Useful information – w/c 08/09/25
September 8, 2025
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: 09/09/25 – 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
Training and Events
Supercharge your use of social media
9th September, online. This course aims, in just three hours, to supercharge your use of social media. Explore how you can pick the right platforms for your charity and how to know whether you should invest, or divest, in other platforms.
We’ll show you how to increase social media engagement, how to extend your reach, and how to ensure you target the most rewarding demographics.
Making your community building more energy efficient
Tuesday 9th September, online. This session will cover the basics of what is meant by energy efficiency, and what are the options for community organisations, key considerations and where to find support and funding.
We will be joined by guest speakers from Raasay Carbon Neutral Island and Caxton House Community Centre to tell us about their experiences of retrofitting community buildings.
Understanding Governance Stage 1: The Trustee Role
10th and 11th September, online. Are you a charity trustee looking to deepen your knowledge of governance and trusteeship?
Led by former vice chair of the Association of Chairs, John Williams, this course will provide comprehensive updates on evolving elements of the trustee role. It is the ideal course for new trustees as well as those looking to refresh their knowledge of governance fundamentals.
How to make a compelling fundraising video
Thursday 11th September, Online. Join The Saltways team for this practical 1-hour workshop for charities to learn how to create videos that move hearts and open wallets.
A free guide is included and there will also be an opportunity to ask questions.
Best Practice Reporting
16th September 2025, online. In the current economic climate where fundraising from funders and the public alike is a tough ask, it is important that you sell your charity in the best possible light. We all know that funders will look at your statutory accounts and therefore they need to reflect well on your organisation to provide key messages in a way that encourages them to fund you.
This half day online course will give the tips on best practice reporting in the sector and show you how to think about your Trustees report differently. It is much more than a compliance document and an opportunity to ‘tell your story’ in an engaging way.
Safeguarding for Trustees and Community Buildings
Tues 16th September, online. This session will look at the legislation, and what trustees need to know and do.
It will also look at how best to apply it in a community building setting where you may be hiring space but have little direct interaction with the vulnerable people attending the activities.
Cyber Security Q&A: Get Expert Advice
16th September, online. Navigating cyber security can be overwhelming especially with constantly evolving threats and technologies. But staying protected doesn’t have to be complicated.
Whether you’re reviewing your charity’s software or looking for practical ways to strengthen your defences, this live Q&A session is your chance to get expert guidance.
Join this walk-through of the latest cyber security tools and strategies, led by Paul from GenDigital/Avast. He’ll answer your questions and help you understand how to protect your organisation effectively in 2025.
[NEW] Beyond the Budget: Smarter Financial and Risk Oversight
16th September, online. Strong financial oversight is essential but for many boards, managing budgets is only one part of a much larger risk picture. From outdated reports to staffing gaps, from cybersecurity threats to donor confidence, the challenges around board finance are more complex than ever.
Join governance experts for this free webinar to explore how boards can strengthen oversight, close visibility gaps, and equip trustees to manage risk in real time. You’ll come away with practical strategies and examples to help your board feel more prepared, more aligned, and more confident in its oversight role.
How to Make Your Brand Discoverable in a Post-SEO World
Wednesday 17th September, online. 68% of online users are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini instead of Google to find information. For charities, that means your campaigns, fundraising drives and impact stories may not be seen even if you have invested heavily in SEO.
In this practical session you will learn:
- How AI-generated answers decide what content to include
- How to structure charity comms so your cause is picked up by these tools
- The role of trusted third-party sources in building discoverability
- Why the new llms.txt file matters and how it can help your organisation be recognised by AI
Succession planning
Wednesday 17th September, Online. It is a challenging time in the voluntary sector with 2025 being called ‘the year of the big squeeze’. Feelings of burn-out can lead to people in key positions leaving their roles, often without time for a handover with the incoming person.
Join The Cranfield Trust for this free charity webinar, where Michelle Clarke and Emma Bingham will outline why they started thinking about succession planning and what they learnt, before sharing some straightforward steps you can take in your own organisation.
Introduction to Improving Quality
Thurs 18th Sept 2025, online.
Improving Quality is a clear, simple system, and focuses on the key issues that make a difference for charities. IQ can either be used for self-assessment or accreditation, and has international recognition: a number of organisations in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are already accredited to it. Find out more about it at our free online workshop.
This event is free but you will need to book.
2026: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for UK Fundraisers
18th September, online. Join Fundraising Everywhere as Blue State’s Anjali Bewtra and Nathalie Ormrod lead a data-driven session exploring donor behaviour, campaign insights, and acquisition strategies.
Learn which audience segments to prioritise, how donor motivations are shifting, and which channels are proving most effective. Perfect for fundraisers planning ahead for 2026 and beyond.
Business drop in
22nd September, Kendal. Stricklandgate House are hosting a money related business drop-in day, where a number of local businesses will be available for an initial chat with anyone who wishes to find out more about utilities, financial planning, and more.
Please do feel free to stop by and please share more widely.
Practical uses of AI for your charity
23rd September, online. 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.
How to handle volunteer concerns and complaints
Tuesday 23 September, online. Managing concerns and complaints from volunteers is essential for maintaining trust, safeguarding wellbeing and strengthening your volunteer involvement. In this session, NCVO will look at how to create a safe environment where volunteers feel confident to raise concerns, and how to respond appropriately when they do.
You will learn practical advice on setting up proportionate procedures and ensuring your processes reflect your organisation’s values. You’ll also hear how other organisations have successfully handled volunteer complaints to improve practice and culture.
This session is suited to volunteer managers and anyone responsible for volunteer engagement and safeguarding.
Contracts Training for Charities
23rd September, online. For a charity entering into a contract with any other party, there are a number of key factors to consider.
In this half-day session Ed Rimmell, partner at VWV, will share his expertise on managing charity contracts effectively to ensure risks are mitigated, all parties fully understand what has been agreed and what to do if a dispute arises. Ed will also guide you through some common and important contract clauses which are often poorly understood.
Bridging Barrow
23rd September, Barrow. Capgemini are delighted to bring our Digital Inclusion Ambassadors to Barrow for this FREE informative event.
What to expect:
- Specifically designed to find out how we can engage and support local SME’s, Charities and Schools
- Explore digital exclusion and how we can all make a difference in an interactive workshop
- Make connections, get inspired and create plans to get the help you need
- Join us for a networking lunch
More information in this leaflet, along with details of Barrow Techy Tea Party, and event for the public on the same day.
Getting set up with Microsoft 365
24th September, online. The course uncovers everything you need to know about Microsoft 365.
The first half of the first session looks at the functionality 365 includes, helps charities to make sense of registration process and domain authentication, explores eligibility, and so much more.
Unifying Data & AI with Microsoft Fabric for Nonprofits
24th September, online. Join Qlic for a practical webinar, designed to help charities adopt AI responsibly. Led by Caroline Broadway, founder of Dandelion Applied AI, this session will explore free and low-cost tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT, what good governance looks like, and how to build or update your AI policy.
Perfect for charity leaders, IT teams, and anyone curious about using AI effectively and ethically.
Preventing charity fraud
25th September, online. Combining 25 years’ expertise as a charity lawyer and governance trainer with frontline experience from various voluntary leadership sector roles, Claris D’cruz will lead this half-day training course to help your charity prevent and deal with fraud or suspected fraud.
This training is relevant to charity trustees, CEOs, finance directors, finance managers, charity advisors and anyone with responsibility for dealing with fraud in their charity.
Throughout the morning we will explore the types of fraud and financial crime to be aware of, the controls and procedures to prevent fraud and how to handle a fraudulent incident.
Introduction to Improving Quality
Thurs 25th September, online. Improving Quality is a clear, simple system, and focuses on the key issues that make a difference for charities.
IQ can either be used for self-assessment or accreditation, and has international recognition: a number of organisations in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are already accredited to it.
Find out more about it at our free online workshop. This event is free but you will need to book.
The focus formula: How to boost productivity
25th September, online. Feeling overwhelmed by emails, meetings, and admin? Join productivity expert George Knight from the Directory of Social Change for a hands-on webinar designed to help charity professionals take control of their workday.
Learn simple, proven strategies to organise your inbox, prioritise tasks, and create mental space to focus on what really matters.
NCIC Annual Members Meeting
Monday 29th September, Carlisle/online. Members of the public are invited to join North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust’s (NCIC) Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM).
It’s an opportunity for members to learn more about our achievements and challenges over the last 12 months and the current financial position, which you can find out more about in our annual report 2024/25 now on our website.
Those attending will also find out more about our most recent developments and hear about some of our plans for the future outlined in our clinical strategy. There will also be an opportunity to have your say on our future plans as we ask members to get involved in some of the changes we need to make to improve healthcare in north Cumbria.
How to master email marketing
30th September, online. 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 Power of Storytelling to Support Your Goals
Tues 30th September, online. It’s a really good idea to tell your stakeholders about your charity, both to promote your cause and to evidence that you are delivering its goals. The best way of doing this is to tell ‘stories’ about your organisation’s activities, which illustrate their impact and benefits.
This session summarises the first steps on your storytelling journey, offering a brief introduction on how to make the most of your stories.
Introduction to Google Analytics 4
1st October, online. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool that can supercharge your charity. It provides an accurate and insight-rich understanding of your supporters and donors. It provides a complete view of user journeys and enables you to make effective data-driven decisions.
And, perhaps most importantly, it can drastically improve your marketing and fundraising.
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.
Cyber Essentials Training: Mastering the Five Key Controls for Digital Security
7th October, 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.
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.
SEO Training for Charities
Tuesday 7th October, online. Do you want to boost your charity’s visibility online but you’re not sure where to start?
SEO Training for Charities is a practical, jargon-free course designed to help you understand how search engines work and ensure your content reaches the right audience.
The course will be led by digital consultant Matt Saunders who specialises in supporting charities in improving their impact online.
Get Grants free Virtual Conference 2025
7th-8th October, online. The Conference will provide two days of expert fundraising advice, top tips, Q&As, networking, peer-support, and lots of chat, bringing together thousands of Fundraisers from across the UK for a programme led by Get Grants Experts, funders, and other experts from across the sector.
Strategic Plans
Tues 14th October, online. Strategic plans are one of the key documents as an organisation starts to grow, especially in the current climate where organisations have to search wider for funding.
A good strategic plan helps keep an organisation grounded in its work and should help prevent mission drift.
Association of Volunteer Managers conference
15th and 16th October, online. Tickets for the Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) annual conference.
The role of volunteer managers is ever evolving, and this year’s conference will provide delegates with the opportunity to delve into key aspects of our profession, providing the opportunity to gain insights from leading voices and learn about best practices alongside peers from across the sector.
Find out more and get your ticket here
Individual Giving Conference
16th October, online. Join us at the Individual Giving Conference for the vital tools and insights you need to supercharge donor acquisition, boost retention, and gain clarity on the future of individual giving.
Experience live Q&As, dynamic panel discussions, and compelling case studies featuring global experts and innovative leaders. They’ll share how they’re diversifying their individual giving programmes to break free from decline and drive real results – and how you can do it too.
New Social Media Platforms
20th October, online. In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, new social media platforms are emerging as tools for the not-for-profit sector.
Find out which platforms are being used the most and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Data Protection Training for Charities
21st October, online. It is important for every charity leader to ensure their organisation is fully compliant with the latest data protection regulations.
This half-day course will guide you through the key points to consider and what measures you should have in place. You will also learn how to avoid some common data protection pitfalls.
Making the most of M365 apps – tips and tricks
22nd October, online. This three-hour session shows you how to master 365 apps.
The first section will cover an overview of the apps available. It will explore web vs desktop applications, the joys of Copilot, the best way to use Microsoft Forms, and the secrets of Sway.
The second section is dedicated to Teams, exploring meeting and channel management, file storage, whiteboards and polls, and so much more.
Risk Management for Trustees
24th October, online. In an era of increasing concern regarding liabilities, litigation, regulatory compliance and reputational risk, charities are coming under greater scrutiny than ever. Boardroom competency in identifying, managing and mitigating risk is now a required skill and trustees must be able to scrutinise their executive and professional advisors’ management of risk, as well as being able to apply the same tools and techniques to their own decision making.
This course is a non-technical introduction to risk and risk management designed to enable trustees to understand and manage risk generally, but with a focus on risks related to governance, employment, assets, service users and third parties.
By the end of the day, you will be better equipped to interact effectively with professional advisors and regulators, hold your executive to account, improve your own decision making and govern your organisation’s risk management activities.
Festival of Trusteeship
3rd – 7th November 2025, online. The Festival of Trusteeship is a week of inspiring discussions, practical tools and bold ideas to reimagine trusteeship. Led by Eastside People, this event is part of the Festival of Trusteeship during Trustees’ Week 2025, proudly supported by the Institute of Leadership.
With online events on topics including engaging younger people in trusteeship, how to build confidence as a trustee, and how to deal with times of crisis, this is a collection of events to inspire and inform your trustees.
Festival passes are available now, and lots of the events are free. Find out more here, and please share with your board and your local networks.
Delivering energy advice in the community
Tuesday 4th November, online. Community organisations are well placed to provide trusted information and advice on energy in the community to support local residents to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions in their homes.
This session will introduce why community-led energy advice and support is needed to tackle barriers to engagement, and support underserved and fuel poor communities as well as able-to-pay households.
The session will cover examples of energy advice activities, considerations and challenges to be aware of and options for funding and support.
Advanced Excel – tips and tricks
4th November, online. Join this 3 hour session to find out how to optimise your spreadsheets so they can do what they’re meant to be doing – saving you time, facilitating effective service delivery and enabling you and your team to get insight into the bigger picture.
This hands-on workshop will guide you through demos and practical exercises using a sample spreadsheet. Key features covered include:
- Smarter formulas that save you time
- Conditional formatting, data validation, and other techniques to keep your data tidy
- Using Pivot Tables to summarise and rearrange data
- Connect, clean & organise data from different sources using Power Query
Understanding Governance Stage 1: The Trustee Role
4th – 5th November, online. If you are new to the role of being a charity trustee, this course will provide the perfect introduction, while experienced trustees will also benefit from a refresher of their responsibilities and comprehensive updates on evolving elements of the trustee role.
Digital Fundraising Summit 2025
Thursday 6th November 2025, online. For the seventh year in a row, Charity Digital are bringing back their incredibly popular online FREE Digital Fundraising Summit.
The summit will be particularly beneficial if you have a fundraising, marketing, communications, or a digital innovation role, but that said there will be plenty for everyone! Sessions will be tailored for all charity sizes.
You can find out more information here
Understanding Governance Stage 2: Governance in Practice
11th-12th November, online. Designed for experienced trustees, secure in their knowledge of the governance processes and what being a trustee entails, ‘Governance in Practice’ builds on the expertise gained from our stage 1 course ‘Understanding Governance: The Trustee Role,’ focusing on practical solutions to the challenges you face.
This course covers a wide range of governance issues and aims to help you improve the overall effectiveness of your board.
When Social Media Goes Wrong
Monday 17th November, online. What should you do if you are subjected to trolling online? When social media goes wrong, it can have serious consequences for your organisation and individuals.
In such situations, it is important to act swiftly and thoughtfully to address the issue and mitigate any potential damage. This session will cover damage limitation strategies.
The Art of Being an Effective Chair
18-19th November, online. The role of the chair of the board or a committee is more demanding and can be more complex than most people realise.
This course will help you to chair well and to ensure that board governs effectively and that board committees add value to the governance process. Scenarios and case studies help develop skills in practical ways.
Finance for Trustees
20th November, online. How confident are you that you really understand your charity’s finances? It’s a complicated business, what with managing different types of funds and income, the accounting and reporting rules, as well as dealing with tax and VAT.
This course, lead by the team from leading accountancy firm BDO, will give you the tools to get to grips with how all that works in your own organisation, and includes time to chat with fellow trustees over the practicalities and challenges you face.
Managing Volunteers – The Nuts and Bolts
Tuesday 2nd December, online. Volunteers are a hugely important supplementary resource for charities. However, they must be supported and protected, and their contribution recognised.
This session summarises briefly the key elements and headline information your organisation must have in place to achieve this.
VCFSE News and Information
No cost office space in Brampton
Anchor is the biggest provider of specialist housing and care for older people in England.
They currently have a space at their Union Court scheme in Cumbria – Union Ln, Brampton CA8 1BX
This space has housed charitable organisations before, and they would like this space to be used at the benefit of the community.
It has:
- 198 square meters of space
- Private entry
- Toilet / Disabled Toilet / Disabled bathroom with hoist/bath and shower
- A kitchen
- Multiple side rooms
- Storage
- Small garden area
They are looking for an organisation to occupy the space, long term.
They would like to offer this space at no cost, with the occupier only paying for their own utilities. Images and a video of the space can be requested via the contact below.
Anyone interested can contact Rebecca Heede, Community Partnership Manager – Rebecca.heede@anchor.org.uk
Charity Commission is considering using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in its registration processes
Stuart Wood, Head of Registration at the Charity Commission said recently that “One growing trend is the apparent use of AI by applicants to generate responses in the application form. Unfortunately, AI-generated content is often too generic and fails to reflect the specific activities or aims of the organisation applying to become a registered charity, leading to a higher rate of rejections.
Yet we also recognise the potential of AI to improve our own processes. We’re now actively considering if we might in future utilise AI-tools to enhance our registration service, as part of investing additional funding the government has committed to the Commission from April 2026.”
Royal Volunteer Service’s New Volunteer Platform
Royal Voluntary Service has unveiled it’s ‘game-changing’ new digital platform to boost volunteering in Britain. Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, the platform, RVS say, will widen access and remove barriers to volunteering. It will make it easier for people to give their time, and for charities to recruit and retain volunteers, reducing complexity.
Completely free for the public and charities of all sizes to use, the platform aims to become the biggest ever digital community for volunteering roles. It will be home to thousands of flexible, diverse opportunities from short, one-off tasks to more regular activities, in-person and remote, to meet the need for volunteering to fit around people’s lives and commitments.
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
[NEW] Help shape public transport in Westmorland & Furness
In August, Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness launched a new survey to hear about the challenges people face getting to a GP, hospital or other health appointments using public, community or volunteer transport.
Transport is a recurring issue we hear about in Westmorland and Furness, and your experiences will help highlight barriers and shape improvements for everyone.
We’re asking anyone who relies on buses, trains, taxis or volunteer schemes to take part.
Please share the survey with friends, family or community groups. Every voice counts!
Find out more and take the survey here
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.
