Useful information – w/c 23/06/25
June 23, 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: 23/06/25 – 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
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.
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.
[NEW] Moderation for charities: Keeping your charity and supporters safe online
Thursday 26th June, online. From trolls to misinformation, online risks are growing – and charities need a plan. In this free session, Strawberry Social will talk you through creating safer digital spaces, managing harmful content, and protecting your community and reputation.
Learn practical steps to keep your digital spaces safe and supportive, even with limited time and tools.
[NEW] How to create effective video content using your phone for charities
Thursday 26th June, Online. Join The Saltways team for this free 60 minute workshop for charities to learn how to create effective & high quality content on your phone.
Learn how to plan your films to get the best results possible, technical tips on how to improve your footage and sound and get an introduction into editing and how to build a campaign around your film.
[NEW] Crisis communications seminar: navigating with confidence
26th June 2025, online. Navigate a crisis with confidence with the CharityComms Crisis Comms Seminar.
A must-attend seminar for communicators to develop a crisis comms approach that works in today’s world. You’ll leave with practical insights to apply to your practice, no matter your budget. Free for their members or just £25 for non-members.
[NEW] Building financial resilience in uncertain times
Monday 30th June, online. A live webinar packed with practical strategies and expert insights to help your charity stay financially strong and sustainable.
With economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and increasing demand on services, financial resilience has never been more critical for charities. This webinar will explore practical strategies to strengthen reserves, diversify income, manage risk, and plan for long-term sustainability – balancing mission delivery with financial prudence.
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.
[NEW] How to master grant-funding
3rd July, online. Grant-funding allows charities to boost their impact. But grant-funding is a complex area, full of difficulties around eligibility, finding the right funding opportunities, crafting compelling proposals, meeting the often dizzying reporting requirements, and so on. The world of grant-funding can often feel a little overwhelming, particularly for small charities unsure where to start.
This webinar will cover, among other things, the importance of ‘being fundable’, the right funders for you to approach, how to make an application stand out, and tips to increase your chance of success.
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.
[NEW] Charity Content Conference: building better content
10th July 2025, online. Through sessions with peers and sector experts, you will learn how to effectively plan, design, and execute content which creates better user experiences and helps meet your organisation’s strategic objectives.
This conference is ideal for anyone responsible for creating content and communications within charities.
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] How to pick the best fonts and colours for your website
Accessible websites promote inclusivity and are generally easier to use for everyone. Using clear fonts and effective colour contrast are two ways to boost your website’s accessibility.
[NEW] Westmorland and Furness Council Newsletter
You can read Westmorland and Furness Council’s newsletter from 20/06/25 here, including:
- Still time to have your say on the future of nature recovery across Cumbria
- Westmorland and Furness Council marks Refugee Week 2025
- Judging underway for Cumbria’s first ever Community Flag
[NEW] Cumberland Council newsletter
You can read Cumberland Council’s newsletter from 20/06/25 here, including:
- Time running out to have say on future of libraries in Cumberland
- Cumberland Sports Village plans progress
- £14.3M Road Upgrades Complete!
[NEW] Showcasing the charities supporting women and girls
Charities supporting women and girls are facing a surge in demand for the vital work they do.
[NEW] Making volunteering more inclusive for disabled people
Volunteering carries huge benefits for those who take part, and can directly improve participants mental health and wellbeing.
But not everyone is able to participate equally. On average, disabled people report lower levels of satisfaction and significant barriers with volunteering. These include practical barriers, as well as cultural and attitudinal barriers. Barriers come from the public, organisations, paid staff, and other volunteers.
This resource from NCVO lists their top tips for how your organisation can make volunteering inclusive for disabled people.
[NEW] Free digital volunteering platform opens to charities
A digital platform developed by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) opened last week for charities to register.
RVS has urged charities of all sizes and causes across the UK to upload volunteering roles for free to the platform ahead of its public launch scheduled for the autumn.
When launched publicly, potential volunteers will be able to browse causes and charities they care about through the platform.
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
[NEW] Gender pay gap narrows to 6.3% at large charities, research finds
The average gender pay gap at a sample of almost 100 of the largest UK charities has continued to narrow, according to Civil Society’s analysis of recently published data.
In April 2024, the average median gender pay gap for the large charities surveyed was 6.3%, down from 6.8% a year earlier.
This means that women earned around 94p on average for every £1 that their male colleagues were paid.
[NEW] The Status of UK Fundraising 2025
Charities in 2025 face a tough balancing act: rising demand, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change. While tools like AI offer new possibilities, they also raise concerns around data accuracy and security.
Blackbaud’s 2025 Status of UK Fundraising report reveals:
- 54% of charities saw flat or falling income in the past year
- Only 1 in 3 met fundraising targets
- 43% say they’re under-resourced—31% due to lack of investment in fundraising
[NEW] Inheritance tax changes predicted to boost charitable legacies
Changes to inheritance tax (IHT) policy announced in last year’s autumn budget could boost charitable legacies, according to a new survey of professional advisers.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on current IHT thresholds until 2030 last October, as well as the removal of an exemption for pension wealth from the tax from April 2027.
Following these policy changes, the Office for Budget Responsibility projected that the proportion of estates that qualify for IHT will increase from 5.2% in 2023-24 to 9.5% by 2030.
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.
