Useful information – w/c 14/04/25
April 14, 2025
Events, training, charity news, surveys, research, feedback, reports, services and much more – in one handy place!
Please note: There will be no Useful Information post next week due to staff holidays.
This page will be updated with new information as we receive it during the week. Please check back regularly. (Last update: 14/04/25 – 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? Check out the latest edition of Focus on Funding here
Training and Events
Cyber Essentials Training: Mastering the Five Key Controls for Digital Security
15 April, 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.
Free Storytelling Photography Workshops
April, Barrow. Join Signal Film & Media and Photographer Nicholas J.R. White for a series of free creative photography workshops!
Explore the Sankey Photography Archive and learn photography narrative techniques. Create your own photographic series and showcase your work. For 18+ years. No experience necessary,
Mental health at work
Thursday 17th April, Online. Workplaces can have an impact on our mental health, as we spend roughly a 1/3 of our life at work. The way in which we address mental health in the workplace will determine whether that impact is positive or negative.
Join Acas for this webinar exploring how employers can positively support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Charities SORP consultation
17th April, online. The joint SORP-making body has launched a public consultation on the upcoming version of the charities’ accounting and reporting framework.
To help you navigate the changes, Charity Finance will host a free webinar on the proposed draft of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). Chaired by Tristan Blythe, editor of Charity Finance, the session will explore the key changes in the new SORP, the practical implications for charities, and what’s missing from the updated framework. The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A to address your pressing questions.
Data Protection Training for Charities
22 April 2025, 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.
Fundraising Everywhere Face-to-Face Fundraising Conference 2025
23rd April 2025, Online. This conference will equip you with the insights, strategies, and best practices you need to grow and future-proof your F2F fundraising.
What you’ll gain by attending:
- Actionable strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining high-performing F2F teams
- Real-world case studies from charities successfully managing in-house and outsourced teams
- Data-driven insights on improving donor retention and lifetime value from F2F acquisition
- Ethical and compliance best practices to protect your brand and maintain public trust
- Agency vs. in-house comparisons – how to make the right choice for your charity’s goals
Understanding Governance Stage 1: The Trustee Role
23–24 April 2025, online. Governance fundamentals for new and experienced trustees.
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.
A Nature for Health Approach Across Cumbria
Thursday 24 April, Carlisle. We know that high quality health and wellbeing, supported by a healthy environment, are the basis for thriving local places and people. And yet, we also know that organisations across our county are grappling with a challenging range of issues, from greater pressures on local services, to nature & climate emergencies and health & wellbeing crises.
As Cumbria looks forward to a period of further devolved powers and responsibilities, it seems an appropriate time to foster conversations that are rooted in cross-sector working, to achieve multiple goals for the health of people & nature.
We would welcome representatives from a variety of sectors and agencies, to join this initial event and participate in structured workshops to establish key areas of focus for Cumbria. Your thoughts, engagement, and outlook as to how we create and sustain positive change, will be key.
Media Trust: Social media accessibility for charities
Thurs 24th April 2025, online. This masterclass will give you the tools to create clear, inclusive social media content that reaches more people and focuses on building a great user experience.
From improving readability to ensuring good colour contrast on graphics, we’ll cover practical steps to remove digital barriers and make your social media user-friendly for everyone.
What you need to know when employing staff for the first time
Thursday 24th April, Online. Are you a trustee or CEO of a small charity employing your first member(s) of staff?
Join NCVO for this free online webinar to learn what you need to consider before taking this exciting first step.
CRFM 1st birthday party
25 April, Carlisle. We want to celebrate CRFM 1st Birthday as a community, because we are a community radio station! Can you believe that CRFM have been on air for a year as of April the 15th 2025? …..
No neither can we, so to celebrate CRFM are holding a listener 1st birthday party at the Box Arena in Carlisle. Doors open at 7pm with presenters playing music and the show starts at 8pm. On stage will be a host of CRFM presenters with some fun and games as well as playing a great mix of music to dance to.
There will also be three performances from the top tribute acts. Britney Spears, Steps and The Venga Boys just to make the night that little bit special. Plus giving away prizes all night. If you would like up to a Max 6 tickets, just fill out the form here. First come first served up to 100 free tickets available.
Where Are Your Next Generation of Volunteers
Tues 29 April, online. Volunteer numbers have been falling since 2020. Considerable changes have occurred in how the public wants to volunteer. There has also been a rise in younger people wanting to give back to their communities, contribute to their environment, and make a difference in their neighbourhoods.
It is important for any group to start thinking about how it can adapt and remove the barriers so that younger people can get involved in volunteering. This session will offer you some practical ways to make volunteering for your organisation more appealing to younger people.
Board Leadership Stage 1: High-Performance Boards
29–30 April 2025, online. A course on governance for both experienced and new chairs and chief executives.
The course is for both experienced and new chairs and chief executives (ideally attending together). Taking place over two mornings, it will help you in your role of building a high-performance board, delivering valuable insights into the key areas of responsibility for chairs and CEOs and providing you with ideas to keep your board moving forward.
Understanding Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Creating an Inclusive Environment
30 April, online.
Demonstrating Impact Masterclass
Thursday 1st May 2025, online. In a competitive funding environment, one of the best ways you can stand out is by powerfully demonstrating the impact that your work makes. Being able to prove your track record gives your organisation great credibility!
Get Grants’ Demonstrating Impact Masterclass will dive into simple but effective ways to collect and present impact data to make strong impact reporting that makes your organisation stand out.
Led by Fundraising Expert Rosie Milsom, this session will provide practical tools for measuring, analysing, and communicating the outcomes and long-term benefits of your work.
Supercharge your use of social media
6th May, online. This course aims, in just three hours, to supercharge your use of social media. We’ll 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.
Leaders Together 2025 – Annual National Conference
8th May, Online. Can we do more with less in the Charity Sector, and more importantly, should we?
In today’s challenging landscape, charity leaders are faced with the daunting task of navigating reduced resources while striving to meet increasing demands. Resourceful Leadership, a virtual conference from Leaders Together, aims to address this critical issue by exploring innovative strategies and thoughtful approaches to doing more with less.
The annual national conference will be an engaging and thought-provoking event designed specifically for small charity CEOs and leaders. The conference will feature a keynote address, three concurrent interactive workshops and a panel discussion.
GDPR and Data Security
Tues 13 May, online. Who is trying to access your data and what are the implications of this?
Also, what can you do to make it more difficult for people to steal your data.
[NEW] AI For Charities: What You Need To Know
13th May 2025, online. Join Qlic IT for their upcoming webinar on AI for charities.
Discover how nonprofits are already using AI, which tools are worth exploring, and how to get started in a safe, ethical, and cost-effective way.
Perfect for charity leaders, managers, and anyone curious about using AI to do more with less, no technical background required.
How to manage charity finances
20 May, online. 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.
Charity Digital Academy: How to master strategic planning
28th May – 4th June 2025, online. Master your long term planning with this two part course
Our course, in two three-hour sessions, inspires charities to embrace long-term planning. The course will allow you to think strategically, understand the importance of 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 so much more.
Getting to work on Modern Slavery in Cumbria
Thursday 29 May, Penrith. Our keynote is from Causeway who provide a range of services which support survivors of modern slavery to recover from trauma, be protected from further harm, and develop safe and fulfilling lives.
They receive referrals from the Salvation Army, who are the government contract holders for adult victims of modern slavery in England & Wales.
How to use Canva for Social Media
Monday 9 June, online. Canva is the great free-to-use online graphic design tool which you can use to create great graphics as well as presentations and videos amongst other things.
This is an introductory session about Canva with a few tips about using it for social media.
Reimagining Service Delivery Summit
12 June, online. A free online event for charity professionals to unlock new perspectives on service delivery and help maximise value to service users.
Whether you’re a charity leader or a volunteer, working in service delivery, fundraising, or marketing, this event will have something for you. Sessions will help you re-evaluate the relationship between charities and their service users, consider how digital can help charity services go further, and make more room for hope and optimism in service delivery for meaningful change.
Find out more and register here
Reimagining Service Delivery Summit
12 June 2025, online. Free online event, to explore collaborative and user-cantered service delivery.
Explore how charities can make the most of their resources to deliver the best services. We will also discuss ways to shift perceptions of service delivery, ensuring users remain at the centre of these conversations and much more.
Introduction to Engaging with Businesses: Five Things I Wish I’d Known
Tuesday 17 June, online. A basic introduction to engaging and connecting with your local business community.
This session is aimed at small charities and voluntary groups, whether they are at the beginning of their journey in engaging with businesses or wish to develop stronger contacts.
Reserves – What They Are and How to Calculate Them
Tuesday 8 July, online. Reserves are a critical element when building small charity resilience. However, they are often, for very valid reasons, miscalculated.
The session will look at Why we hold reserves, how to calculate reserves, what a good reserves policy looks like and how to report on reserves.
VCFSE News and Information
[NEW] How charities can encourage payroll giving
Charity Digital explore how charities can achieve a reliable income through payroll giving.
[NEW] Charity applications rise to record high of nearly 10,000 a year
The Charity Commission received a record number of applications to register as a charity last year, it has confirmed.
The regulator told Civil Society that it received 9,840 applications in the year to March 2025, a 9% increase from 2023-24 when 9,008 applications were made.
However, after assessing the applications made in 2024-25, the regulator registered 5,007 new charities, which was not a record high.
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
[NEW] Charities must do more to support fundraisers facing burnout, report warns
Charities must do more to support their fundraisers, many of whom are facing burnout from the stresses of their job, a report published last week has warned.
The report published by fundraising think-tank Rogare, entitled Caring Too Much, explores the factors that cause stress to fundraisers
Researchers found that many fundraisers cited repeated exposure to others’ trauma and grief, whether from charity beneficiaries or donors, as a source of emotional strain.
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.
