Carnegie UK Trust -Rural Communities-What Future?

 Slightly off topic from 'funding' but surely of interest to you?

Creating Resilient Rural Communities

will take place in Tipperary
Institute, Thurles, Republic of Ireland, on Wednesday 28th and Thursday
29th October 2009.

http://tinyurl.com/yhhfv8n


 Ceiliúradh is open to anyone interested in exploring the challenge faced
by communities in the current economic environment and identifying
solutions that will work.


·         How can our communities plan for the future?

·         How can we benefit from local food?

·         What about building local economies?



These are just some of the topics that will be discussed over this two day
annual event.


This year's Ceiliúradh is a time when thinkers, doers and communities will
gather together to explore new ideas about how we want to live and if we
want to move towards a healthy and positive future.  Tipperary Institute
is delighted to welcome a diverse range of national and international
guests such as Marian Harkin MEP, Rob Hopkins (Transition Town Movement),
Chris Piennar from New Economics Foundation and many others.

The Ceiliúradh programme and booking form is attached along with the
detail of the programme. Registration includes a networking dinner
featuring food from local producers on Wednesday 28th. Concessions are
also available and an accommodation list is attached.

To register, please print out the brochure, fill in your details and mail
with payment to Ceiliúradh 2009, Tipperary Institute, Rural Development
Dept, Nenagh Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. The link to pay online using a
credit card is here: http://payments.tippinst.ie. Please include the
credit card payment receipt number on your booking form.

We are looking forward to meeting you at this event and do feel free to
pass this email on to your own contact list.


Catherine Corcoran & Bridget Kirwan

The Ceiliúradh Team

For further information:

By email: Una Johnston at <events@tippinst.ieevents@tippinst.ie>>
By phone: Edel O'Grady at 0504 28117

This Project is supported by the Carnegie UK Trust

Joint Working-New Opportunities to Generate Income

Gareth Coles' presentation at WCVA Third Sector Conference was also another useful one for me. Essentially the session looked at the obstacles and benefits for Thrird Sector Groups-I think I heard Gareth say voluntary and community groups, was that  a slip of the tongue or wishful thinking-to collaborate and possibly even merger.

At the close of the session we did touch on the nuance that appears to be emerging that only those organisations which do collaborate and work far more closely are deserving of financial support and effectively public approval-I guess the same thing. Some of this is to do with perceptions of charities (and Joe Saxton's speech also was useful-though I am dubious about his being billed as a 'driver of ideas', sheesh, not good...).

But Gareth picked up a good few examples such as Marie Cure whose expertise in providing palliative care for cancer patients was brought to use with recuperative British Heart Foundation patients.  How could they do this? By checking their governing document which allowed them to care for cancer patients and those experiencing other serious illnesses.

So, at least, check your governing document-are you doing in any case what it says? Could you in fact be doing something else?

I'll get around to putting the collaborative toolkit resources on Delicious-look for collaboration tag.

But the key message at the end was perhaps the expectation in the future will be why you are not collaborating (or merging) with other third sector groups?

This is an interesting proposition when you think of the sheer number of voluntary organisations active or based in Powys:

• the total number of voluntary organisations active in Powys is 3607 (the largest of any area in Wales)
• the total number of voluntary organisations based in Powys is 2127 (the 3rd largest in Wales after Carmarthenshire and Cardiff)

(see: http://tinyurl.com/yc75nck)



If you're not collaborating closely and you have a good reason then fine. But if you could? And the heading photo is of course from the 'Mad' Hatter's party...

Schmooze Better

WCVA Third Sector Funding Conference-7.10.09,Liberty Park Swansea

Expected this one to be yet another  bloated event but in fact it turned up some useful stuff.

Perhaps for me (surprisingly) the material in the morning about Tendering and Procurement was best. Dawn from Review My Tender helped us get into the mindset of procurement officers and whittled down to the most salient stuff-get the marketing right in the year up to the time you're going to be putting in a tender. Make sure you've built up a relationship with the lead commissioning officer responsible for your activity (you have double checked your'e speaking to the right person?).

Don't hassle them about you getting 'that' tender. But do invite them to say a celebration event or social event your charity is putting on-as a guest not a speaker.  By doing this sort of thing you can show them that you are an 'industry expert' in your field. 

A good analogy for this approach is the budding author trying to get their book published. You want to get out of the slush pile,right? So in the year before you are likely to be going for a tender do everything to promote yourself-send succinct and evidence based (not reams of info) leaflets-say twice a year-don't bombard them.

You want to do everything you can to make it so that when theyre wading through al the tenders, they recognise your logo,know you stand for a quality tender from a leading light in your niche industry and at they should then at least look with a good expectation (in their heart?) at your tender.

The most important thing then is to get your schmoozing right. And Dawn said you'd be doing well if you could get 2 sessions a year lasting 15 minutes with your lead procurement officer. Use that 15 mins to make your pitch.

Dawn's website is ReviewMy Tender

Computers-Yay!

Spent five minutes forwarding info to Brecon's Take Part re. BT in the Community and they scored themselves a free laptop and broadband website (fr one year)-good on 'em for trying; so was pleased to see that BT are offering the same again...

BT Community Connections Awards

Is your organisation currently looking for IT equipment or wanting to get online? If so, you can apply for a BT Community Connections Award.
The scheme enables community and charitable organisations to get online - groups can apply for a laptop and a year’s free broadband connection. Award packages will be given to groups who can demonstrate how an award will benefit their work and the local community.
Visit www.btcommunityconnections.com by 7 January 2010.

10 STEPS TO CREATING A LOCAL FOOD GROUP

Tamzin Pinkerton & Rob Hopkins's new book, Local Food, is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in
creating a local food group. The book explores all elements of setting up a local food group from project scoping
and identifying an initial group, to networking and promoting your project. To find out more, including the
authors’ top ten tips, visit the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/yaf6tbo

Credit Unions-One for You?

 Or for anyone developing small scale financial literacy programmes, see here: http://tinyurl.com/ybs4t7x


Grants of up to £5,000 arevailable for group projects such as self-help groups, workshops and other innovative schemes that seek to educate people about money/debt/consumer issues.
The deadline for the next round of group applications is 30 November 2009 and applications for support for individual courses is 15 December 2009.

The MSE Charity aims to fight financial and consumer illiteracy and is dedicated to educating and informing adults and children about consumer and debt issues.

Individuals resident in the United Kingdom over the age of 18 can apply for a grant of up to £500 to help pay towards a recognised and approved course that will help improve their ability to budget and manage their finances.  The grant can be used to pay for financial education course fees and other associated expenses.

 

Baring Arts Deadline-Work with Arts and Older People?

Another short deadline looms-11 December is the time if you want to go for Baring Arts grant programme.

The stream is for groups in the  United Kingdom that are enabling older people to benefit from participating in arts practice.


Annual grants of up to £25,000 for three years are available, although the size of grant will depend on the annual expenditure of the applicant organisation in 2008/9.


Applications are welcomed from constituted, not-for-profit arts organisations in the United Kingdom that are already producing and presenting arts made by older people.





Here's their website http://tinyurl.com/ye2h74j

And here is a link to their funding guidelines http://tinyurl.com/ye2h74j

I can think of a couple of groups out in Powys who should be looking at this! Let me know if you see this and you would like any support.