Agewell have moved office to Rounds Green Library, Martley Road, Oldbury B69 1DZ.
The contact number remains unchanged: 0121 796 9333.
Visit the website for the latest news from Agewell.
Agewell have moved to Oldbury
Birmingham-based Charity seeks Executive Manager
CASBA is a small, well respected charity providing specialist advocacy services for learning disabled citizens in Birmingham. The charity celebrated its 30th Birthday in 2018. The organisation is looking to recruit a new experienced Executive Manager, who will be tasked with taking CASBA into a new phase of project development and partnerships.
Hours per week: 28 hours
Salary: Actual – £27,193.30 per annum
Pro rata – £35,934 per annum
Location: Northfield, Birmingham
As CASBA’s Executive Manager you will:
• Lead the organisation to deliver its vision and mission
• Develop and lead a committed team of staff and volunteers
• Lead on advocacy and support project development
• Lead on income development and funding applications
• Support the Trustees
• Develop existing and new partnerships with other organisations
• Lead on the marketing and promotion of the organisations and its key messages.
For an application pack please contact CASBA at casba@btconnect.com, visit the website www.casba.org.uk or by post, CASBA, St Laurence Pastoral Centre, 173 Church Road, Northfield, Birmingham B31 2LX
For further information please contact CASBA on 0121 475 0777 and ask to speak to Heather Baseley (Interim Manager).
Closing date for applications: Friday 29th March
Interviews will be held on Monday 8th April 2019
Possible commencement date for successful applicant – 13th May 2019 (although this can be negotiated)
Lessons from the Charity Digital Code: Principle 1 – Leadership
The Charity Digital Code of Practice was launched last year thanks to the combined efforts of a group of sector organisations, with the aim of helping charities benchmark their progress in using digital and learn from example. It focuses on seven guiding principles for success with tangible actions charities can take.
In this series, Tech Trust trustee and Chair of the Charity Digital Code of Practive Zoe Amar speaks with a charity that embodies one of each of the seven principles, sharing their lessons and experiences.
This week Amar spoke with Lara Burns, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Age UK about the principle of ‘leadership’. An inspirational digital leader, Burns has worked across sectors leading innovation, transformation and change programmes for 25 years.
Zoe Amar: From your conversations with charity leaders, do you think more of them see digital as important? If not, what could change this?
Lara Burns: Age UK is a network of local Age UKs and we know that local leaders are keen to do things differently. We did a survey of local CEOs in our network and 65% prioritised being able to use digital to enable their service delivery, but 83% cited lack of funding as the major barriers, whilst skills were also a challenge.
I think this is fairly typical of small to medium sized charities. It is really easy when you are in a big charity in London to think digital is obvious and everyone gets it, but that is not always the case. Smaller charities can get stuck on what to do next.
This is where The Charity Digital Code of Practice is important. I also think there are more conversations happening at senior level about the Code and digital.
To read the full Charity Digital News Article click here.
Source: Charity Digital News
Eaten by A Bear – The Art of Balancing Risk and Reward
As an organisation, how do you manage risk in your fundraising activities? Do you focus on financial or reputational risk, or both, or other things too? Do you keep going until you’ve eliminated every possible risk from your plans? If so, are your activities still worth doing by the end?
I recently popped along to the Arnolfini for the latest Bristol Fundraising Group talk about risk management in fundraising. The speaker was the excellent Ed Wyatt, an experienced Compliance Manager for multiple big charities and long-time fundraiser and trustee. Ed has kindly given us permission to share some key learning points here…
The Problem
Conversations about risk in fundraising can be frustrating and unproductive. It can feel like natural risk-takers and risk-averse people are speaking entirely alien languages, and often the loudest voice in the room wins.
This can have several consequences:
In their bid to find The Next Big Thing in fundraising, some organisations instead stumble into The Next Big Headache.
Being too risk-averse can dilute promising fundraising ideas until they’re perfectly safe but no longer appealing or profitable enough to be worth doing.
In trying to avoid risk, it’s easy to inadvertently take the biggest risk of all – stagnating in a tough fundraising climate, then hitting financial difficulties as your safer income streams dry up.
To read the full Lime Green Consulting blog click here.
Source: Lime Green Consulting
Building a Business Case for Investing In Fundraising
For many charities and social enterprises in a tight financial position, it’s the classic dilemma. You need to invest in fundraising, perhaps to replace dwindling income from other sources, but have less disposable cash than ever.
So building the case for investing in fundraising – whether that means a new staff member, hiring a consultant or increasing your marketing budget – isn’t easy. Particularly when it involves dealing with management or trustees who may know less about fundraising than you, and are naturally risk averse.
If you were asked to put together a robust and convincing case for investing in fundraising, where would you start? How would you address people’s concerns? Here are their top tips:
1. Show how fundraising success would boost your overall mission
When I’m working with an organisation on their fundraising strategy, I initially ask two questions: Why have you decided to focus on fundraising? What do you hope to achieve through successful fundraising?
Many organisations set ambitious goals for their project work, but fail to show the same fundraising ambition. But the two things are inextricably linked – if you’re trying to double the number of people you help, or move into a new region, you’ll likely need a step-change in fundraising.
So try to make people focus on how much more the organisation could achieve if it raised more money. You’ll stand a better chance of convincing management and trustees to make the investment needed.
2. Educate people about your current fundraising efforts
I’ve worked with organisations whose CEO or trustees have been genuinely surprised by how much they’re raising in certain areas, or completely oblivious about simple blockages that are holding back fundraising. However, people will make better long-term decisions about fundraising if they understand this properly.
Inspire confidence in your future plans by emphasising which areas are already proving successful, and which ones have the potential for a drastic improvement with a little more investment.
To read the full Lime Green Consulting article click here.
Source: Lime Green Consulting.
Are you involved in marketing or comms at a charity or beyond profit?
Are you involved in marketing or comms at a charity or beyond profit?
Then Lightful needs you!
Lightful is a UK-based technology company for social good and is looking to run user research and testing sessions from February to April 2019 in and around Birmingham.
These sessions will help Lightful to further develop its software platform and services for the charity and beyond profit community. Participants will receive a £50 Amazon e-voucher for one hour of testing as well as compensation for reasonable travel expenses.
The aim of the sessions will be to further understand current ways of working as well as potential challenges and needs that you might experience with marketing or comms at your charity or beyond profit.
If you’re interested in participating, please complete this brief form HERE and a member of the Lightful team will get in touch. The information you provide through the form will be sent directly to Lightful.
YCA Cultural Centre – Visit My Mosque 2019
As part of the national #VisitMyMosque initiative, the Yemeni Community Association in Sandwell (YCA) is delighted to invite and welcome you to its mosque open day. The purpose of the day is about helping communities in building bridges and breaking down stereotypes.
The YCA Cultural Centre is opening its doors on Sunday, 3 March 2019, between 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
Drop by for a visit, friendly chat and some light refreshments. This free event is open to people of all faiths and none, so please bring your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to our place of worship and cultural centre.
T: 0121 525 3909
E: culturalcentre@yca-sandwell.org.uk
A: YCA Cultural Centre, Tildasley Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 9SJ
West Bromwich Summit – Event Feedback and Action Planning
This is a reminder that the next workshop for the West Bromwich Town Summit, will be 10 am-12 pm on Tuesday 5th March 2019, at West Bromwich Town Hall,
The purpose of the workshop is to discuss and agree how solutions and opportunities can be implemented.
If you wish to attend, please confirm your attendance by email to Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing on aschw_excellence@sandwell.gov.uk
Information on Support for Carers in Sandwell
CARES Sandwell, the long-established Smethwick-based charity that has supported carers in the borough for many years, regrettably closed down its services on 31st January 2019.
The CARES board took the decision due to not having sufficient resources to continue operating.
In response to this, Sandwell Council has set-up a helpline for anyone who has concerns relating to caring or carers on 0121 569 2266. The Council will be working with other voluntary sector organisations to look at how support can be provided for carers.
Boxing Sessions Help Young People Gain Confidence
A Wednesbury-based boxing club has been boosted by a special grant from Sandwell Council which will help support young people in the area.
Wodensborough Community Amateur Boxing Club, which has been running since 2008, hold four sessions a week in a bid to improve fitness and diet and to build confidence in people aged seven to 60-plus.
Now the Council is awarding the club, which is based in Oxford Street, a grant of £1,7000 to buy new equipment.
The grant will pay for new head guards, gloves, skipping ropes and training mats.
Club spokesperson Steve O’Rourke said: “We are grateful for the grant and it will help us to do more to engage with young people and reduce anti-social behaviour and obesity in the community. The new equipment will allow us to continue sessions as the current equipment is not fit for purpose any more”