the echo Developing a high quality, proactive voluntary sector for the benefit of the residents of

Dudley Borough by positively engaging partners in support of voluntary activity.

In this issue

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Visit our website www.dudleycvs.org.uk

December 2013 Front Page Chairman’s message Allan Miles News Kaleidoscope Group Dudley Interfaith news Moving Forward Together Cutting energy bills Big Lottery news Woodside Crafts new shop In a Nutshell Funding Charity Bank Comic Relief and Gift Aid Lankelly Chase Foundation Inman Charity Alan Pascoe Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Maurice Wohl Foundation CHK Charities O2 Think Big News Tapping up philanthropists Healthy eating in later life Directory of Social Change Volunteering Wolves’ Wendy in town New volunteering toolkit Calling 4x4 owners Our Services What we can do for you

Allan Miles It is with regret that Dudley CVS reports the death of one of its Board members, Allan Miles. Allan was in his second four-year term on the DCVS Board and was a much respected voice, combining a wealth of experience and boundless enthusiasm. Allan began voluntary work twenty years ago and his list of volunteering roles was both long and varied. Allan was Chairman of Dudley Federation Tenants & Residents Association and he also chaired Dudley Fields Tenants & Residents Association and Brierley Hill Area Panel. He also served as a committee member on Brockmoor Community Association, Brockmoor & Pensnett Community First Panel and several council partnerships. Outside of his voluntary and community activities, Allan’s life was equally varied, having been a plumber, long distance lorry driver and pub landlord. All at Dudley CVS send condolences to Allan’s family and friends.

Chairman’s Christmas Message

We are nearing the end of another very challenging year at Dudley CVS with finances under considerable pressure, but with demands for our help and guidance from the local voluntary sector increasing more and more. We are all looking forward to the Christmas holiday period to spend more time with our loved ones and recharge our batteries. However, there will be some in our communities for whom Christmas only shows the sharp contrast between the haves and the have nots in society. I hope you will join me in praying for those less fortunate than ourselves. I would also ask you to think about our service men and women serving in dangerous places around the world and to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. On a more encouraging note, in October, we hosted the annual celebration of the tremendous achievements of local volunteers. What would we do without them? Finally, I, and all Dudley CVS directors, staff and volunteers, sincerely wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2014.

Mike Abrahams

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NEWS

London Calling….. November was a very busy month for Dudley Borough Interfaith Network. On November 11th, Remembrance Day, 45 Network members and guests were in London visiting the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. The feedback was really positive, particularly as the visit to these places of heritage was shared between people of different faiths and sometimes culture. The group met MP Ian Austin in a committee room and saw both the chambers of Commons and Lords before being guided around the Abbey and seeing the tombs of various kings and queens. One participant said ‘I learnt about all of this in Kenya, when we had to do British history, but I never thought I would see the tombs of these monarchs with my own eyes." Interfaith Week During Interfaith Week (17-23 November) DBIN was given the use of a former Jewellers’ shop in the Churchill Precinct. Rev Jem Hawkins from Central Methodist and Rajesh Patel from Shree Krishna Gujarati Centre, organised displays and created a multi-faith environment. Over 400 visitors called by including the Mayor and MP Ian Austin.

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group was established in 1973 and is a registered charity. It works across the West Midlands to promote and support better mental health. Kaleidoscope Plus Group is currently in the very early stages of researching the feasibility of developing a large scale befriending service across Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. In its aim to support the elimination of isolation, and its negative effects on mental health and wellbeing, Kaleidoscope wishes to provide befriending support for individuals who experience and fall into the following categories: · Mental illness; · Elderly; · Limited long term illness; · Cancer; · Single parent families and post-natal; · New arrivals and refugees; · Disability; · Carers. It is envisaged that the service will incorporate both telephone and home visiting befriending and will be delivered by both paid employees and volunteers. Groups or individuals who might be interested in working with Kaleidoscope Plus Group to be part of a befriending support service in Dudley borough are asked to contact Kirstie Barnes on 0121 565 5605 or 07508 330460.

Moving Forward Together In excess of fifty people attended the latest Moving Forward Together at the beginning of November. They represented a wide variety of voluntary sector groups, together with senior local councillors and Dudley Council officers. Joe Irvin attended on behalf of The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA). There was a workshop on asset transfer of physical assets and how to manage a building; actions to tackle poverty and discussion about improving the value and success rate of grants applications within Dudley borough. A full report and agreed Action Plan will be posted on the Dudley CVS website shortly.

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NEWS

In a nutshell...

Woodside Crafts Shoppers in Dudley town centre can now buy hand-made items of woodwork, jewellery and flower arrangements from Woodside Crafts’ new shop in King Street. Woodside Crafts is a social enterprise that gives people with mental ill health the chance to learn new creative skills. The King Street shop sells hand-crafted clocks, chess sets, garden ornaments, trinket boxes and all sorts of household carpentry. Profits from sales are reinvested into the business. Formed in 2012, Woodside Crafts is part of a network of commercial businesses and new social enterprises that share business experiences and contacts. Staff at Dudley CVS are pleased to have been part of the Woodside Crafts’ success story. For more information call Woodside Crafts on 01384 380728.

The Divine Community Church has two festive offerings in December. On Friday 13th December there will be Christmas Cracker 2, a free evening of music and dance of all genres for young people. The fun kicks off at 7pm. On Sunday 22nd December there will be a more sedate affair with a Carol Service called Sunday Sparkle. Both events will be held at Claughton Community Centre, Blowers Green Road.

AVL in Halesbury, near Kidderminster, has surplus office furniture. A desk, filing cabinets and bookcases are available free to a voluntary sector group. Call Julian Singleton on 01299 254600 to arrange collection.

Charities: Check Your Energy Tarfiffs Charities and not-for-profit voluntary organisations who pay energy bills for their premises may be on the wrong tariff and may be paying too much VAT. A report published by UK Power, an energy comparison site, suggests some tips to minimise energy payments. 1. Check if the energy contract is based on a

business user or other type of user. There may an advantage in being based on a domestic tariff.

2. Know exactly when the existing contract is coming to an end and shop around for alternative suppliers and tariffs BEFORE the contract expires.

3. Check if the organisation qualifies for reduced rate of VAT. If 60% or more of the energy consumed is related to non profit activities, the whole of the energy bill should be subject VAT at 5%, not the standard rate of 20%. Even if less than 60% of energy consumption is non-business, VAT at 5% can still be levied against the actual percentage.

4. Small businesses (e.g. social enterprises) can also benefit from the lower VAT rate providing consumption is less than 1,000kWh per month of electricity or 150 therms (4,397kWh) per month of gas.

For further information go to www.ukpower.co.uk/media/energy-guide-for-charities-april-2013.pdf

Big Lottery Fund announcement The implementation of a new funding management system at the Big Lottery is causing delays in responding to Awards for All/Reaching Communities applications. Rather than the usual 6 weeks to get a decision for an Awards for All application, it could take 12 weeks. Call the Big Lottery Fund Advice Line on 0845 4 10 20 30.

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FUNDING

Lankelly Chase is a major grant giver, distributing over £5M last year. It has recently launched an open call for project ideas which will bring about change to improve the lives of people facing severe and multiple disadvantage. Applications must address a combination of social harms around homelessness, substance misuse, mental illness, extreme poverty and violence and abuse. There is a two-stage applications process with no deadlines and no set grant amounts. Grants committee meet twice a year. For more information, contact: Tel: 020 3747 9930 E-mail: grants@lankellychase.org.uk

Inman Charity The Charity provides small grants (usually up to £5,000) to registered charities working in the following areas: • Medical research • Care of the elderly • General welfare • Hospices • Deaf and blind people • Care of the physically and mentally disabled. • Armed forces Applications are invited twice a year by 28th February (for the April meeting) and 31st August (for the October meeting). For more information go to website: www.inmancharity.org/#Application_Guidelines

Alan Pascoe Trust The Alan Pascoe (gold medal winner in the 400m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in 1974) Trust provides grants up to £10,000, with a preference for organisations running projects for young people. Applications can be made at anytime. For more information, contact Jeanette Dean: Address: 1 Boyd, The Admirals Gun Wharf Quays, Portsmouth PO1 3TW. Tel: 0239 273 1227. E-mail: jeanette.dean@csmdivision.com

Charity Bank has produced a new guide to borrowing and taking on loans. It details the advantages of a loan (over a grant) and what lenders look for in potential borrowers. The guide summarises the five main features of taking out a loan, explaining how there is less restriction on spending, availability of finance when required to assist cashflow and the relationship between lender and customer opening doors for new contacts with financial experts. A key factor with social lenders (over the commercial sector) is the value placed on social impact when assessing applications. For more information go to website: www.charitybank.org/charity-loans-guide

COMIC RELIEF is offering charities free use of its Gift Aid software, which has been developed to work with HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) new online filing system. HMRC introduced Charities Online in April 2013 for organisations to submit claims using the new system or a new paper form. The Comic Relief Gift Aid Interface is compatible with HMRC software and links directly with Charities Online, enabling voluntary sector organisations to make claiming Gift Aid easier. For more information go to website https://gifthub.com/comicrelief/gail

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CHK has a preference for organisations based in the West Midlands. It provides support in many different areas, offering the following types of grants: • One off – can be used for core costs or a specific project; • Conditionally Renewable - subject to satisfactory annual progress reports and can be agreed for more than one year. Funding can be used for start-up costs, salaries, core costs or projects; • Large Grants – in excess of £25,000 and by invite only. These grants are usually “one off” but repeat applications are considered. Trustees meet every two months and applications can be made at anytime. For more information, call 020 3207 7232 Website: www.chkcharities.co.uk/index.htm

Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation The aims of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation are broad with particular emphasis on the following areas: • Care, welfare and support of children (including their education); • Promotion of health, welfare and the advancement of medical services; • Relief of poverty, indigence and distress; • Care, welfare and support of the aged, infirm, handicapped and disabled; • Support of the arts. For more information, contact Diane Morgan: Tel: 020 7383 5111 E-mail: diane.morgan@wohl.co.uk

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is to be awarded £10M for distribution to organisations wishing to mark some of the UK’s most important anniversaries and commemorative events over the next four years. There are many events that could be eligible for funding such as: • Centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth in 2014; • Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo in 2015; • 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. Funding is also expected to go to projects marking significant dates in the Second World War. HLF aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. To date, it has supported 35,000 projects with £5.5 billion across the UK. Online guidance and advice will be available on the HLF website from January 2014. For more information, call the Grant enquiry line 020 7591 6042/44 or E-mail: enquire@hlf.org.uk

O2 – Think Big The aim of Think Big is to support young people, aged 13-25, with great ideas and help them turn their ideas into reality by providing funding, training and support. Projects have to help the community or tackle a problem with society. Applications are invited at anytime for grants up to £300 at level one initially. If the project progresses well an invitation to apply at level two for up to £2,500 may be made. For more information, contact: Tel: 0800 902 0250 E-mail: hello@o2thinkbig.co.uk Website: www.o2thinkbig.co.uk/Start-a-project

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The Dos and Don’ts of Engaging with Rich Donors Every good fundraiser dreams of having an opportunity to ‘sell’ their organisation’s good work direct to a potential donor. So what should you do if you find yourself sitting next to a rich philanthropist for a couple of hours at a dinner? Surely a perfect opportunity to win them over to your cause. Right? Er, actually no. The Guardian newspaper recently published an article about why rich people are inspired to donate to a given cause and what they like to get out of it. The article pointed out that the potential donor wants to be engaged with as a person first and foremost and let the rest follow naturally. Here are five other findings from the research that those approaching potential rich donors should be aware of: 1. Whilst appreciating skills of fundraisers they would prefer to interact with leadership and front-line staff from organisations they are interested in supporting. 2. They expect fundraisers to have carried out some research so that they approach the donor for support at the correct time having interpreted their findings appropriately. 3. Appreciation is of course welcome but a simple “thank you” is sufficient recognition most of the time. 4. They want to know their donation has made a difference without involving long reports or “impact reporting” – a visit to the charity or a phone call to update them is often all they want. 5. As they like being philanthropic they appreciate a fulfilling experience bearing in mind they will have made a connection with the organisation – treat major donors as long-term partners and keep them updated. To read the full Guardian article go to: www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/sep/30/charity-major-donor-fundraising-philanthropy.

Healthy Eating Age UK Dudley is hoping to get the new year off to a healthy start for Dudley’s over 50s. A FREE six week course on eating well in later life begins on Friday 17th January 2014 at Huntingtree Healthy Hub in Halesowen between 1pm and 3pm. There will be guidance on improving cooking skills, creating healthy and affordable meals, cooking for one and deciphering those confusing healthy eating messages. For more information and to book a place, call Maureen Lothian on 01384 267008.

The DSC undertook research last year into applications to Trusts and Foundations; the research uncovered some interesting information of interest to voluntary sector organisations and social enterprises: • Grant makers reported receiving fewer

funding applications in 2013 than they did in 2011;

• The reduction in applications received does not mean a reduction in the need for grants or the needs of vulnerable people – they still exist;

• Trust assets have recovered well so the “assumption” that funders have less money to give out due to the recession is not true;

Grant makers are apparently not over-run with applications, which is thought to be due mainly as a result of tightened eligibility criteria and/or guidelines being clearer, leading to less ineligible applications being submitted.

Funders also reported the most common mistakes when submitting applications are still that organisations do not follow the guidelines and have not checked their eligibility to apply. For more information, go to website: www.dsc.org.uk/PolicyandResearch/Research

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Wolves Support Toy Appeal Wendy, long time companion of Wolfie, the Wolverhampton Wanderers mascot, visited Dudley Council in November to help launch the 2013 Dudley Council for Voluntary Service annual Operation Santa Toy Appeal. Staff and officers at Dudley MBC are traditionally one of the most generous donors to the toy appeal and Wendy took along some cuddy Wolves soft toys to add to the donations. The Club has also offered four free guided tours around the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton. To win the tour tickets answer the three questions about Wolverhampton Wanderers on the latest news pages at www.dudleycvs.org.uk

The 2012 Dudley CVS toy appeal was the most successful in its twenty year history, with 6,082 under-privileged children living in Dudley borough receiving a present or being taken to a pantomime. Dudley CVS is seeking new and unused (in original packaging) toys, games, books, DVDs, selection boxes, etc. for children age new born to 16years from businesses, voluntary organisations, statutory bodies, private sector organisations, sports clubs and individuals. As well as Dudley MBC, West Midlands Police, the Hope Centre in Halesowen, Blaze Hairdressing Salon in Kingswinford, Bellway Homes, Eriks Engineering, Ice Blue, Price Pearson, W H Law and Kleneze are all receiving donations. There is still time to get involved, contact Eileen Fielding on 01384 573381

Call to Arms for 4x4 Drivers Volunteer 4x4 is a free-to- join communication network setup to notify 4x4 volunteers of where their help is needed during times of adverse weather conditions such as heavy snowfall. This is achieved by simply signing up online to receive updates straight into your inbox, via SMS and via the Volunteer 4x4 Twitter feed. Operating mainly in the West Midlands, the organisation has relationships with key Local Resilience Forums, Civil Contingency Units, Emergency Service Providers, Search & Rescue Teams, Councils, Trusts and Charities, allowing it to quickly spread requests for assistance. There is an online registration form available at: http://www.volunteer4x4.org/

Help Needed to Trial New Toolkit Dudley CVS Volunteer Centre needs local voluntary and community groups to trial a new information learning programme. The Volunteer Centre has designed a toolkit to help voluntary and community groups to manage volunteers and involve them in the organisation. It provides suggestions for things to consider when involving volunteers and areas of good practice to include in the management of volunteers. The toolkit is structured into 9 sections which are cross-referenced against the indicators for the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) Standard, a national quality standard. It also includes a resource CD of sample documents and factsheets. If you would like to be one of the first to help the Volunteer Centre pilot the toolkit contact Eileen Fielding via E-mail: volunteer@dudleycvs.org.uk

How can we help?

DUDLEY CVS works with all community and voluntary groups, however small or large the organisation. We work with a range of partners, putting us at the forefront of voluntary and community sector representation.

KEEP UP TO DATE Visit our website www.dudleycvs.org.uk to find out about new developments affecting the voluntary sector, locally and nationally. BECOME A MEMBER Membership is free to any voluntary and community organisation operating in Dudley. Sign up today and start enjoying a range of services and support. SOURCING FUNDING If your group is considering options for funding, Dudley CVS can help you identify sources of funding and assist in developing funding applications.

SPECIALIST HELP Dudley CVS offers support tailored to suit your specific needs. Our Core Service Officers have years of experience available to local organisations. Help is wide ranging and includes, among other services: community engagement; enterprise development; asset management; business planning; legal structures and conflict resolution. GROUP DEVELOPMENT Established larger organisations can sign up to our Building Blocks organisational development toolkit. New, emerging and developing small groups can receive expert one-to-one guidance through our Route Map programme.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES Dudley CVS has officers dedicated to the needs of children and young people, families and those organisations and professionals working with children in Dudley VOLUNTEERING Dudley CVS Volunteer Centre provides all the expertise that would-be volunteers and volunteer managers might need. Guidance and training on managing, legislation recruitment and retaining volunteers is available all year round. We can also match up those seeking to volunteer to those groups looking to recruit volunteers. HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE With health services under review, our assigned support officers are in much demand by both services providers and service users.

PUBLICITY Our marketing and communications officers can help local groups to raise their profile and maximise their promotional needs. Advice on producing newsletters, leaflets promotional materials and media relations.

INTERFAITH Dudley CVS has a dedicated support officer to the Dudley Borough Interfaith Network which brings together Network members to develop greater understanding between faith communities. ADMIN SUPPORT Voluntary groups requiring ad hoc or regular support with learning basic computer skills, printing, mailings, book-keeping, payroll etc. can use Dudley CVS admin services at very competitive rates. CAN’T SEE WHAT YOU NEED? Call the number below.

For additional information about all CVS services contact: Telephone: 01384 573381 E-mail: info@dudleycvs.org.uk