CommUNITY Barnet's Latest Funding Events
A lot of our funding advice, support and training focuses on sustainability - vital in the face of cuts and competition and if we want to keep going in this changing climate. See below for details of just a few of the events we have run recently to help you and your organisation be more sustainable in the long-term. Income diversification is KEY. For a selection of tools to help you, see the NCVO Sustainable Funding Project pages. CommUNITY Barnet is the only Sustainable Funding Beacon in London. For more details of the Beacon programme, see here.
* STOP PRESS - UPCOMING TRAINING MAY AND JUNE*
Book NOW for our latest training courses in SUSTAINABLE FUNDING and related topics, including:
Sustainable Funding event for women's organisations, projects and networks in collaboration with the Women's Resource Centre on Tuesday 24 April...
...featuring expert advice on income generation, including commissioning, social media and more .. plus a chance to meet London Borough of Barnet commissioners and network with other groups working with women.
Contract Management & Reporting with Robert Foster from Red Ochre, on Tuesday 1 May...
De-mystifying Commissioning on 15 May and Corporate Fundraising on 12 June - both with EXPERTS in their field...
Fundraising Strategy with Marilyn Keats, our Development Officer: Sustainability and Outcomes Champion, on Monday 21 May.
Contact the Development Team for more details on 020 8364 8400 or development@communitybarnet.org.uk.
Full details will be on the website and in the post to you very soon...
Everything you wanted to know about social enterprise - June 2011
As advertised, this was an event designed to help you become more enterprising and begin diversifying your income through trading activities. Four Barnet organisations kindly came and presented their experiences as part of our ongoing commitment to illustrate social enterprise through case studies. We will follow this up with a publication listing more case studies hoping to inspire and get people's creative juices flowing! It is CommUNITY Barnet's aim to demonstrate that anyone can become more socially enterprising, no matter your size and focus of work, and we know that it helps you to hear examples of why and how it was done, the pros and the cons. Our case studies were at different stages and some had thought quite laterally to come up with their ideas to benefit the community whilst also diversifying their income, so vital in these challenging times. Thank you to all those who gave up their time for our mutual benefit!
After a lively Q & A session, participants had an opportunity to network, sharing, pitching and learning from others' ideas. A delicious lunch prefaced the afternoon session which featured Bruce Wood from London Rebuilding Society, giving a comprehensive overview of all aspects of social enterprise. This all fitted in with our overall programme which we reminded the audience was following up during July and August with Action Learning Sets and a session on Finance and Taxation. Participants took home with them lots of handouts and fact sheets covering everything from definitions to details of all the possible legal structures and how they each differ.
Feedback comments included:
Excellent and informative day.... The event was very good.... Fantastic. Helpful.... It was pitched just right.
Very good tips and will be very helpful. (As a result) I will now think of marketing my services and planning in a different way.
What we really valued from the case studies was understanding a different starting point in creating a business plan - goal first and then figuring out the numbers...
Many thanks for all the links etc...
(Thank you for) your gallant efforts on the day, covering for those who couldn't make it at the last minute and so on. I think you did a professional and solid job (as usual).
Many thanks for yesterday's event which was very informative as was your follow-up email.
I really enjoyed the whole event. It was good for me to have come, especially to have listened to Bruce.
Sustainable Funding training Jan - March 2011
Our just-completed spring training programme was delivered with our new Sustainable Funding Beacon status in mind. We delivered a range of modules focusing on sustainable funding - from Writing Tenders to Social Impact to Outcomes and Impact Measurement to Marketing Yourselves for Commissioners and others. We also covered Budgeting and Managing Finances.
To highlight one of the modules, Outcomes Part 2 Impact Measurement introduced such tools and techniques as Triangulation and the Outcomes Stars. Comments from participants included: "very good session... essential to business planning... an excellent, invigorating day... I enjoyed the thought-provoking discussions..."
Feedback after other modules included:"Thanks for such an interesting, useful and well presented day... fantastic training... really enjoyed it... excellent, well-informed trainer... useful, practical techniques I can easily understand and pass on to others", and "really enjoyed the course – superb!"
Your plans for the future, as a consequence of the training, include: "Value our skills more... speak and network more... change mindset... develop a strategy to start the tendering process... get the board of directors to start working through reducing risks... and "use the (Social Impact) story board to inform questionnaires and further research, to develop project ideas and for tender and funding submissions...".
Funder Fair
On 3rd November 2010 Community Barnet launched its AGM with a fabulous Funder Fair.
Despite a few last-minute cancellations due to the tube strike, five major national funders attended and were inundated with interest, seeing a total of 72 organisations between them.
A big Thank You to the following funders who made the effort to attend and were amply rewarded by the queues of Barnet organisations waiting to see them.
- BBC Children in Need
- City Bridge Trust
- Lloyds TSB Foundations
- Jack Petchey Foundation
- Trust for London
Rowena Clewlow, Grants Officer for Jack Petchey Foundation wrote:
"Thanks for the opportunity to attend. It was a good event and well-attended."
Stewart Goshawk, Principal Grants Officer for The City Bridge Trust wrote:
"It's always a good use of time when there is such a large potential audience, as turned up last week!
I've already had a couple of follow-up enquiries."
A plea:
If any of you saw one or more of the funders on the day and have since been successful in a funding application, please let Marilyn know at: marilyn.keats@communitybarnet.org.uk. We like to share good news - especially in the current climate!
Thank you!
Sustainability Day
On 20th July 2010, as part of CommUNITY Barnet’s special Funding SOS Month, we held a Sustainability Day to help improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of your organisation. Some 25 organisations came along to hear from Robert Foster of Red Ochre and Sally Roberts from NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations).
In the morning Robert gave us an introduction to a range of impact measurement tools, notably Social Return on Investment (SROI), a method of attaching financial value to the work that we do, building on our outcomes measurement to make our work even more fundable. Attendees were determined to find out more about the concepts by going away and following up the links and tips offered. We also promised to run a full day’s more in-depth training in the not-too-distant future.
In the afternoon, Sally provided a valuable insight into the NCVO tool Funding Central where anyone can obtain up-to-date information on funding opportunities through grants, loans and contracts. She demonstrated some of the many functions and resources and how it helps experienced and inexperienced fundraisers alike, all within the context of sustainable funding, and with lots of tips and information along the way (some of which we are featured on our main Funding News page).
The sessions went down very well and left participants more focused on outcomes, impact and using them alongside SROI in their funding applications, as well as SMARTer planning and evaluation. Many also resolved to register and use the range of support on offer at Funding Central and from NCVO generally.
Now that CommUNITY Barnet’s subscription to Grant Finder online has ended, we are encouraging organisations to register with Funding Central. It’s FREE!
A few useful links:
