NCVS e-bulletin - Thursday 17 April 2025

Welcome to this edition of the NCVS e-bulletin — your perfect excuse to put the kettle on and skip that email you've been putting off! We’ve been busy these past couple of weeks — developing a brand new fundraising strategy training stream, welcoming applications for our current job vacancies, and preparing for a well-earned Easter break.

In this e-bulletin, you'll find:

• Two chances to join the NCVS team
• Ways to share the love this NCVS150
• A must-watch for anyone involving lived experience in meetings.
• Rare in-person workshop on volunteer recruitment
• Lots of new support for your funding and fundraising needs

And so much more. Happy reading!

Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Are you an experienced VCSE leader who thrives on making things happen and connecting people? We're looking for a dynamic individual to help lead our organisation, drive our strategic goals, and champion Nottingham’s voluntary sector locally and beyond.

• Hours: 35 hours per week
• Salary: £44,290 to £46,350 per annum
• Closing date: Tuesday 22 April 2025, 12 noon

Changing Futures Ethnic Minority Community Engagement Coordinator
Are you passionate about engaging ethnic minority communities and driving change for people facing severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD)? We’re looking for a confident communicator to lead outreach with under-represented groups, co-produce engagement strategies, and help break stigma through community-led action.

• Hours: 35 hours per week
• Salary: £28,783 to £30,843 per annum
• Closing date: Tuesday 22 April 2025, 12 noon

We’re excited to share that the Social Enterprise Accelerator (SEA) has added new dates to its 2025 programme – with a few changes designed to give participants more flexibility and tailored support.

Start-up Programme
Thinking of starting a social enterprise? Our updated Start-Up Programme is perfect for individuals or groups in the early stages. Spread over three half-days (starting Thursday 1 May 2025), you’ll explore key topics like legal structures, good governance, business modelling, marketing, and funding.

We’re also adding specialist workshops and guest speakers with real-world experience to help bring your ideas to life.

Growth Programme
Designed for more established social enterprises looking to scale, the Growth Programme will offer targeted one-to-one support alongside quarterly workshops focusing on key challenges and opportunities. The first workshop will take place in June 2025.

Stay updated
Keep an eye on our Social Enterprise page for upcoming announcements, registration links, and details of guest events. Whether you're just starting out or ready to grow, SEA is here to support your entrepreneurial journey.

Welcome to the new Team Talk centre, your one-stop shop for all things tips, tricks, and resources. Here you'll find the latest from the team at NCVS.

There are plenty more blogs, think pieces and helpful resources on our website. 

Three new grant streams released by the city council to aid community groups:

• Essential Skills grant
  The deadline for applications is Monday 5 May 2025, 11.59pm
  
  
• Community Venues and Spaces grant
  The deadline for applications is Wednesday 21 May 2025, 11.59pm
  
  
• Community Engagement grants
  The deadline for applications is Sunday 8 June 2025, 11.59pm

The deadline for submissions is Monday 26 May 2025

The Holiday Activity Fund programme has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children and young people across Nottingham since 2018, benefiting their health wellbeing and learning. Funded by the Department of Education, the programme is aimed at children and young people in reception to year 11 receipt of benefit related free school meals. Free Fun and Food is the name for the Holiday Activity Fund in Nottingham. Since 2021, Nottingham City Council has funded ‘Free Fun and Food’ programmes across Spring, Summer, October half-term and Winter school holidays. For 2025-26 the programme has been revamped to ensure it provides children and young people with a varied new programme of exciting activities and healthy, nutritious food.

There are also two workshops for you to ask any questions about the funding on offer.

The deadline for applications is Friday 30 May 2025

Match funding is available for registered charities with an annual income of at least £25,000 dedicated to serving the women and girls in their communities, fostering a future where every individual can thrive without limitations. Unrestricted funds of £2,500, £5,000 or £10,000 can be raised in public donations (to be doubled by match funding).

There is no set deadline, people are advised t apply as soon as possible

There are three investment strands available:

• Community Builders Fund
  The Community Builders Fund provides loans of between £100k and £1.5m to UK charities and social enterprises based in England, Wales and Scotland who are improving people’s lives or the environment they live in.
  
  
• Energy Resilience Fund
  The Energy Resilience Fund (ERF) provides a blended funding package of loan (60%) and grant (40%) to bolster the energy resilience of eligible charities and social enterprises in England.
  
  
• Reach Fund
  The Reach Fund helps charities and social enterprises raise investment. The grant is aimed at helping these organisations provide the final information that investors need before they can invest. The programme offers grants on average of between £5,000 and £15,000.

We're regularly updating the funding news on our website, so click the button below and find the fund for you!

Monday 28 April 2025, 10am to 12 noon
Dryden Enterprise Centre, Dryden Street, NG1 4FQ

A face-to-face networking meeting for anyone with an interest in managing, supporting or leading volunteers.

This meeting will be facilitated by Dave Thomas (NCVS Volunteering Development Officer), supported by Davia McKoy (NCVS Projects Support Administrator). Come along to meet your fellow Leaders of Volunteers in person, share good practice and ideas, and celebrate your successes. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

Please share your ideas for agenda items and topics for discussion with Dave by emailing davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk or calling 07564 040 767.

Places are limited, and it's important that you book your place.

Thursday 5 June 2025, 10am to 1pm
In-person at the Dryden Enterprise Centre, Dryden Street, NG1 4FQ

Our first in-person and in-depth training workshop for Leaders of Volunteers in more than 5 years will be one of the highlights of Volunteers Week 2025. In this one-off, free session we will explore the hottest topic in volunteering today, recruitment.

Although about 21 million people in England volunteer at least once a year, in recent years there has been a significant fall in the numbers of people coming forward for formal volunteering with a group, club or organisation. This is still a huge number of people, so why is proving difficult to attract volunteers?

Perhaps we need to reframe some of our assumptions, starting with the one that says that we are attracting people to become 'our' volunteers.

According the NVCO Time Well Spent, over half, 55%, of volunteers have given time to more than one organisation. In the same report, a quarter of volunteers give time to three or more organisations.

If trying to get them to be “our” volunteers isn’t working too well, how about taking another look at those statistics and try to become one of “their” organisations?
If we reframe our approach to volunteer recruitment to encourage someone to adopt us as their organisation, could we break down some of barriers that we are currently facing in attracting volunteers?

This is just one topic that we will discuss in our Volunteers Week special event that is also part of our year-long celebration of 150 years of NCVS support. So please join Dave Thomas, NCVS Volunteering Development Officer and other Leaders of Volunteers from across our area, for this session to explore the reasons behind this fall in volunteer numbers and to discuss solutions that will help us to reach the people who are still looking to give us their time.

We will have a deep dive into:

• Current Trends in Volunteering
• Group Discussion: Challenges in Recruitment
• Workshop: Creative Recruitment Solutions
• Tools and Technology for Volunteer Management
• Action Planning

There’ll be a break for tea and coffee and we will celebrate the return of the legendary NCVS Volunteer Centre biscuit tin.

This session isn’t going to be recorded and there are no plans to repeat it, so be there or miss out.

Places are limited for what promises to be an exciting and interactive session so please book your place now.

Active travel social prescribing connects people to walking, cycling, and wheeling activities to improve health and wellbeing, often via referral from healthcare professionals.

The 'Travel Well' project operates in Nottingham neighborhoods, enabling referrals to activities like cycle training, bike repairs, and guided walks. NCVS works with partners, including Nottingham City Council and local organisations, to deliver this support.

Two Care Coordinators help manage referrals and ensure access to these services, promoting active travel as a way to enhance mental and physical health.

The Practice Development Unit (PDU) aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD). This is understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues.

Contact our PDU Team if you need more information: pdu@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Tuesday 22 April 2025, 1pm to 2.30pm
Online via Microsoft Teams

This webinar, led by Anna Tickle and Emily Hill, will explore learning disabilities criteria, their presentation, and reasonable adjustments. It will also discuss the Homelessness Toolkit, designed to help service providers recognize and support individuals with learning disabilities. The presentation will also explore women's homelessness experiences, focusing on intersectionality, violence, and relationships with workers and social networks. The findings will be used to improve policy and service addressing.

Tuesday 29 April 2025, 10am to 11.30am
Online via Microsoft Teams

This webinar explores hidden homelessness among women, discussing the work of Solace Women's Aid, Framework, and Target Housing. It discusses the national census, local findings, and the Growth project in Sheffield, which works with women who have experienced child removal. The webinar emphasizes the importance of gender-specific and trauma-informed provision in supporting this vulnerable group.

Thursday 22 May 2025, 10.30am to 12 noon
Online via Microsoft Teams

The webinar by Carolin Hess, Research Fellow from the University of Nottingham, explores the rising number of women experiencing homelessness in England, with over 60% in temporary accommodations. The challenges faced by these women, particularly due to violence and abuse, are not fully understood. Despite empowerment-based policies like the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, there is a lack of clear action and resources, leading to a different reality of service delivery and practice. The presentation will also consider policy implications to better address these women's needs.

Our full Training and Development programme is available to view on our website. All courses take place online via Zoom.

We have new sessions and new dates for 2025/2026. Book now.

Here’s what’s on offer:

• Core training – Now free*!
  Expert-led sessions covering essential skills for your organisation. You've said, we've listened, introducing brand new training to support your funding needs.
  
  
• Meet the... Series
  Join us for this new series where sector leaders share insights on the topics that matter most to Nottingham’s voluntary sector.
  
  
• PDU Training
  Supporting those working with people experiencing Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (SMD) with specialist insights and practical approaches.
  
  
• Social Enterprise Accelerator Programme (with NTU)
  Providing hands-on support for those starting or growing a social enterprise.

Check out upcoming sessions and book your place today!

* Please be aware of our Terms and Conditions and Cancellation Policy.

Thursday 24 April 2025, 10am to 12 noon

In any group of volunteers, there’ll be occasional disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts. Although these are hopefully rare events, this updated, online training will prepare you for when they occur.

Tuesday 29 April 2025, 10am to 12 noon

This online training takes you through the basics of being a Fire Warden/Fire Marshal and will prepare you to carry out this very important role.

Wednesday 30 April 2025, 10am to 11am

Are your volunteer opportunities struggling to attract people, or people with the right interests and skills for your organisation? This online training will teach you how to enhance your volunteer role descriptions and make them stand out.

If you are a VCSE organisation in Nottingham City or a VCSE organisation recruiting to a job role which covers the Nottingham City area, you can submit a job advert for our website. Adverts remain on our website until the closing date. We feature new adverts once in the e-bulletin, where possible, depending on the volume of new adverts received.

There are lots more job listings on our website. You can view all the job vacancies available by clicking on the 'More Vacancies' button at the bottom of this section.

Thursday 12 June 2025, 10am to 2pm (registration from 9.30am)
Beechdale Community Centre, NG8 3GD

Take part in Diversify Education and Communities CIC is organising this event with the aim of promoting deeper understanding and collaboration among Nottingham's diverse faith communities.

The day will feature:

• Interactive workshops: Exploring shared values and building bridges.
• Roundtable discussions: Engaging in meaningful dialogue on key community issues.
• Topics including: Shared Values, Community Challenges, Building Bridges, Interfaith Action.
• Documentary film opportunity: Learn how to contribute to our film highlighting Nottingham's interfaith stories.

They are particularly interested in your contributions to discussions on 'how faith communities can address social inequalities'.

Breakfast (fruit, pastries, hot and cold drinks) will be served from 9:30 AM, and lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

More event listings on our website

Head over to the dedicated 'External Events and Training' page on our website to view more events and training opportunities from Nottingham's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

If you would like to submit an event to feature on this page, please fill in our online event submission form. Events will be approved for publication on the NCVS website at our discretion, taking into account our aims and mission.

NCVS has a long history of providing safeguarding training for the sector. In recent years, these training sessions have been offered in partnership with The Toy Library.

A change to arrangements from March 2025 onwards is that The Toy Library is now taking on full responsibility for safeguarding courses, including the administration process and training delivery. These courses will no longer be booked through the NCVS website. Instead, you can continue to benefit from a selection of training dates directly from The Toy Library. The content and cost of training is the same as before, and the courses are quality assured either by the Nottingham City Safeguarding Children Board (NCSCB) or by the Nottingham City Safeguarding Adult Board (NCSAB).

New dates for 2025-2026 are available to book onto through The Toy Library website.

If you have any questions about safeguarding training, please email training@toy-library.co.uk.

NCVS will continue to provide helpful links and information through our website on the subject of safeguarding. We will also continue to provide a wide range of other courses and events to assist with the running of voluntary and community organisations.

Wednesday 30 April 2025, 10am to 1pm
The Studio, Broadway Cinema, 14-18 Broad Street, NG1 3AL

This fully funded training aims to empower people to help themselves and others to feel more comfortable, confident and compassionate to talk about death and bereavement. The sessions are designed for individuals who interact with the public and aim to give basic skills to support community members experiencing grief.

Friday 25 April 2025, 9.30am to 12 noon
Online via Zoom

A practical, problem-solving Q&A workshop for common good organisations – social enterprises, charities, voluntary associations and community groups – and delivered by Social Brand Developer and Designer, Adam Piggot.

Structured around questions that you bring to the session, the workshop is designed to generate ideas and suggestions that will help you address key issues around the communication of your brand.

Nominations close on Wednesday 14 May 2025

The UK’s most prestigious diversity event celebrates the excellent achievements of grass-root communities that tackle the issues in today’s society, providing them with recognition for their dedication and hard work.

Founded in 2012, the concept of the National Diversity Awards arose when founder Paul Sesay and his dedicated team identified an urgent need for more positive role models to be actively promoted, with the aim to empower and inspire the wide breadth of diverse communities across the UK.

The 2025 ceremony will continue to recognise unsung heroes and community organisations that are doing phenomenal work to enhance the lives of millions from the breadth of Great Britain.

The consultation closes on Thursday 12 June 2025

Charity law aims to proportionately regulate charities of all sizes to maintain public trust and confidence in the sector, as well as allowing charities to have flexibility and autonomy in how they are run. Larger charities deal with greater sums of public money; therefore, the potential impact of misuse is greater, and they are therefore more strictly regulated. Smaller charities often do not have the resources to deal with large administrative costs or burdens. This consultation seeks views on the level at which we should set financial thresholds for charities.

The consultation closes on Friday 20 June 2025

One of the principal roles of the SORP is to provide charity-specific guidance on applying UK-Irish accounting standards when preparing a charity’s accounts. When changes are made to relevant accounting standards, these need to be reflected in the SORP. A public consultation on the Exposure Draft SORP was launched on 28 March 2025. The SORP-making body is seeking stakeholder views on key areas of change which will inform the final SORP.

Nottingham-specific resources

• Funding toolkit for the voluntary sector in Nottinghamshire - Helen Oparinde, our Group Support Coordinator for Broxtowe, came across this handy toolkit. It was put together by Nottinghamshire County Council, but there's still plenty in there that could be useful for our groups in the city.

General VCSE sector resources

• Sector Focus: Making the most of gift aid - Read Civil Society Media's blog on the risks legislations changes, and opportunities when looking for gift aid.
  
  
• Caring too much: The burnout dilemmas faced by fundraisers and the emotional toll of a fundraising career - Irish fundraiser Michelle Reynolds has researched the factors that cause stress to fundraisers and lead to burnout; Rogare has published her findings through this new paper.

The Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) e-bulletin will be back in a fortnight. The deadline for contributions and comments is 28 April 2025. Email communications@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Did you know we keep an archive of past NCVS e-bulletins? View the archive here.

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