Useful information – w/c 28/04/25
April 28, 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: 28/04/25 – 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
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. Creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of their neurotype, feels valued and supported is crucial to fostering innovation and collaboration.
This training course will highlight the valuable skills that neurodiverse colleagues can bring to your charity.
The programme will explore various types of neurodiversity as well as some common misconceptions about them. You will also learn about adapting work processes such as recruitment to be more inclusive of all neurotypes.
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.
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] Cumberland Council newsletter
You can view Cumberland Council’s newsletter from 17/04/25 here, including:
- Join the Big Local Lunch
- Millom project gets underway
- From Rust to Revival: Breathing new life into Cumberland’s iconic fingerposts
[NEW] Westmorland and Furness Council newsletter
You can view Westmorland and Furness Council’s newsletter from 17/04/25 here, including:
- Take back event to give daily living aids a new home
- Parkview Gardens helps people return home more quickly following a hospital stay
- Be part of history – design Cumbria’s first community flag!
[NEW] North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust bulletin
The April NCIC Member and stakeholder bulletin bulletin is out, and you can read it here, including:
- New entrance for CIC’s Emergency Department
- Leadership changes at NCIC
- Nurse sets up mental health support group
Surveys, Research, Feedback and Reports
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.
