The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and can be filled in online. The answers will remain anonymous. As a mark of thanks, you will be emailed the results and your name entered into a draw for a £50 Amazon voucher. Visit their website to find out more.


Sharing HR support
A new report has identified how voluntary and community organisations can be more proactive in their approach to HR management
A report commissioned by the UK Workforce Hub and the National Council for Voluntary Organisation's (NCVO) Collaborative Working Unit concludes that there is considerable scope for voluntary and community organisations to secure HR support collaboratively. The three options outlined in the report are:
• A large organisation providing HR support to a smaller organisation
• A consortium of voluntary and community organisations jointly employing an HR person
• A Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) delivering proactive HR support as a chargeable service.
The report, Consortia purchase of Human Resources (HR) support: A feasibility study, was written by Sue Pittman and is available online at the uk workforce hub website.


New insights into philanthropy
Find out what funders are told NOT to fund in this latest journal.
New Philanthropy Capital has issued its autumn edition of Giving Insights. It has a useful section on what funders should avoid, for example, charities without a clear vision or those that duplicate effort. It has another article on the potential pitfalls of funders being too involved with a charity. View their article here.


Sustainable funding conference report
NCVO has produced a report on the annual gathering of the sustainable funding project. It outlines examples of how some organisations are exploring a variety of approaches to sustainable funding. It also shows trends in voluntary and community sector funding and finance and signposts key initiatives to help organizations become more sustainable. The report can be downloaded here.

For more information on the NCVO Sustainable Funding project visit their website.

Charity Commission response to third sector review
HM Treasury and the Office of the Third Sector have been looking at the role the sector might in future play in social and economic regeneration - read the Charity Commision response submission here.


Charities and Public Service Delivery (CC37)
Consultation on new draft guidance
The Commission has recently published new draft guidance Charities and Public Service Delivery (CC37) - PDF (128KB).
This guidance is intended to replace Charities and Contracts (CC37). It is a complete revision in a new format, reflecting changes within the charitable sector and changes in the relationship between charities and the public sector. The draft guidance is a practical guide to the legal and good practice issues that charities need to be aware of if they are planning to deliver services under a funding agreement with a public authority.
This guidance does not represent a change to the Commission’s policy; hence there is no requirement for formal consultation. However, as best practice, they would value feedback from charities, the wider voluntary sector, public authorities and from the public on the content of this guidance to ensure it is useful and clearly written. For more information please visit the charity commission website.


Top marks for regeneration charities
Regeneration charities are streets ahead of other charities in terms of performance, effectiveness and best practice, according to a report published by the Charity Commission on 31st October. This is one of a series of reports that present their caseworking experience, supplemented by additional research. The purpose of these reports is to help increase understanding of an issue. They are part of the Charity Commission's mission to help charities maximise their impact, comply with their legal obligations, encourage innovation and enhance effectiveness. This report presents the findings of their research into charities that promote the urban and rural regeneration of areas of social and economic deprivation for the public benefit. View the report here.


Tell It Like It Is: The extent of charity reserves and reserves policies
This report published by the Charity Commission presents the findings of their research into charities’ reserves management and contains ideas you may wish to consider adopting, taking into account your charity’s situation. View the report here.


CAF Socially Responsible Portfolio officially launches
On the 2nd November CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) officially launched its new ethical investment product for charitable organisations, the CAF Socially Responsible Portfolio (SRP). Developed in collaboration with F&C Asset Management plc (F&C), the SRP seeks to deliver returns consistent with strict ethical principles. Investment policy only allows investment in shares of companies whose products and services make a positive contribution to society and the environment, and that uphold high standards of corporate behaviour. Find out more on the Charities Aid Foundation website.


The new NCVO Working For A Charity online course Effective Voluntary Sector Management has been launched.
The first course will commence in February 2007 and run until October 2007. The course is intended for people new to the voluntary and community sector who want to find out more about how the sector works, and for people considering a move into the sector from other backgrounds. Find out more on the Working for a charity website.


The Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation held a conference on 24th October 2006 which aimed to share good practice and generate new thinking on how to effectively involve service users. The audience was made up of small to medium voluntary organisations that deliver services in supported housing and health and social care.
A number of workshops were held around different themes and presentations were given by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE) and the Health Advocacy Resource Project (HARP).

Read the Conference Report here.

GMCVO aims to run more events on service user involvement in the future. For more details visit the gmcvo website.


A Westminster Briefing by the Office of the Third Sector will offer a timely opportunity for local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and other stakeholders to consider the prospects for a greater and more effective role of the third sector in the design and delivery of public services.