VCS Organisations
easyfundraising Advent Calendar is back!
easyfundraising is spreading some Christmas cheer to the third sector by giving away £5,000 in their Advent Calendar giveaway. To get involved, sign your organisation up to easyfundraising and you can be a part of 25 days of advent fun and create an easy and accessible fundraising option your volunteers and the local community can get behind. Every time they open the daily door, your organisation gets an entry into the big Christmas Day prize to win £5,000.
Find out more here: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/community
Last year’s winner (Wiltshire WI) said: “This money has been a blessing for us. Like most organisations, we have suffered due to the pandemic, and the prize has enabled us to continue to bring women together, to gain new skills, and to campaign on issues close to our hearts.”
*CALL TO ACTION* VSI Alliance VCSE Winter Directory 2022/23
The VSI Alliance are producing a Calderdale Winter Directory of all the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector support and services available to individuals over the Winter months. This may be promoting part of your regular service delivery or it may be Winter specific work the VCSE are providing.As examples, the Winter Directory is aiming to include information on Mental Health Support, Wellbeing Sessions, Physical Activity, Food Support Services, Social Groups etc.The directory has a very tight turnaround to collate the information so apologies for the short deadline for information. To include your organisation or specific service, please complete the Microsoft Form via the link below by Friday 2nd December 2022.https://forms.office.com/r/W1DWrhUupgIf you wish to discuss further, please email emma.worsley@cvac.org.uk
3 month follow up – VCSE Sector Financial Sustainability Survey November 14
In August 2022, the VSI Alliance gathered initial feedback and insight on the financial sustainability of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Sector in Calderdale. The information was then presented at the Calderdale Collaborative Community Partnership Board (3CPB), part of Calderdale Cares.
Thank you to all who participated in the first survey. We have now launched a 3 month follow-up survey including questions on the impact of the cost of living crisis and staffing and recruitment in the VCSE Sector.
The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes and we’d really appreciate your input to help contribute to as big a picture as possible about the current financial situation for our sector.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ZHI3J2/
The deadline for submissions is Monday 14th November.
3 month follow up – VCSE Sector Financial Sustainability Survey
In August 2022, the VSI Alliance gathered initial feedback and insight on the financial sustainability of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Sector in Calderdale. The information was then presented at the Calderdale Collaborative Community Partnership Board (3CPB), part of Calderdale Cares.
Thank you to all who participated in the first survey. We have now launched a 3 month follow-up survey including questions on the impact of the cost of living crisis and staffing and recruitment in the VCSE Sector.
The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes and we’d really appreciate your input to help contribute to as big a picture as possible about the current financial situation for our sector.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ZHI3J2/
The deadline for submissions is Monday 14th November.
VCSE Sector Financial Sustainability Survey
The VSI Alliance is gathering feedback and insight on the financial sustainability of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Sector in Calderdale.The information we receive back will form the basis of a findings report that will be presented on behalf of the VSI Alliance and the local VCSE Sector by Julie Robinson, CEO of VAC at the Calderdale Collaborative Community Partnership Board (3CPB), part of Calderdale Cares, on Thursday 11th August.The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes and we’d really appreciate your input to help contribute to as big a picture as possible about the current financial situation for our sector.https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/VCSEFINANCIALSUSTAINABILITY/The deadline for submissions is Thursday 4th August in order to give time to analyse and write up the information for presentation.Thank you,VSI Alliance
easyfundraising – additional funding opportunity for your organisation
VSIAlliance are keen to support the VCSE Sector with funding ideas throughout 2022, so we have partnered with fundraising platform easyfundraising to give you the ability to earn free funding through online shopping
How does it work?Providing access to an easy, free, and low-effort way to fundraise, easyfundraising turns online purchases into free donations for your voluntary organisation, charity, CIC or third sector group. Free to sign-up and free to use, it’s an easy way to get additional funds from something everyone is already doing – shopping online.Through easyfundraising, over 6,000 online retailers including Amazon, eBay and M&S, Sainsbury’s, Booking.com, Aldi, Trainline and Argos will give your organisation a free donation when your volunteers, staff and supporters shop with them. Anything from a weekly grocery shop to a family holiday can generate a free donation for your organisation.Getting StartedTo get started, set up a free easyfundraising page for your organisation – this only takes a couple of minutes. easyfundraising will give you lots of support to help you get up and running and raising as much as possible. You can even have a free 1-2-1 call with one of the team for a demo of the site, advice and fundraising Don’t miss out on free funding; register your organisation today.Introduction to easyfundraising – free webinarCome along to a webinar where Becky from easyfundraising will explain how it works, help you get set up and answer any questions you have.
Trustee Volunteering Event at the Square Chapel Thursday 30th
Have You Considered Volunteering with a Difference?
Becoming a Trustee could be the role for you
The VSIA and CMBC are hosting an event on
Thursday 30th June at Square Chapel Arts Centre
from 5.30pm to 8pm
The event is aimed both at organisations looking to recruit trustees as well as individuals with an interest in becoming a trustee and what that means.
You will receive information on the role of trustees and the many benefits for an organisation and the volunteer.
Refreshments will be provided in the event.
If you’d like to take part, please let us know as soon as possible.
- Places for voluntary groups at the event will be limited to maximum of 2 people per organisation
- We’d like it if one of those could be an existing Trustee who can share their Board experiences to potential new Trustees
- Once confirmed with a place, groups will be invited to a brief preparation session before the event (on Zoom) so that we can advise on how to ‘sell’ your organisation and what kind of things to remember to tell a new person
After the event we’ll put you in touch with those who are interested in joining your board / committee or would simply like a longer conversation with you.
To book places for your organisation, email Charlie at charlie.johnston@vsialliance.org.uk as soon as possible.
More information:
Calderdale (VCSE) Assembly – Thursday 5th May 2022 – *Still Places Available*
There are places still available for the Calderdale Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) Assembly on Thursday the 5th of May 2022.
Would you like to:
- Understand the changing strategic landscape at Calderdale and West Yorkshire level?
- Understand more about the changes that are taking place in the Health, Social Care, Environment and Economy worlds?
- See where you organisation is contributing or is filling a gap in your community?
- Feel more in the loop?
- Be part of the initial conversations?
Calderdale Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) Assembly Thursday 5th May 2022 – Elsie Whiteley Centre, Hopwood Lane, Halifax, HX1 5ER 12.45pm networking lunch* prompt 1.30pm start – 3pmTo reserve a place for you or an organisation rep, please email benjamin.opie@vsialliance.org.ukPlease let us know if would like to attend the lunch ASAP & *If you have any dietary/special requirements or access requirements*.
Partnership highlights VCSE POWER in week-long online event
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) have launched an online event to celebrate the work of their partners in the voluntary community social enterprise sector (VCSE) from Monday 28 March to the 1 April.
There are an estimated 12,000 registered and unregistered VCSE organisations across West Yorkshire employing around 29,700 full time equalivant staff who work 49 million hours every year. Add to this the 8.7 million hours that the 121,000 residents who volunteer regularly contribute and you get a sense of the scale.
Throughout the VCSE Power week, a wide range of resources from videos, podcasts, blogs, case studies and infographics will be freely available to share and celebrate the diverse and often life changing work of our voluntary and community organisations in West Yorkshire.
Hilary Thompson, WY HCP Harnessing the Power of Communities Lead said: ‘We want to recognise the amazing work of our VCSE partners and the contribution they make day in day out to the lives of so many. Please browse, get in touch with the organisations directly and use these free resources to learn new ideas and share widely’.
With a focus on a specific theme with one from each of the five local places which make up West Yorkshire (Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield) the week-long event will cover:
- Engaging with marginalised communities in Bradford District and Craven
- Co-designing work with Calderdale communities around social prescribing and personalised care
- Early help and what is happening in Kirklees, including community anchor network and community champions
- The win – win of volunteering in Leeds
- The VCSE as specialist provider hosted by Wakefield.
Jane Colthup, Chief Executive of Community First Yorkshire, a charity that supports other voluntary sector organisations, said: ‘This is a huge acknowledgement and thank you to the many community groups, charities and volunteers across Craven District and West Yorkshire communities who quietly go about their business of strengthening the health and wellbeing of local people. From the community transport driver to the telephone befriender, they all play a vital role in tackling loneliness and isolation, improving people’s access to local services and opportunities and enabling our communities to be better connected and healthier’.
Andy Petrie, Chair of TSL Kirkees and Chief Executive, Local Services 2 You said: ‘Over the last 2 years, during COVID, we’ve really seen the VCSE come to the fore in Kirklees and prove its value in partnering with health and local authority colleagues to support local people and keeping them well. We’re now working on strengthening and developing what started as an emergency COVID response so that communities in Kirklees have the ability and resources to respond to the needs of those communities in their own way, via new initiatives like our community anchor network and community champions’.
You can access the free online VCSE Power event at https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/vcse-power-showcase Twitter #VCSEpower
VSI Alliance VCSE Winter Directory 2021/22
The VSI Alliance are producing a Calderdale Winter Directory of all the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector support and services available to individuals over the Winter months. This may be promoting part of your regular service delivery or it may be Winter specific work the VCSE are providing.As examples, the Winter Directory is aiming to include information on Mental Health Support, Wellbeing Sessions, Physical Activity, Food Support Services, Social Groups etc.The directory has a very tight turnaround to collate the information so apologies for the short deadline for information. To include your organisation or specific service, please complete the Microsoft Form via the link below by 1pm on Thursday 16th December 2021.
https://forms.office.com/r/6Ur17PEX94
If you wish to discuss further, please email emma.worsley@cvac.org.uk
Calderdale Lower Valley blog 