If this name means nothing to you...READ ON!

In Kind Direct is a charity which redistributes surplus goods from manufacturers and retailers to UK charities working at home and abroad.

This means charities can benefit by buying goods at greatly reduced prices, which has got to be music to everyones ears during these financially testing times.

There are a wide range of products available; toys, if you are a charity that works with children, work and office items which we all need, sports equipment, household goods and much more. Delivery is usually within 10 days and the customer service is very good.

It's FREE to register, but be sure to read the terms and conditions. Have a look yourself and let me know whether it has helped your organisation. It certainly works for us.

Website

Youtube Video              

It's always sad to see empty buildings and office blocks with rental signs up for months and months.

Well someone has had a great idea. While landlords and owners wait to fill these spaces, why not let the voluntary sector make use of them? They call it "meanwhile use"

That is inspiring. I suppose it cuts both ways; the owners do not have to worry about their empty buildings being broken into and trashed and they give something to their communities. And the voluntary sector has affordable space in cash strapped times.

So there has got to be a catch. Well the obvious one is the time you can stay is a bit unpredictable, but sometimes that doesn't matter. And then there is the cost of moving (which will depend on how big the organisation is.) But it also works for organisations wanting to use some space for one-off events.

I think the idea behind this is super, and each organisation will have to decide whether this suits their needs.

It's just a shame that Telford is not on their list yet - and we have so many empty buildings....

If you are interested, have a look at 3Space.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has created this practical guide to delivering local behaviour change campaigns and benefit young people..

Available as an interactive PDF, it offers tips for anyone interested in running projects that set out to change people’s attitudes and the way they think about themselves and others.

The 59 pages of this document provides useful information and steps on how to go about changing attitudes. It does have a children and Young people bias, but I think it can be applied to anyone.

Many people do not realise that the Voluntary Sector is a BIG employer.

As we are coming across many who are looking for a career change, we thought it would be a good idea to run a short workshop titled:
"Thinking of a Career in the Voluntary Sector?"

Bev Harris, our Volunteer Centre Manager, is an experienced trainer with extensive knowledge about the sector, volunteering and the potential for paid employment.

Click here to download:

poster_july_(2).pdf (104 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

poster_july_(2).pdf (104 KB)

Those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog may have noticed that it looks different.

The reason I have done this is because of the number of posts which is making it very difficult to find information on specific topics.

The new look blog will hopefully make this easier. Let me know what you think.

"Death by Powerpoint" is a common phrase now-a-days. And don't you just hate it when you are listening to someone and all they do is read their Powerpoint slides?

To stop us inflicting this kind of pain on others, I have a couple of video clips (from YouTube) to give tips and to illustrate that it can sometimes be too much.

This next one is one of our favourites!

Writing newsletters is a good way of getting news and messages across. The question at the back of my head is always: can we do it better?

John Grain, from John Grain Associates Ltd. has recently put a really good article together titled:

How to write a better newsletter

It contains useful tips and questions you need to ask. If you spend time and money producing a newsletter, this is an excellent tool to make sure it hits the spot.

Click here to download:

HOW_TO_WRITE_A_BETTER_NEWSLETTER.docx (17 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

HOW_TO_WRITE_A_BETTER_NEWSLETTER.docx (17 KB)

Big Society is on the Big Agenda. But what is stopping people from helping out and mucking in?

This is what the Government wanted to know, so they appointed a task force headed by Lord Hodgson to find out.

They were asked to consider how to cut red tape for small charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises (known as Civil Society Organisations or CSO's).

They have produced a really interesting report titled "Unshackling Good Neighbours" (May 2011) and it addresses 3 questions

• What stops people giving time (Volunteering)?
• What stops people giving money?
• What stops CSO's growing?

The answers they have received during the course of their research reflects what is going on in communities. They quote real examples of the barriers CSO's face.

It is refreshing to read this and I hope it gives Government a clue about the red tape we encounter on a regular basis.

At the end of the report they also give some practical, legal pointers, which is and added bonus.

It's 42 pages, but worth the read.

Unshakling Good Neighbours

Click here to download:

unshackling-good-neighbours.pdf (4.69 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

unshackling-good-neighbours.pdf (4.69 MB)

One of my previous BLOG posts mentioned more economical ways of training staff. One of the suggestions was using a local trainer. But what if you can not find the training you need locally?

During the past years, when times were better, we had excellent training literally "thrown" at us. Training organisations were prepared to travel to locations which were convenient to us, which was exactly what we (the customer) wanted.

Things have definitely changed now. The general cost cutting is affecting everyone and I have noticed that London based trainers are only delivering in London.

That makes sense, it takes up less time and they don't have any travel expense.

NO, it doesn't make sense because the 15 to 20 people travelling to London are picking up the tab. Who benefits? Not the Sector, not the training provider: the rail company. That definitely does NOT make sense.

The reason for my frustration is a recent example. A member of staff needs follow-up training to maintain accreditation for what she does. Previously this was provided at a reasonable distance from Telford. Now it is in London. The price of the training is £87. This is a good rate and worth it. Cost of travel to London: £169 ! It would be cheaper to fly!

Why is it so expensive? Answer: because the course starts at 9.30 and finishes at 4.30 and those are peak travel times.

This is a real problem and a difficult nut to crack.

The potential light at the end of the tunnel is Virgin Trains. They have a 20% reduction scheme for charities. You do need to meet certain criteria and I am not sure whether the "only off peak" rule applies. I have registered and it takes up to 15 days to get approval.

I will keep you posted!

Are you thinking about a career in the Voluntary Sector? Or you may just be thinking about a career change.

If you are wondering whether this sector would suit you, the FREE 3 hour workshop the Volunteer Centre is organising in Telford may help.

It is taking place on Tuesday morning 14th June. You do need to book. For more information: Training