Time to Celebrate – Make Some Noise!

By Louisa|July 14th, 2017

 

Last week I had a rare day out of the office to attend the 15th birthday party of client Make Some Noise, a charity using music for positive change.

I’ve worked with the Make Some Noise team long enough now to know what they do, where they work and who they work with. Over this time I’ve met most of their staff too, so while its always lovely to be invited to a party and catch up with familiar faces, I saw the day as an opportunity for me to fulfil our Fundraising Central pledge of volunteering for each client for one day each year. The day turned out to be so much more than that.

I returned from the party with a head full of memories and snapshots, like the sheer joy on the faces of toddlers taking part in a Soundpots music and movement session, and the heartbreaking lyrics of a song written by children in forces families as part of the Create Connect project.

I was lucky to have some time with sixth formers from Two Rivers Secondary Special School in Tamworth who had come to join the party and perform. While they wouldn’t disclose their song choices in advance (top secret, hints of Miley Cyrus and Ed Sheeran) they did tell me they were excited and a little bit nervous about their performance.

Half an hour later, I was in the audience watching them perform – a cover followed by a song they had written themselves. The lyrics of their own composition were all about their experience at Two Rivers and their hopes and dreams for the future as they go on into their adult lives. I was blown away – there was no evidence […]

The power of images for your charity

By Leigh Amor|June 28th, 2017

A picture can tell a thousand words… Taking good photos can speak volumes about the work you do and bring your project to life. Photos of a project in progress, people engaging with your service and smiling after a positive experience can bring so much value. Here are a few snappy tips to make the most of those photo opportunities.

Tell your story
What images will tell your organisation’s story and make it shine? Think about images that will showcase what you do and trigger emotions in the viewer. Take a moment to think about any opportunities over the next six months and include photography into your plan. Often photography is an afterthought when it is too late to capture those unique moments.

Act natural
Images needn’t be posed, ‘set-up’ or Instagram perfect – in fact, documentary-style photography can be very powerful. Take detailed shots of people in action. You’re more likely to get a natural emotional connection with your audience.

Document your work
Remember to take lots of photographs as projects develop. If you have an event coming up, designate responsibility to someone in your team who has a natural flair for taking photos. These will prove to be valuable as a resource in future, whether you are including them in a report, on your website or posting on social media. Genuine photos showing real impact and engagement of your project will be so much more powerful for your case than any stock images found on the internet.

The kit
You don’t necessarily need a fancy camera to get good photos – a smart phone will often do the job. Just ensure that you get bright, clear images that are in focus.

Getting the right shot
Website images, social media and reports will […]

Tailor-made training

By Louisa|June 2nd, 2017

It’s often difficult to take a step back from the day-to-day grind and objectively assess any skills that might need brushing up within your organisation.

Perhaps it’s time to look at your fundraising skills with fresh eyes? Maybe you’re thinking of introducing digital communication and don’t know where to start? Or maybe your fundraising strategy needs an update and you’d like to learn how to sharpen your strategy-making skills?

Here’s where Fundraising Central can step in to help you! We can work with you to help you identify the specific training needs of your organisation, advise on best-practice and develop a bespoke training package.

There’s no time-wasting – all our training is developed and adapted to suit your requirements. You’ll gain useful skills for specific tasks with relevant practical information. Our training sessions are tailored to cover as much ground as possible in a short time. We regularly deliver training in the following areas:

• Trust and foundation fundraising
• Defining Trustee roles and responsibilities
• Developing a fundraising strategy
• Supporter journeys
• Developing a Theory of Change
• Consultation and Evaluation
• Digital communication and fundraising
• How to write a compelling Case for Support
• How to involve service users and beneficiaries in Evaluation

We have an objective viewpoint and benefit from working with lots of organisations. We can advise on training areas that could be delivered to make a real positive impact in your organisation – no fuss, no time-wasting.

Get in touch to discuss – we’d love to hear from you!

Data protection – 12 steps to best practice

By Louisa|April 30th, 2017

Does your organisation hold an email list or a service-user contact list?

If you hold any data lists within your organisation then you need to be aware that data protection regulation is changing.

On 25 May 2018 new data protection guidelines are being introduced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will replace the Data Protection Act. As these guidelines are rolled out, the public will be increasingly aware of how their data is being held and used by organisations, so charities large and small need to be prepared.

Understandably, smaller charities often have no data protection officer role within their organisation, so responsibility for monitoring data protection is not clearly defined and it is hard to stay up to date. A good place to start is to ensure that a staff member is trained in the latest data protection law and given responsibility for keeping abreast of any changes.

The ICO have released a report Preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): 12 steps to take now – here’s a brief overview of their checklist to get you started so you can plan your approach:

1. Awareness

Make sure that key people in your organisation are aware that data protection law is changing. Identify areas that could cause compliance problems. Avoid leaving this until the last minute, as these changes may take time to implement.

2. Information you hold

You need to document what personal data you hold, including where it came from and who you share it with. Organise an information audit. You’ll need to show how you comply with the data protection principles – what policies and procedures you have in place.

3. Communicating privacy information

Review your current privacy notices […]

Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society – House of Lords Report

By Louisa|March 27th, 2017

Yesterday the House of Lords Select Committee on Charities published a report, “Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society” which brings together their findings from over a year of detailed evidence gathering. Over 150 pages, the report recognises the contribution of charities and makes a series of recommendations and conclusions around a number of key themes. There are a hundred of these in total but in summary these include:

Improved Governance

• Regular skills audits for trustee boards
• Training and development for charity trustees
• Induction processes for new trustees
• More diversity on trustee boards to better reflect a range of skills, experience, age and background
• Maximum terms of office for trustees

Increased Transparency

• All charities (except the very smallest) should have a simple website or public social media page
• Funders and donors should evaluate the transparency of charities when considering requests for funding
• Charities should seek independent evaluation of their impact on their beneficiaries

Commissioning Reform

• Commissioners should embed a partnership approach to service design and provision
• Social Value should become an integral part of commissioning
• Realistic and justifiable core costs should be include in core costs
• Long term contracts should be the norm to allow effective delivery

The role of volunteers

• Funders need to be more receptive to requests for resources for volunteer managers and co-ordinators, especially where charities are able to demonstrate a strong potential volunteer base
• Greater flexibility should be in place for employees to take time off for charitable work

Charities and digital technology

• The capacity of the sector to embrace digital varies and for those who are not embracing it there is a risk of ‘organisational stagnation and decay’.
• Charities should actively consider including a digital trustee on their board

The report also looks at local funding […]