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.

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)

Getting the right message to potential volunteers and getting the right volunteers for your organisation can be tricky.

Gareth Edwards from Practical Fundraising Association www.practicalfundraising.com has some useful tips when recruiting volunteer fundraisers, but this actually applies to the recruitment of any volunteer.

Click here to download:

THINGS_TO_THINK_ABOUT_WHEN_RECRUITING_VOLUNTEERS.pdf (45 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

THINGS_TO_THINK_ABOUT_WHEN_RECRUITING_VOLUNTEERS.pdf (45 KB)

We are all trying to get our heads around what Big Society is all about. Not an easy task. The Community development Foundation has published a report "Growing and Sustaining Self-Help" Taking the Big Society from words to action.

They believe that self help is a community’s collective attempt to tackle the issues it cares about. Public spending cuts mean that self help is more relevant now than ever. I personally agree with that statement, but I also think this requires a shift in public thinking. These things don't happen overnight. You can't expect communities to inmediately take over the responsibility of the upkeep of say, a local play area, when the Council has been responsible up until now.

The report aims to highlight the potential of self-help and shows examples of how this could be achieved.

Click here to download:

Growing_and_sustaining_self_help.pdf (758 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

Growing_and_sustaining_self_help.pdf (758 KB)

This is a useful report by NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) and well worth a read if you are interested in why people get involved with charities in whatever shape or form. (e.g. volunteering, donating etc.)

It is very easy to read and can be useful to provide evidence for funders or to help you with your marketing/ fundraising campaigns.

It is hot off the press and was only published this week.

Click here to download:

participation_trends_facts_figures.pdf (2.5 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

participation_trends_facts_figures.pdf (2.5 MB)

Volunteering England has launched a campaign to make it easier to involve volunteers.

They say "although some rules do get in the way, much of the problem is caused by misunderstanding".

They are on a mission to dispel myths by providing correct information.

If you are interested in the campaign, or would like to know more visit:

http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Policy/Free+volunteering+from+red+tape

 or you can support the campaign via facebook

www.facebook.com/freevolunteeringfromredtape