do not know the basics for setting up their first campaign.
You will learn:
➡️ What is a Google Ad Grant?
➡️ How to structure your charity’s account
➡️ Google Ads & Keywords
➡️ Setting up a conversion with Google Analytics.
➡️ Google Ad Grants compliance and maintenance
Get Grants FREE Virtual Conference
Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 7th October, online. Join Get Grants for two days of expert fundraising advice, top tips, Q&As, networking, peer-support, and lots of chat!
The Conference is a celebration of fundraisers, with a programme designed around the topics you want to talk about.
Bringing together thousands of fundraisers from across the UK every year, this fun and heart-warming event with lots of practical advice is not your typical fundraising conference!
Conscious AI Summit
Thursday 15th October, Online. How can charities build an ethical future? This FREE event focuses on helping charities to use AI ethically.
Together, explore how charities can champion fairness, inclusion and awareness while navigating the risks and challenges associated with AI. The event will examine the vital role the sector can play in shaping the future of a technology that is too powerful to be defined by a select few alone.
Through thought-provoking discussion and practical insight, attendees will be encouraged to adopt AI with intention, purpose and creativity, leaving with the confidence to harness its potential responsibly and effectively within their organisations.
[NEW] Cumberland Council newsletter
You can view Cumberland Council’s newsletter from 03/07/26 here, including:
- One year to go until Tour de France comes to Cumberland
- Nominate a young person for the Flying High Awards
- Have your say on Carlisle’s future
[NEW] Westmorland and Furness Council newsletter
You can view Westmorland and Furness Council’s newsletter from 03/07/26 here, including:
- Be part of shaping Westmorland and Furness
- Free summer holiday activities
- Free local water safety training for children
[NEW] How to Support Transgender Employees in the Workplace
Being transgender means that your gender doesn’t align with the sex you were assigned at birth. This doesn’t always mean that transgender people identify as the ‘opposite’ gender. Some people identify as somewhere between male and female, or as having no gender at all.
LGBTQ+ people are not a homogenous group – trans and gender diverse people may have different needs. In this article, CharityJob explores how you can support transgender employees in the workplace.
[NEW] Raising money for charity: public guidance
The Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator have jointly published new guidance for people who are thinking about fundraising for charity, including for an emergency situation.
Many charities benefit from the public fundraising for them, such as people raising money by doing sponsored runs or events. If you decide to raise money for charity you, not the charity, are responsible for the fundraising. This guidance will help you make sure your fundraising is legal and ethical and give you the best chance of success.
[NEW] Two simple ways charities can get more from their data
Many charities collect data, but not all of them feel confident about how to use it. Reviewing responses to NPC’s data diagnostic tool, Senior Consultant John Williams saw two practical opportunities for organisations that want to strengthen their learning: make better use of existing evidence and make more of remote data collection.
Neither has to be complicated, but both work best when they start with a clear question about what you need to learn. This blog looks at two practical ways charities can make the most of these opportunities.
[NEW] NCVO signals shift away from service delivery focus in new strategy
Umbrella body NCVO plans to shift its primary focus from service delivery and is considering opening up its membership to ethical businesses as part of its new long-term strategy.
In its strategy, published last week, NCVO said it would prioritise four main “drivers” – growing a strong, representative membership; strengthening data, evidence and AI leadership; driving advocacy and strategic influence; and innovating through partnerships and new impact models.
“To achieve our ambitions we need to move away from a model focused mainly on delivering services,” the strategy reads.
[NEW] New Government Programme announced: Every Child Can
Children in every part of the country to get access to enriching activities to beat isolation online and build connections in the real world.
New benchmarks to give every school and college the tools to offer high-quality enrichment across arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills. £132.5 million ‘Every Child Can’ programme will fund activities within school and in communities at weekends and in the holidays, ensuring enrichment is a common entitlement for all — not just those who can afford to pay.
Every child, regardless of where they grow up or which school they attend, will benefit from enriching activities that build the skills, confidence and relationships they need for life and work.
[NEW] The Ethical Property Foundation free resources on understanding insurance responsibilities
Organisations looking for practical guidance on arranging and reviewing cover can visit the Foundation’s Charity Insurance Guide.
The guide covers key considerations for trustees, common insurance requirements and ways to avoid unnecessary costs.
[NEW] Fact sheet: New rules to protect children (under 16 year olds) online
The UK government will ban social media for under 16s. Alongside this, certain harmful features on other online services like livestreaming and strangers contacting children will be restricted for under 18s. Banned are platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X.
Theydo not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban.
High-risk features including livestreaming and strangers being able to contact children will also be restricted for under 16s on other online services like gaming.
This will be backed up by stronger requirements for age checks on platforms. The first set of Regulations will be laid before the end of the year, and the changes should be implemented in Spring 2027.
[NEW] Updated UK Government guidance: How to make changes to your charity’s governing document (CC36)
This latest guidance explains how charities can make changes to their governing document. For example, the charity’s purposes or rules on holding meetings.
There is separate guidance for:
- charitable companies
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO)
- unincorporated associations
- trusts
Read the guidance that applies to your type of charity. This will help you to follow the correct rules.
[NEW] Fundraising Regulator guide published: Charitable purposes soft opt-in and fundraising marketing
The Fundraising Regulator has published a guide to help charities to comply with the recently introduced charitable purposes soft opt-in rules. Introduced as part of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 on 5 February, soft opt-in rule changes have previously been estimated to raise an extra £290m per year for the charity sector.
The rules now allow charities to send electronic mail marketing about their charitable purposes without the recipient’s consent, provided that they meet particular legal requirements.
[NEW] The Warm Welcome Champions Programme is now open for applications
Across the UK, Warm Welcome Spaces are creating places of friendship, belonging and support in their communities. Behind every space are dedicated volunteers, staff and community leaders who work tirelessly to ensure people feel welcomed, valued and connected.
The Champions Programme is Warm Welcome’s way of investing in those spaces, helping them connect, learn and grow together. Whether you run a Warm Welcome Space yourself or think your local space could benefit from this opportunity, help spread the word. Applications are open until 19th July and can be completed through an online application form here.
The Champions Programme runs from October 2026 to June 2027 and will bring together 75 Warm Welcome Spaces from across the UK for nine months of shared learning, support and development.
[NEW] Secondary impacts of heatwaves
The Met Office defines a heatwave as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year.” For a heatwave to be declared, the maximum temperature must exceed a pre-set heatwave threshold on three consecutive days.
One of the lessons identified from previous heatwaves was that many people are unaware of the indirect or secondary impacts that heatwaves can have. The VCS Emergencies Partnership have created an infosheet that describes more about wildfires, flash flooding and air polution.
[NEW] Summer preparedness
As we enter the summer months, it is crucial to understand and prepare for the challenges that heatwaves may pose to our communities.
The VCS Emergencies Partnership provides valuable insights, resources, and guidance to help you navigate the risks associated with extreme heat. By staying informed and taking proactive measures, we can collectively mitigate the impacts of heatwaves, particularly on those who are often disproportionately impacted by emergencies such as adverse weather events.
[NEW] Stone King Annual Charity Chair Survey
Stone King have partnered with the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) at Bayes Business School to conduct the first Stone King Annual Charity Chair Survey.
For 2026, the theme is ‘Governance under pressure: how Chairs are leading through political, regulatory and financial complexity and uncertainty’. The Stone King Annual Charity Chair Survey builds on The Future Charity Chair, a forward-looking research project in 2024 on the issues facing charity Chairs in the next decade and beyond, also produced by CCE. The findings from this year’s survey will be published in the autumn.
Current Chairs, Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Deputy Chairs of charities in England or Wales can take part – as well as those who held one of these roles within the last 12 months. This includes charities registered with the Charity Commission, as well as charities that are exempt or excepted from registration.
[NEW] Gift aid income for charities rises 10% to £1.88bn
Gift aid income for charities in the UK has risen by 10% year-on-year to £1.88bn, according to new government statistics.
Published last week, HMRC’s UK charity tax relief statistics show that gift aid was paid to 67,650 charities in the tax year ending April 2026.
This is about the same number as the previous year but a decrease on 2019’s 73,220.
[NEW] Supporting older people with volunteering
In autumn 2025, NAVCA shared details of a survey being conducted by two researchers from Newcastle University (Bruce Davenport & Yang Wang). The survey concerned volunteer managers’ experiences of supporting older people as they approach the end of their volunteering. Thank you to all NAVCA members who shared their expertise.
Over the last few months, Yang & Bruce have been analysing the data and have produced a report based on their findings.
The results show a great deal of consistency across different volunteer involving sector and across a range of organisations. Volunteer managers tend to support older volunteers to continue their volunteering as long as the older volunteers are able to do so. However, there are limits to this and these are framed in different ways. Yang & Bruce suggest that volunteer managers are engaged in caring work with volunteers and they link this to the idea of volunteer management as a relational practice which has consequences for both volunteers and the people managing them.
Disclaimer
The information above is provided in good faith. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that it is correct, Cumbria CVS cannot accept liability for any omissions or inaccuracies and does not take responsibility for the quality for any services or products mentioned.
