Quarterly confidence survey for voluntary sector in Yorkshire and Humber

Please find a link below to the Regional Forum’s second quarterly confidence survey for the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in Yorkshire and the Humber.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KMRQ3LW

The survey is a valuable way for us to assess expectations within the sector over the next 3 and 12 months and this survey will build on the results from the last survey in November.

Social Media policies examples

From a post on Third Sector Forums: the Social Media Governance website has a listing of social media policies from organisations around the world, including the BBC and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Do note that many of these have been written for use in other countries, where legal (and cultural) issues may differ, http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php.

Social media advice surgery – Huddersfield Monday 1st February, 4.30pm to 7pm

Are you interested in using blogs, text messages, Facebook, Twitter and other free web sites (sometimes called social media) to help a group or organisation that you belong to? Want to find out how you can use free web sites and services to organise activities, promote events, collect feedback and keep a record of everything you do?

Come along to one of our free drop-in advice sessions for community and voluntary groups, clubs, societies and small arts organisations.

IDOX Social Impact Award – Knowledge and Information Management

The IDOX Social Impact Award, is a recognition of the innovative use of knowledge and information management (KIM) in the voluntary sector. It pays tribute to people who have developed KIM strategies and techniques that make a visible, positive contribution to the aims of their organisations and it provides an opportunity for voluntary organisations to share their KIM innovations with other sectors. We know that many of you make a real difference with the way you handle knowledge and information and are eligible to compete for the Award.

3 things you need to know about social media strategy

I like this article from Mashable. OK it is focussed on businesses, but the advice is sound and it is a good reminder of some of the most important areas relating to setting up a social media strategy.

If you are thinking about this then check out my social media experiment #socialmediavco where you will find loads of information aimed at small voluntary and community organisations plus a guide to starting out.

Finding funding in Kirklees just got a whole lot easier

Kirklees 4 Community, the free information service for community funding support, has undergone an overhaul to make finding funding that bit easier.

Packed with full, up to date information on all government grants, lottery programmes and charitable trust funds available to local groups, the new and improved (name of portal) enables you to:

• Search for funds in a matter of seconds using an enhanced user-friendly browsing tool
• Save funding searches and individual schemes for future use
• Create MS Word reports of your funding searches – print them off to share with fellow group members
• Get email alerts that automatically inform you when relevant new or updated funds are available
• Receive weekly newsletters packed with updates on new funds, upcoming deadlines and key policy announcements
• Search a revamped trust funding section offering more comprehensive and up to date coverage
• Post comments about funding schemes, sharing your own experiences with other local groups

Click on the link below to see for yourself all the funding support available to your group.

Kirklees4Funding link

If you need any more information please contact Vicky Harper on 01484 221652 or by email at victoria.harper@kirklees.gov.uk .

Manchester firms to get 100Mbit/s fibre broadband

A new broadband project being launched in Manchester could become the model for further network deployments in the UK by providing a service that could help to finance its own investment.

Facebook’s Version of the Retweet Has Arrived

We’ve long speculated as to when Facebook might get its own version of Twitter’s retweet, and it appears that the time is now. This evening, the site rolled out a “via” feature that lets you repost another user’s shared items, with a “via” link attached for attribution.

How to – add captions to your YouTube video

YouTube has a global audience, so if you want to reach as many people as possible, you’ll have to make sure subtitles are available for your videos. You’ll want closed captioning to reach the deaf and hard of hearing, too. Thankfully, that process has shifted from relatively easy to an absolute breeze in recent months. Here’s how to make it happen.

Third Sector Leeds – Vision 2030

Friday 22nd January 2010 from 9:30am to 12:30pm

Banqueting Suite in the Civic Hall

Third Sector Leeds are holding an event on to discuss and debate the third sector Vision for Leeds for the next 20 years. There will be keynote speakers, including Rachel Unsworth of Leeds University the author of “Setting the Vision for Leeds in the post-boom context”, and workshops to debate and develop the third sector Vision. The third sector Vision will feed into the review of the Vision for Leeds currently being undertaken by Leeds Initiative. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the Vision for Leeds…

You can book your place at the event through Lisa at Leeds Accommodation Forum, email: susan@lafonline.org tel: 0113 2444 221

For further information regarding the event please contact Richard Jackson, richard.jackson@val.org.uk tel: 0113 297 7923

UK comes 26th for broadband speeds – UK and US lagging well behind the rest of the world

The UK ranks 26th in the world for broadband speeds, according to the most recent report from Akamai.

The traffic management firm found that the average UK connection is 3.4Mbit/s, and that 73 per cent have speeds above 2Mbit/s, while 19 per cent have speeds higher than 5Mbit/s.

A new interactive tool to aid the third sector in public service delivery is now available.

An interactive website, Oneplace, has been launched to provide information on the outcome of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) in all top tier local authority areas.

5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest

Creating a competition or contest has for a long time been a potentially effective marketing tool which can help to raise awareness, create a buzz about what you are doing and engage people with your organisation.

10 things you should never do on a consulting job

At one time or another, you may have left a consulting job wondering whether you did the right thing or the wrong thing at a given turn. I don’t mean issues involving PC setup or troubleshooting — but things like your interactions with employees and the way you acted on the job site. How you handle each moment will determine the outcome of the job and whether you are ever brought back.

If you want to establish a reputation of integrity and professionalism, you should never…

Read full article

Technology seen as way to reduce costs and simplify application deployment

Desktop virtualisation looks set to become widespread in the near future, according to a recent survey commissioned by Centrix Software, which found that over a third of companies intend to deploy the technology.

Can we use mobiles/Twitter/Facebook to help our organisations achieve?

While many schools around the country have declared all-out war on mobile devices, Wiregrass High School took a decidedly different approach, integrating cell phones into the entire educational experience. Students exchange questions and answers with their teachers via SMS and browse classroom blogs for additional instruction. Moreover, as an efficient collaborative tool, students can quickly trade notes or take a snapshot of the blackboard for later studying.

How many uses are there for Skype?

Why force students to yawn over a textbook when a real-life native speaker is only a Skype call away? At Marquette University, Spanish students hone their foreign language skills with frequent webcam chats with their English-learning counterparts in South America.

Legacies – the cornerstone of your charity?

VCOs in Yorkshire and Humber can request a legacy guidance pack from Electroville. For more information please email simonduncan@electroville.org.uk

Nearly a quarter of people plan to leave money to charity when they die, according to new research.

Twenty-three per cent of people polled for asset management company Standard Life’s annual survey on wills and trusts said they would leave money to good causes, with 40 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds intending to do so.

Funding of up to £10,000 a year for three years available to organisations working with young people

Children in Need is offering small grants of up to £10,000 a year for three years for third sector organisations working with children and young people.

Social Marketing Conference: Changing public behaviour through communications

Charities across the UK are beginning to use social marketing techniques to change people’s behaviour and achieve their objectives. Join us at this conference and find out how your organisation can do the same. Essential for anyone involved in influencing behaviour through campaigning, marketing, communications or policy.

To find out more please visit http://www.charitycomms.org.uk/social_marketing

Helping community organisations get online donations

Localgiving is a new website to funnel donations to local charitable organisations which is being developed with the support of the Community Foundation Network. It is due to launch nationally summer 2010. See more at http://www.localgiving.com or listen to NAVCA’s podcast with the CFN chief executive at http://www.navca.org.uk/news/cfnpodcast, of particular interest to local support organisations.

Charity Awards – recognising excellence in leadership and management.

he Charity Awards recognise excellence in the leadership and management of charities. They provide a wonderful opportunity for you to propel your charity’s work into the spotlight, to influence policy makers and funders and to boost the morale of your staff and stakeholders.

The closing date for entries is Friday 12 March 2010.

See the Charity Awards website for details of how to enter.

‘Human-focused’ community pilot takes off nationally

A community programme is to be rolled out across the country after independent research found the pilot scheme empowered citizens and contributed to public service reform.

The Community Contracts pilot – run by the National Association for Neighbourhood Management (NANM) on behalf of DCLG – will now act as a springboard for similar schemes throughout England after it was shown to enable local people and help councils fine-tune provision.

Read full article

Sounding board of faith advisers announced

A panel of new faith advisers has been appointed in a bid to strengthen communication, raise awareness of views and values and develop relevant public policy, it was announced today.

The 13 leaders – including serving bishops, academics and local activists and all experts in their chosen field – will act as a ‘sounding board’ to enhance ministerial understanding of, and engagement with, faith communities nationally.

Read full article

Lib Dems propose new bodies to replace RDAs

Regional enterprise boards would replace regional development agencies (RDAs) under a set of policies drawn up for the Liberal Democrats’ general election campaign.

The party’s endorsement of streamlined bodies with a focus on economic development represents a step back from proposals to dismantle existing regional structures altogether, advocated by the party’s Treasury spokesperson Vince Cable.

Read the full article

Grants for social enterprises working in health and social care

Start Up and Growth Grants (up to £200,000) are available until 15 January 2010 to social enterprises delivering health and social care services.

Invitation to BASIS Regional Conference, Leeds – Refugee Community Organisations

Invitation to the BASIS Regional Conference, Leeds, 21st January 2010 @ Refugee Council Resources Centre, 10 am to 3 pm

Use of IT in companies increases

I’m glad to see that companies are realising that putting a focus on IT is an excellent investment. Well used IT can save organisations loads of time and money and is now an essential part of marketing and communication.

Demand for IT and computing employees rose significantly over the past year to reach the highest levels of permanent IT employment over the decade, according to a report published today.

Video conferencing on TV – transforming the way we work

My prediction is that Digi TV will be the next big thing in communication, with everything that the internet has to offer being available through your TV and accessed by your remote. This will have significant implications for the way that voluntary organisations (particularly those working with the elderly) manage the work that they do.

VoIP vendor Skype has announced a new deal which will embed video chat services on HDTV sets.

The company said that LG Electronics and Panasonic are both working on a new line of HDTVs which, when connected to the internet, will allow users to videoconference in 720p HD over a traditional IP connection. The sets are slated for release by the middle of 2010.

Comprehensive Area Assessment in Yorkshire and Humber – empowerment and engagement

Come and join us to find out more about the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) findings in your local area. What the CAA results say about empowerment and engagement in each local authority district. Do they paint a picture that you recognise? And how well was the voluntary and community sector involved with the audit process?