Useful information – w/c 16/06/25
June 16, 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: 20/06/25 – 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
Learning Disability Week: creating Easy Reads for accessible communication
Monday 16th June, online. Discover the principles of Easy Read, why it matters and how to create clear, inclusive documents that improve access to information for people with learning disabilities and beyond.
Ideal for anyone working with people with a learning disability in any capacity.
£50 per person, Fully-funded places for the first five people to book on each webinar, A 50% discount for the next five people to book.
Celebrate the Month of Community with Lunch and Learn Series
Various dates 16th-27th June, online. Westmorland and Furness Community Cohesion Group would like to invite you, your colleagues, and communities to a series of free online lunch and learn sessions in June to mark The Month of Community.
A variety of sessions will held, including:
- What is Anti-Racism?
- Restorative Justice
- Volunteering – Reducing Loneliness & Supporting Cohesion
- Asylum Seekers & Refugees – Myths V Reality
- Victim Support
- Meet an Iman
- Hate Crime Awareness & Reporting
- Connecting People Through Festivals
For descriptions of these sessions, as well as their dates, times and login details please see the attached flyer.
Board Leadership Stage 1: High-Performance Boards
16–17 June, 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.
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.
Introducing the Charity Digital Code of Practice 2025
17th June, online. The updated Charity Digital Code of Practice launched on 6th June 2025. The Code has been completely overhauled to meet the needs of an increasingly digital sector.
This webinar will explain what’s changed and why, including:
- The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) across all principles
- A brand new principle: Data
- Greater focus on tech integration and procurement
And much more!
How to Recruit and Retain a Diverse Board
18 June 2025, online. Join this online training course to better understand the importance of diversity and lived-experience on charity boards.
Over the course of the morning you will learn about the common challenges involved in recruiting and retaining diverse board members and gain practical solutions for tackling these challenges.
This will be an interactive session with plenty of opportunities to discuss experiences and key topics with fellow charity delegates.
Opportunities and Challenges Report Launch
18th June, online. Opportunities and Challenges is the fourth in a series of localised reports by Cumbria Community Foundation based on Cumbrian communities.
Their analysis explores Carlisle’s social needs and community issues, highlighting existing efforts to tackle disadvantage while identifying new opportunities to support thriving communities both within urban Carlisle and the rural communities that surround it.
Community Fundraising Conference 2025
19th June 2025, online. Join the UK’s only Community Fundraising Conference and get practical tools to prioritise relationships, manage volunteers, measure impact and make confident fundraising decisions.
Learn from peers, hear inspiring stories and gain fresh confidence in the role you play at the heart of your charity.
Data Management – One small step to get you ahead
20th June 2025, online. Join TechSoup’s upcoming interactive event to get clear, practical answers to your biggest data challenges.
Learn how to confidently collect, store and share data, and take practical next steps that lead to real, measurable results.
Cumbria Diversity Carnival
Saturday 21st June, Carlisle. Celebrating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Free event.
Parade starts at 11.30, followed by The Big Lunch in Bitts Park.
Click on the thumbnail image to view the event flyer.
Camp Jojo – showcase open weekend
21st & 22nd June, Hoff. Camp Jojo offer camping experiences for families of children with complex needs & disabilities, and are excitingly establishing their first site in the north of England.
CampJojo are holding a showcase Open Weekend to show people around what they can offer. If you would like to attend or know of any organisations that it would be relevant to, please let Alex know which session you would like to attend.
Contact: Alex Chalmers Alex@campjojo.org.uk
Cyber Essentials Training: Mastering the Five Key Controls for Digital Security
24th June, 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.
Unconscious bias in recruitment: you don’t know what you don’t know
Tuesday 24th June, online. Understand how unconscious bias shapes recruitment decisions, learn strategies to interrupt bias at every stage of the hiring process and build a fairer pathway to inclusive hiring.
Ideal for anyone working in recruitment and hiring managers.
£50 per person, Fully-funded places for the first five people to book on each webinar, A 50% discount for the next five people to book.
In-house content creation: Making the most of your resources
Tuesday 24th June, online. Join HdK for this free webinar.
Time and money can be scarce resources for arts, culture and heritage marketers. This session is to help you review how you’re spending yours on content creation – and to equip you with some tips and tools for in-house content creation on a budget.
Understanding Governance Stage 2: Governance in Practice
24–25 June 2025, online. Improve the overall effectiveness of your board.
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 the 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.
Getting set up with Microsoft 365
25th June, online. The course, the first of three parts, 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.
In-person AI-basics training session
26th June, Carlisle. Neighbourly, Microsoft and OnSide Youth Zones have teamed up to bring you Ai123 – a friendly, accessible initiative designed to help people get to grips with the basics of AI through a simple train-the-trainer approach.
As part of this, we’re excited to invite you to a free, 1.5 hour in-person knowledge-share session, facilitated by experts from Microsoft and Neighbourly at Carlisle YouthZone – packed with practical info (for non-technical people!) to help you get started with AI and feel confident sharing these skills with others.
Dementia and digital adjustments that can help
Wednesday 2 July 2025, online. Do you or someone you know live with dementia? Aimed at older people and some of the issues they may commonly face, join AbilityNet’s free lunchtime learning session Dementia and digital adjustments that can help on Wednesday 2 July at 1pm.
In the webinar, you’ll learn from our special guest Phil Joddrell from Dementia UK, about touchscreen apps for people living with dementia and guidance on adaptations to make apps more user friendly, to enhance engagement and enjoyment.
AbilityNet BT Digital Skills trainer Anna Dolphin will also share practical ideas for digital tools that can help you manage daily life with dementia and how AbilityNet and BT Group can help you and those you know with dementia with their tech, for free.
Crafting your perfect team: Strategies for requirements gathering and partner selection
3rd July, online. Join Hart Square for this webinar, where we’ll cover how to effectively gather your business and technical requirements to ensure your project is well defined and set up for success from the start.
We’ll share proven techniques for identifying, capturing, and documenting your requirements and how best to align stakeholders, prioritise needs, and avoid the common pitfalls at this stage of a project.
Introduction to Digital Accessibility
Thursday 3rd July, online. Get the lowdown on the basics of digital accessibility to see what changes you need to make
Digital accessibility is a crucial aspect of modern-day digital products and services. It not only ensures equal access for disabled people, but it improves the overall user experience for everyone.
This beginner-friendly course will teach you the basics to get you started on your accessibility journey.
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.
Supercharge your use of social media
8th July, 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.
Cumbria Safeguarding Adults Board – Practitioner’s Forum
Wednesday 16th July, online. CSAB are introducing the first of regular Practitioners Forums for staff working with adults at risk. The Practitioner Forum forms part of the CSAB Learning & Development Strategy 2024/26 and will be hosted on a quarterly basis facilitated by colleagues from across the partnership. Forum’s will take a themed approach with supported discussions providing the opportunity to explore in a safe space;
- What has worked well/not in some cases?
- Opportunity to reflect on practice.
- Discussion time in a multi-agency forum.
- Opportunity to use as evidence for Continuing Professional Development.
- ‘Professionals Spotlight’ to improve understanding of each other’s roles.
- Identify barriers to partnership working to identify how to improve.
CSAB welcome professionals across the system to attend our 1st Forum. Please attend ready and willing to take-part in discussions.
How to build a disability inclusive workplace
Thursday 17th July, online. At the end of this course you will be able to:
- Recognise the advantages of proactively designing inclusivity into your working practices
- Describe where your organisation currently sits on our disability inclusion gap analysis scale overall and at each stage in the employee lifecycle
- Identify barriers that could stand in the way of implementing cultural change and how technology can act as an enabler
- Make a plan to move forward
This training is suitable for anyone interested in building high performing teams, EDI and disability inclusion.
Getting started with Google for Nonprofits
22nd July, online. This course provides an introduction to the Google for Nonprofits program, which offers eligible UK charities free access to a suite of Google tools, including Google Workspace, Google Ad Grants, the YouTube Nonprofit Program, and Google Earth and Maps.
We will explore these tools and highlight how UK charities are already using them to enhance their operations and impact.
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.
VCFSE News and Information
[NEW] Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership 5 Minute Briefing – Drowning Prevention Week
This week, 14th June – 21st June 2025, is Drowning Prevention Week.
This is a national campaign, led by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), which aims to raise awareness and reduce preventable deaths by drowning.
As summer approaches, it’s vital to help our communities, especially children, young people and their families, stay safe around water, both at home and outdoors.
Charity sector figures named in King’s Birthday Honours 2025
Many people working in the charity sector have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
Sector leadership body ACEVO’s former chair Rosie Ferguson, Charity Retail Association’s chief executive Robin Osterley and Locality’s CEO Tony Armstrong all received OBEs for their work in the sector.
Richard Kramer, former chief executive of disability charity Sense, was also awarded an OBE for services to people with disabilities.
Infographic: Supercharge your charity’s impact with a CDP
Every charity and non-profit organisation wants to maximise their impact. However, there is a constant struggle to deliver that impact with limited resources.
This is where marketing technology can help by providing valuable efficiencies and insights, empowering marketers to achieve more, connect with supporters, and hit their core goals.
Take a look at how a customer data platform (CDP) unlocks enormous value for charities and non-profits.
Are your services digitally inclusive?
How to bridge gaps in charity services to ensure no one is left behind.
Cumberland Council newsletter
You can read Cumberland Council’s newsletter from 13/06/25 here, including:
- Land unlocked for new nuclear development in West Cumbria
- Foster a brighter future for young refugees
- Library Fit for the Future – time running out to complete survey
Westmorland and Furness Council newsletter
You can read Westmorland and Furness Council’s newsletter from 13/06/25 here, including:
- Share your views on Westmorland and Furness Council
- Annual Report for 2024-25 — Health and Wellbeing & Culture
- New Friends of Barrow Park Group to host plant swap during Great Big Green Week
Robust cyber security on a shoestring webinar
Cyber security is critical for charities, protecting donor data, preventing service disruption, and ensuring trust.
With limited budgets and 71% of cyber incidents in the sector causing financial loss, it’s more important than ever to stay protected, especially in the age of AI.
Watch this on-demand webinar to learn the essentials of charity cyber security, the tools you need, and how to stay secure in 2025 without breaking the bank.
Why AI and CRMs need to work together
Charity Digital share the results of an annual survey to discover top-rated CRMs for charities and explore how AI is helping charities navigate new fundraising challenges.
Spending review: Charity Commission budget to rise by over 25%
The Charity Commission’s budget is set to rise by more than a quarter to £37.9m next year following last week’s spending review.
According to the Treasury’s spending review settlement, published today, the regulator’s budget will rise by 27% in 2026-27 from the £29.8m earmarked for the current financial year.
The commission welcomed the increased funding, which it plans to spend on digital and AI technology to help it manage rising demands on its services due to more charities being registered and it seeing increasingly complex cases.
Government’s spending review ‘falls short’ for charities, sector bodies say
The Treasury’s spending review “falls short” for charities, sector bodies have said in response to its publication last week.
Some sector bodies praised the “long-term thinking” on display in the review – notably in relation to the planned investment in housing, health and youth services – but many criticised a the lack of support for charities’ rising costs.
The review’s official document, which is over 100 pages long, only explicitly mentions the sector in relation to the government working in partnership with charities and voluntary organisations in order to support communities in need.
9 Steps to Plan Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign
The end of the year is a strategic time for charity fundraising. To maximise your impact during these crucial months, it’s essential to structure your year-end campaign with a clear and methodical approach.
In this strategic guide, iRaiser offers a clear roadmap in 9 key steps to help you plan a successful, engaging year-end campaign aligned with your fundraising goals.
Community cohesion
When it comes to community resilience, misinformation can have significant negative consequences. In many areas it acts as a catalyst to tensions.
This guide from Hope Not Hate looks at how councils and other stakeholders can promote positive narratives about migration and diversity. It focuses on the role of local news outlets – and particularly local papers – but also looks at other ways of challenging misinformation.
Voluntary sector working in criminal justice welcomes potentially transformative Sentencing Review
The Independent Sentencing Review, published on 22 May, sets out proposals to address prison and probation challenges and support victims.
Key recommendations from the Independent Sentencing Review, include:
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- The use of short custodial sentences only in exceptional circumstances
- A new progression model for people serving custodial sentences – which will lead to many people serving Standard Determinate Sentences being released 33% of the way through their sentence
- An expansion of the use of Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs)
Clinks is the national infrastructure charity dedicated to supporting voluntary organisations working with people in the criminal justice system and their families. They support, promote, and advocate for their members and the wider voluntary sector across England and Wales.
Clinks has welcomed the publication of the Independent Sentencing Review’s report which, if implemented, could have a transformative impact on the criminal justice system. The report has recommended increased investment in the voluntary sector, as well as greater collaboration between the sector and the Probation Service.
Clinks’ State of the Sector 2024 research, detailing the challenges faced by the voluntary sector, is available here Executive Summary is available here
Clinks’ submission to the Independent Sentencing Review
Inclusive Volunteering Guide
NAVCA asked volunteer involving organisations for what they find most difficult when it comes to making sure everyone can access volunteering opportunities, and all volunteers are supported and celebrated.
In this guide, they share the experience and expertise of NAVCA members in inclusive volunteering, so that you can be inspired to make your own volunteering practice more inclusive.
Introducing COMPLY: Expert HR Advice Line Service for the Social Sector
Roots HR CIC provides a market-leading, affordable HR advice line service, delivered by social sector HR experts, who provide top-notch HR guidance on day-to-day employment queries, employee cases such as absence management, and much more. Your members can choose between subscription or as-required options, ensuring they get the support they need within their budget.
To ensure you can access high-quality HR support and minimise people management risks, contact them via their website, or info@rootshr.org.uk. If you use the code “NAVCA25” when contacting them, they can offer a 5% discount on your first purchase of COMPLY HR advice line services.
Check out all their free HR resources on offer too, including 1-hour of free HR consultancy.
Government no longer largest source of grant income to charity sector, data reveals
Charitable foundations and donor-advised funds gave more in grants to charities than the government and National Lottery’s distributors for the first time last year, according to new data.
Estimated figures released this month by 360Giving’s UKGrantmaking platform show that funding from trusts and foundations increased by 12% year-on-year to £8.2bn in 2023-24.
Donor-advised funds, which distribute philanthropic gifts from individuals and families, also increased grantmaking to charities by 20% to £2.1bn last year, becoming a growing part of the sector’s income.
CIOF vows to change perceptions of fundraising in 10-year strategy
The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) has vowed to change public perceptions of the profession as part of a new 10-year strategy.
Revealed this month at the membership body’s annual Fundraising Convention, CIOF said the profession is frequently “misunderstood and underfunded”.
It vowed to lead a sector-wide effort to educate people including trustees and policymakers while advocating for more investment in fundraising, with a goal to “measurably increase the value and understanding of fundraisers’ contributions” within a decade.
How to support neurodivergent staff
Charity Digital take a look at what employers can do to support neurodiversity in the workplace.
Inspiring Communicator Awards
Celebrate charity communicators with your Inspiring Communicator Award nominations. The nomination portal is now open for the CharityComms Inspiring Communicators Awards 2025!
Whether you’re marking your milestones, recognising the commitment of a peer or championing collaborations, celebrate the comms talent working in and with the sector.
Fundraising Regulator to change how it collects complaints data
The Fundraising Regulator has revealed plans to start collecting data from charities of all sizes for its annual complaints report (ACR).
Until 2023, the regulator collected data from a small number of large charities and reported the types of fundraising complaints they had received as part two of the ACR.
However, in response to a survey that received over 450 responses, the regulator announced plans to review how it collects data from the charities in 2023.
Forgotten assets to help families and young people thrive
The Government has announced its first ever Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, which will unlock £440 million funding for people and communities who need it most, redirecting money from long-unused accounts to important social causes. Local charities and community groups will also get extra funding to run projects like food banks, youth clubs, and community events to help bring people together, tackle loneliness, and make neighbourhoods safer and friendlier for everyone.
The £440 million package announced this week represents a significant uplift, with an estimated £90 million over previously announced figures set to become available through the Scheme in England by 2028.
How can you make your board of trustees more adaptive and systemic?
It’s easy to say ‘we should be more flexible’ or ‘we should be more collaborative’. But how do you actually make it happen as a trustee with infrequent meetings and fixed legal responsibilities?
NPC recently held a discussion on how trustees can be more adaptive and systemic. In this blog, they share 3 top tips from the event on practical steps you can take to create a more strategic board: expect change, make sure trustees are getting a range of information, and work to create an open culture.
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
[NEW] Help Shape the Future of Volunteer Management – Share Your Insights
You are invited to take part in a new survey from Rosterfy aimed at understanding the current challenges, opportunities, and technology needs facing volunteer managers across the UK.
This is more than just a survey — it’s part of a broader initiative to drive positive change in the sector. Your input will help:
- Inform best practices across the industry
- Shape the development of future technology solutions
- Contribute to a comprehensive industry report, launching this Autumn
The survey takes less than 10 minutes, and as a thank you for your time, you’ll have the chance to enter our prize draw to win A £200 Amazon voucher or one of three £100 Amazon vouchers.
[NEW] Carlisle: Opportunities and Challenges report
Carlisle: Opportunities and Challenges was commissioned by Cumbria Community Foundation to examine the city’s social needs and community issues, highlighting work already being undertaken to address disadvantage and identifying opportunities to help communities thrive.
The report covers topics including employment and skills, health and wellbeing, and ageing well, and is based on extensive independent research and interviews across all sections of society in Carlisle and the surrounding area.
More than 400 people completed a survey giving their views on life in Carlisle, with the results also feeding into the report.
Carlisle: Opportunities and Challenges follows three similar reports produced by the Foundation since 2017: one looking at the whole county, and others focusing on West Cumbria and Furness.
A steering group made up of local people led the work to ensure the report reflected the needs and priorities of the Carlisle area, chaired by Kevin Walsh, Vice Chair of Cumbria Community Foundation.
Opportunity to influence equality law: sexual harassment and volunteers
The Office for Equality and Opportunity are considering expanding the Equality Act 2010’s workplace protections to volunteers strengthen protections against sexual harassment. They want to hear what action might be taken to protect volunteers from experiencing sexual harassment, without creating burdens for the sector. They are particularly interested in:
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- the effect on different types of volunteers and organisations (eg very small, informal groups)
- whether protections should be extended to all or only particular categories of volunteers (and how to define that)
- the potential challenges or unintended consequences for organisations of expanding protections to different groups of volunteers
- whether some types of organisations may be more likely to be adversely affected by the expansion than others
- steps that could be taken to mitigate potential risks and challenges.
The call for evidence is here, the deadline for responses is 30th June 2025. If you any questions please contact: equalityevidence@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
Report highlights fundraisers’ ethical concerns about AI use
Many fundraisers have ethical concerns around the use of artificial intelligence tools in the charity sector, according to a new report.
Research published this month by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) and the University of York found a recurring theme of a lack of trust and understanding around AI in fundraising.
The research, which included surveying and interviewing 100 organisations and fundraisers, also found optimism about how the technology could help fundraisers to be more efficient and communicate more effectively.
High workloads and low pay damaging charity workers’ wellbeing, research finds
New research has found that high workloads and a lack of pay rises are among the key factors damaging charity workers’ wellbeing.
Published this month in Fundraising Magazine, findings from the Charity Well survey conducted earlier this year include a decline in employees’ financial wellbeing and those with “achievable” workloads.
Charity senior leader and wellbeing specialist Claire Warner’s study, which ran from January to March and received 678 responses, also highlighted concerns around charities’ working cultures.
Civil society sets out priorities for new Covenant
A newly published report by NCVO and ACEVO has set out recommendations to help make the government’s forthcoming Civil Society Covenant meaningful and effective.
Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government is based on input from more than 1,000 charities and voluntary organisations that took part in an engagement exercise in autumn 2024. The process was supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The goal is to create a Civil Society Covenant that recognises the value of our sector and makes it easier for charities to collaborate with government to create lasting positive change.
Read the full recommendations and download the report 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.
