Useful Information – October 2024
September 27, 2024
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 September. Please check back regularly. (Last update: 15/10/24 – 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 last month’s Useful Information here to catch up on new information added during September ’24.
For useful resources, information and news, 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? Check out the latest edition of Focus on Funding here
Training and Events
Budgeting tips for charities: how to plan your financial year
24 October, online. In our upcoming webinar, Charity Digital will explore strategies to improve financial planning, ensure compliance, and leverage tech solutions to streamline tasks. Discover how to simplify month-end, year-end, and overall budgeting for smoother operations.
Get tips for simplifying month-end, year-end, and overall budgeting strategies to make your charity’s financial management more effective.
Digital inclusion in the UK charity sector
22 October, online. Digital inclusion has deep and wide-ranging social consequences, ranging from worsening economic inequality, lack of access to opportunities, and vulnerability to crime. In the UK, an estimated one in seven people are deprived across two or more dimensions of digital.
In this webinar, Charity Digital will explore the fundamentals of digital exclusion and inclusion, explore the findings from the Digital inclusion in the UK charity sector report in detail, and look at the ways charities can bridge the digital divide long into the future.
Inter Faith Week events
10 – 17 November 2024. Please see the flyers below for details of: Home sessions of meditation or prayer and study; AWAZ Cumbria and Westmorland and Furness Diversity Equity and Inclusion Partnership (WFDEIP) talks on interfaith; +more.
Retired RC Priest IF Week 2024 event
WFDEIP IFWk 2024 at home event
WFDEIP IFWk 2024 QT event
Start a purpose-driven business – free training
The School of Social Enterprise are offering free training for anyone wanting to learn how to transform their ideas into a purpose-driven business that not only makes a positive impact, but also connects you with your community.
There are sessions in Barrow in October and November, Penrith in November and December, and Kendal in November, December and January. See the flyers below for more information.
SOSE BARROW FLYER
SOSE KENDAL FLYER
SOSE PENRITH FLYER
Cumberland Council’s Strategic Commissioning Provider Engagement Sessions
Cumberland Council Children’s Residential Provider Engagement Day – 21 October 2024, Carlisle. This will be an opportunity to meet, share ideas and shape services. We want to build a Cumberland where every child grows up in a nurturing and supportive environment, both at home and in school, surrounded by a caring and strong community which enables them to maximise their potential, learn and thrive.
Cumberland Council Advocacy Hub – 23 October 2024, online. Cumberland Council has two short term Advocacy contracts in place to deliver all its statutory advocate services. The council intends to run a tender exercise in October 2024 for providers who potentially would be interested in submitting a tender submission to deliver a Cumberland Advocacy Hub, commencing 1st February 2025.
Day Opportunities Framework Provider Engagement Session – 24 October 2024, online. Cumberland Council operate a Framework for the provision of Day Opportunities to eligible Adults across Cumberland, this is due to end 31st March 2025. The Council intends to run a tender exercise in October 2024 for providers to join its new Day Opportunities Framework (commencing 1st April 2025) and would like to invite all interested providers (current and new) to join us for an engagement session.
More information on these events, and how to register, is available in this document
Barrow Introduction to British Sign Language courses
Starting Monday 4 November, Barrow. Cumbria Deaf Association would like to invite you and your staff to attend a new Introduction to British sign Language (BSL) course. BSL is the first or preferred language of an estimated 70,000 Deaf people in the UK, and in March 2003, BSL was recognised by the Government as a language on its own.
Currently we offer a six-week introduction to basic sign language course, which is an entry level course. This is ideal for anyone wanting to learn some signs and gain a better understanding of deaf awareness. A relaxed fun learning environment with topics that can include family, numbers, colours, emotions, animals etc with basic communication being the main goal. Course cost £95.
CAfS/Zero Carbon Cumbria Community Climate Grants
The team at Zero Carbon Cumbria have £50,000 of grant funding for community groups to develop renewable energy schemes or tackle other climate issues such as energy use, local food growing, waste reduction and promotion of the circular economy, to sustainable transport options. They’re hosting a free webinar on Monday 14th October at 7pm to help groups apply.
Details on the grants and the event are here. Applications close midnight on Sunday 24 November 2024.
Gift Aid Awareness Day
Gift Aid Awareness Day is just around the corner. Get involved on Thursday 3 October and encourage donors to #TickTheBox! CFG (Charity Finance Group) has launched its new Gift Aid Awareness Day campaign toolkit. Download the toolkit (which contains social media images, stickers and printable posters!) and pass this on to your comms colleagues. We want to see a future where every Gift Aid penny is claimed. Let’s make this year’s campaign the best yet! Find out more about GAAD.
Festival of Trusteeship 2024
Getting on Board’s Festival of Trusteeship is happening from Monday 4 November to Friday 8 November in conjunction with Trustees’ Week. The 15 sessions over five days will help you develop and grow your trustee superpowers. Whether you’re just getting started on your trustee journey or have been a serial trustee for years there’s something for you.
Topics include:
- Convincing the sceptics: diversifying your board
- Trustees in 2024: A deep dive into the latest trustee research
- Catching clouds: How to assess and pin down your organisation’s culture
- What is it like to be a charity CEO? Getting on Board draws back the curtain
- Turkeys voting for Christmas – how can you conduct an objective review of your governance?
- Are trustees brave enough? Get empowered to be a brave trustee
Youth Work Week
4-10 November. The National Youth Agency is calling on youth workers to celebrate the rich diversity of young people they support and the ways they make their provision accessible in line with this year’s theme: A right to youth work for all – delivering positive futures for young people.
Youth clubs can choose to celebrate in any way they wish and there’s lots of guidance on how to go about planning your event on the NYA’s website, as well as downloadable assets and templates to help you engage your local MP and media.
Find out more about Youth Work week here and the Art of Youth Work campaign.
Digital Fundraising Summit
Thursday 7 November 2024. The Summit is a free, one-day, online event, with informative webinars, interactive workshops and plenty of time for networking.
We will explore fundraising trends and fads, and how to spot the difference; examine the impact of AI and where it can help with fundraising; investigate how we can make fundraising more accessible for donors; and much, much more.
Get Grants Virtual Conference
1 & 2 October, online. Two days of expert fundraising advice, top tips, Q&As, networking, peer-support, and lots of chat.
The Conference will be full of celebration, inspiration, and practical advice and support, bringing together Fundraisers from across the UK for a programme led by Get Grants Experts, funders, and other experts from across the sector, providing practical support and advice for fundraisers of all levels that can easily be put in to practice.
VCFSE News and Information
Trusteeship charity announces closure due to funding challenges
Getting On Board, an infrastructure charity that promotes trusteeships, has announced its closure due to an “increasingly challenging funding environment” and “acute resourcing pressures”.
The charity, set up in 2005, has notified the Charity Commission and insolvency practitioners from Lucas Ross have been appointed to commence an orderly wind down of the charity.
How to improve workplace volunteering
Workplace volunteering is booming but more needs to be done to ensure employers can keep up with rising demand.
Cumberland Council Newsletter
You can view the Cumberland Council Newsletter from 06/10/24 here, including:
- Cumberland Youth Voice launched
- Councils submit devolution response
- More community investments
Westmorland & Furness Council Newsletter
You can view Westmorland & Furness Council’s newsletter from 04/10/24 here, including:
- Councils submit devolution response to Government
- Council announces new Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy
- Council launches new ‘Go Green’ collection in libraries
‘No plans to charge’ for use of Charity Governance Code, says steering group
There are no plans to charge users of the Charity Governance Code, the steering group responsible for it has said.
The group consulted on potential changes to the code earlier this year and received nearly 500 responses to its questions including whether charities would be “willing to pay a small fee”, based on their size, to use it.
Why charities can’t afford to ignore finances
Don’t ignore the bottom line or you risk being in the red.
1,500 charity recipients of government’s £71m cost-of-living fund revealed
The government has published the names of the 1,500 English charities to which it awarded £71m-worth of funding from its Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund.
The funding, distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund, formed the bulk of former chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s over £100m pledge in his 2023 spring budget to support the sector during a period of increased demand and through the cost-of-living crisis.
Refreshed guidance on charities and financial difficulties
The Charity Commission has refreshed its guidance about financial difficulties. The legal requirements remain the same, which the guidance continues to cover, but the guidance is now in three parts, making it easier for trustees to find the information that best relates to their situation and charity structure. This also cuts down the overall time it takes to read the guidance.
Take this opportunity to ensure you are familiar with the advice on actions trustees can take to improve their financial governance and protect against financial difficulties and understand what to do if their charity is insolvent or at risk of insolvency.
Read the refreshed guidance here
Fully funded Digital Learning Grants
In 2023, JustGiving and Fundraising Everywhere launched the first Digital Learning Grant: the free coaching programme designed to boost fundraising professionals’ digital skills and confidence. And with participants improving their skills by up to 104%, the Digital Learning Grant is back in 2024 – AND there’s double the number of places available!
With a carefully curated online learning hub, 1:1 coaching calls, free workshops and access to online events, you’ll boost your skills and confidence in strategy, innovation, accessibility and much more.
Charity Finance Digital Resource Centre
The finance function is critical to the organisation delivering on its mission, but it’s been a tough time of late. From increased service demands to fundraising difficulties, it’s more important than ever to optimise your finance system and future-proof it for the evolving demands ahead.
With that in mind, iplicit have curated a selection of free digital transformation resources to help you and your finance team. The Resource Centre is regularly updated with new guides, videos and how to’s.
Visit the Resource Centre here
Mobile Connectivity
Mobile Network Operators and Government are working together to transform mobile coverage countywide through the UK Government Shared Rural Network mobile programme, which is seeking to deliver 95% geographical 4G coverage in the UK from at least one Mobile Network Operator by 2025.
You can find out more about current mobile connectivity in your area using the Ofcom mobile availability checker
UK Government Project Gigabit
Project Gigabit delivery continues across Cumbria. This £108m gigabit-capable broadband scheme will improve connectivity across our county through targeting up to 60,000 properties that are not expected to be reached through commercial deployment programmes.
The properties included in this programme are currently being reviewed by Building Digital UK, an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with the expectation that additional properties in Cumbria will be released for deployment planning by Fibrus under the contract. You can follow all the latest news and find out all the latest deployment information via the Hyperfast GB website
Age Friendly Board vacancies
Cumberland Council has announced the formation of a dedicated Age Friendly Board to support its services for residents aged 50 and over. This important initiative marks a key step in the council’s efforts to create an Age Friendly Cumberland, a place where older people can live healthy, active, and fulfilling lives.
Underpinning the board are two newly established Age Friendly Partnership Groups—one serving Carlisle and the other serving south and west Cumberland. These groups will work closely with the Age Friendly Board to drive forward initiatives and actions that promote inclusivity and support for older residents.
The Board are seeking the following:
- Chair of Carlisle Age Friendly Partnership
- Vice Chair of Carlisle Age Friendly Partnership
- Chair of West Cumbria Age Friendly Partnership
- Vice Chair of West Cumbria Age Friendly Partnership
- Members of the Cumberland Age Friendly Board (as representatives of the Partnership groups)
Please apply here deadline end of October 2024.
If you would like to join either of the partnerships or would like an informal discussion about one of the above roles, please contact joanna.coleman@cumberland.gov.uk
Sleep Patrol
I am working in partnership with a local bed manufacturer who are donating to me their returned stock. These in turn are available to support families and individuals in the Carlisle and surrounding area free of charge to support “Sleep Poverty”. To date we have successfully supported 127 households with free bed items.
This is a professional referral and the criteria is that the household is experiencing hardship. I mostly have king size mattresses and headboards, but do also receive from time to time double and single bases, headboards and mattresses. We can also make arrangements to have the old replaced items collected free of charge, but just those items.
More information is available in this leaflet
Cumberland Council Statement of Community Involvement Consultation
We are now consulting on a draft Statement of Community Involvement and would welcome your views.
The draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out the how the Council will involve the local community, organisations, and stakeholders with land use planning matters in the district outside the Lake District National Park, including planning applications, planning enforcement, and planning policy and the local plan. When adopted the new SCI will replace the existing SCIs from the four legacy Councils in Cumberland (Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland and Cumbria).
To view the draft SCI and for further information on the consultation please see the Council’s website. All comments must be received by 5pm on 25 October 2024.
How to get your team invested in cyber security
A look at some of the simple ways your team can remain engaged, educated, and enthusiastic about enforcing cyber security.
Guidance to break down barriers between councils and smaller charities welcomed
The Local Government Association (LGA) has published guidance to improve relationships between councils, regional sector bodies and smaller charities in England.
LGA’s guide says that barriers to councils working in partnership with smaller charities often arise when there is “a lack of trust, openness or poor communication” as well as insufficient resources put into maintaining positive relationships.
Faith charities express worries for future amid ‘less sympathetic’ climate
Senior staff at several major UK Christian charities have expressed their worries for the future of the faith-based charity sector at the annual Faith Charities Forum last month.
After a challenging year for the sector as a whole, leaders from CAFOD, Christian Aid and the Methodist Church all agreed that the “less sympathetic” climate is making it especially difficult for many faith-based charities to operate at optimum efficiency, both at home and overseas.
Take Charge – a free energy advice service for householders
The Energy Saving Trust are currently running a campaign to let people know about the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance and how Take Charge can help people reduce their energy bills and more.
We have resources (digital and hard copy) to support this campaign which can be shared with members of the public. Please find attached copies of our leaflet and one of our posters. If you would like these or any hard copies of our leaflets, posters or thermometer cards or to arrange a briefing to run through our offer and referral/signposting pathways in more detail, contact Emma Goulding Emma.Goulding@est.org.uk or 0207 2270366.
Household Support Fund extended to April 2025
The Household Support Fund in England has been extended up until April 2025. There will be a £421 million boost for local authorities in England to help people most in need with the cost of their energy, food and water, with £79 million for devolved administrations. Pensioners and others struggling to heat their homes or afford other essential items over the colder months should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them.
Details on the latest scheme for local authorities and councils will be communicated in the coming weeks.
You can find out more on the government website
Campaign for Disability Justice
Launched by grassroots Deaf and Disabled Peoples Organisation (DDPO), Inclusion Barnet, who also provide local infrastructure in Barnet, this national campaign calls on Government to work with Disabled led organisations to guarantee: Opportunity to work, financial Security and Respect, for all Disabled people, whether in work or not.
This comms pack is for frontline organisations to spread the word about the campaign.
Pension Credit Take Up Campaign
You will probably have seen/heard about the Pension Credit Take Up campaign that the Government and DWP are plugging at the moment. Some useful factsheets, flyers and posters are available below:
PC – A4 General poster 1
PC – A4 General poster 2
PC – A4 How to apply poster
PC – A5 Factsheet
PC – A5 Flyer
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit or call or the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234. There is also a useful eligibility checker here
Benevolent charities report rise in demand as cost-of-living crisis persists
Benevolent charities have reported seeing a rise in demand for their services and a change in the demographic of beneficiaries as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
Donal Watkin, chief executive of the Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO), which represents more than 120 charities that provide financial support, told Civil Society that ACO members saw a 7% increase in expenditure in terms of financial support to individuals over the last year.
How to get your team invested in cyber security
Your staff may be motivated to work for your charity for a wide variety of reasons, but the desire to thwart cyber criminals probably isn’t one of them. That’s a problem because, like it or not, thwarting cyber criminals has to be a key part of their jobs – and one that they think about every day.
In this article, explore some of the simple ways your team can remain engaged, educated, and enthusiastic about enforcing cyber security.
Have Your Say: Statement of Community Involvement Consultation 13th September to 25th October
Cumberland Council are consulting on a draft Statement of Community Involvement. A Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) is a document prepared by the Council which sets out the Council’s approach to involving and engaging the community and stakeholders in the planning system. This includes both planning policy (the preparation of the Local Plan and other policy documents) and development management (planning applications and other development applications).
It is a legal requirement for the Council to produce an SCI and keep it up to date. The former legacy council’s each had their own SCIs; these will be replaced by the new Cumberland SCI when adopted. For further information see the Council’s website To comment on the draft SCI click here
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
[NEW] Charities report difficulties recruiting legacy fundraisers
Charities have reported facing difficulties recruiting and retaining legacy fundraisers in a new report.
The report, published by consultancy Legacy Futures, says a lack of quality candidates with relevant skills and a failure by charities to offer attractive salaries are the main factors damaging recruitment.
[NEW] More large charities reporting on carbon footprint and EDI efforts, research finds
There has been an increase in the number of large charities choosing to report on their impact on the climate and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), according to new research.
The research, published in the October edition of Charity Finance, is the latest review of annual reports and accounts carried out for the magazine by Helena Wilkinson, partner and head of charities and not-for-profit at accountancy firm Price Bailey.
Social impact investment market hits £10bn as loans to charities surge, report finds
The UK’s social impact investment market grew to £10bn at the end of 2023, according to annual data from Better Society Capital (BSC), due to an increase in loans to charities and social enterprises.
Loans to charities and social enterprises increased by 16% year-on-year to £4.1bn in 2023, driven by charity bonds, increased bank lending and debt funds.
Charity shops see drop in profits as retail costs continue to increase
The Charity Shops Survey 2024 has found that a number of UK charity shops have seen their profits drop as they continue to face higher expenditure levels.
Published in the October issue of Civil Society’s sister publication Charity Finance, the annual survey received responses from 34 charities providing details for the financial year to 31 December 2023 or March 2024.
Findings from the 2024 Newton Charity Investment Survey
This year’s survey suggests that, while still a concern, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and inflation on the charity sector is starting to ease, though there is continued pressure from increased demand for charities’ services.
Nevertheless, charities are adjusting their focus to longer-term issues such as climate change, cybersecurity, diversity and broader investment resilience. Although today’s challenges remain a concern, the future is coming into sight.
Four in five charities concerned about new sexual harassment rules, survey finds
Four out of five charities are concerned about protecting their staff from sexual harassment as new rules for employers are introduced this month, a survey has found.
HR consultancy WorkNest questioned 173 charities on changes to employment law due to be implemented from 26 October as part of the Worker Protection Act 2023.
One-fifth of charity leaders report difficulties in claiming gift aid, CFG survey shows
One-fifth of charity leaders have reported difficulties in claiming gift aid, according to new research by Charity Finance Group (CFG).
CFG surveyed 100 charity professionals including finance directors, finance officers, senior charity leaders, trustees and gift aid officers on their experience of the gift aid scheme.
VCSE Barometer Survey – share your views about governance, trustees and more
The VCSE Data and Insights Observatory invites you to contribute to the VCSE Barometer Survey, running until Wednesday 16 October. This quarter, the topical question set focuses on governance and they’re interested in the roles and skills of trustees and directors from an organisational perspective.
The VCSE Barometer is run by the VCSE Observatory at Nottingham Trent University. Your feedback contributes to comprehensive reports, interactive online seminars, and a dynamic, user-friendly dashboard available on the Barometer website. These resources inform both the community of participating organisations and national policymakers. Through your input, the survey acts as a rapid and straightforward ‘temperature check’, offering immediate insights on key sector issues.
Add your voice to this survey by visiting the Barometer here
Electric Vehicles Made Easy Survey
Electric Vehicles are the future, and CAfS wants to make sure Cumbria is ready for the transition. Electric Vehicles Made Easy is designed to support Cumbrians navigate the switch to EVs and they need your help!
Whether you are an EV driver, thinking of getting one, or don’t know where to start, share your views and experiences through their quick survey and be in with a chance of winning a £50 Basecamp North Lakes voucher.
Substance Misuse Services in Cumbria
The Substance Misuse team at Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils have two surveys running until 28 October:
A User Survey for your clients / service users to understand current feelings on how the services are meeting their needs and how we can improve our services moving forward.
A Professional/Stakeholder survey for those who work in partnership with our substance misuse services to understand how the services are meeting their needs, the needs of those working with our services and how we can improve our services moving forward.
Posters are also available for both surveys for you to use/share:
Service User Substance Misuse Poster
Stakeholder Substance Misuse Poster
1.2 million unpaid carers are living in poverty
New research from Carers UK shows that unpaid carers are much more likely to experience financial hardship, and that the rate of poverty is 50% higher for those looking after a friend or family member compared to those who do not provide unpaid care.
Poverty levels amongst those looking after a friend or family member who is older disabled or seriously ill are shockingly high, with millions of unpaid carers struggling to make ends meet. The report shows that a further 400,000 – nearly 1 in 10 of all carers – live in deep poverty, when the resources they have available are so scarce it places them more than 50% below the poverty line.
Hard-hitting report exposes vast inequalities faced by women in the North
Women in the North of England live shorter lives, work more hours for less pay, are more likely to be an unpaid carer, and more likely to live in poverty than women in other regions of England, according to new research launched in Parliament earlier this month.
The damning research – published by Health Equity North and co-authored by academics from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria – has laid bare the unequal challenges faced by women living in the North. ‘Woman of the North: Inequality, health and work’ exposes the growing regional inequalities over the last decade and the impact this has on women’s quality of life, health, work, their families and communities.
46% of young people’s VCS organisations have less than six months’ reserves
Nearly half of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations in the youth sector would have insufficient reserves to operate beyond six months if their funding ended, according to a new survey.
Last month, the National Youth Agency (NYA) published its third National Youth Sector Census, which aims to increase understanding of where youth work takes place and how it is delivered and funded.
Charities concerned about digital exclusion of beneficiaries, report finds
A report has found that charities are concerned about digitally excluding service users and volunteers, who might lack the skills or access to technologies.
The report, conducted by Charity Digital included 216 people from the charity sector consisting of volunteers, chief executives and trustees. It found that 66% of charities had struggled to implement digital technology due to a lack of digital skills from service users.
FTSE 100 firms’ charitable donations fall by 34% in a decade, research finds
Charitable giving by the 100 largest UK companies by value has fallen by 34% in real terms over the last decade, according to new research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
CAF’s latest annual Corporate Giving report, published today, shows that while the FTSE 100’s combined profits have increased by 49% since 2014, their total donations decreased by 13%.
Report: The Status of UK Fundraising 2024
Ready to get a comprehensive view of the current state of nonprofit fundraising in the UK? The Status of UK Fundraising, produced by Blackbaud, is back for the seventh year and features over 40+ pages of insights and data to benchmark your own fundraising performance against.
Over 850 nonprofit professionals shared details about their recent fundraising performance and experiences operating in the sector. With key findings focused on income trends, drivers for growth, digital maturity, artificial intelligence, technology ecosystems, and much more.
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.
