Voluntary Action Lewisham

Effectively promote your organisation and its services. Produce publicity that will make an impact to prospective clients, organisations and funders.

This training provides an overview of the role of marketing in the organisation.

Participants will be able to:

• Review their current approach
• Look at different marketing options
• Draft a strategy for their organisation

Organisations will have an opportunity to discuss what makes a successful Trust application.

Participants will be able to

• Find out how to research appropriate trusts
• Interpret guidelines and criteria
• Discuss successful applications including budgets, monitoring and evaluation
• Develop a template application for their organisation

This two day Train the Trainer course will include learning styles and techniques to help you deliver effective presentations. Participants will have the opportuity to gain accreditation through Advice UK.

Participants will be able to:

• Understand what makes a successful presentation
• Plan a training session on a chosen topic area
• Deliver a short presentation

To be held on 10th May 2011 and 12th May 2011

How do you resolves issues between staff, volunteers or management committee?

Participants will be able to:

• Explore the types of conflict that can arise in organisations
• Recognise the skills and attitudes you need to take issues forward
• Identify ways forward if you can't resolve the problem

The current cuts and funding climate are a real challenge for organisations with premises. This course is all about how premises can be developed using a business plan to support their sustainability.

Participants will be able to:

• Consider why and how a business plan can support your organisation
• Look at key elements to include as well as a template
• Discuss the challenges premises holders face, the effects on the business plan and how to handle them

This two day course will consider all aspects of project management from the idea of a project to its implementation.

Participants will be able to:

• Determine the issues for organisations when managing a project
• Look at project planning
• Discuss tools and techniques to define, plan and manage a project

It is said that voluntary and community organisations can deliver services in distinctive ways which will improve outcomes for service users as we have a better knowledge of and contact with the customer base, the ability to serve hard to reach groups, the capacity to listen to user's needs and generate innovative solutions to meet them. But, how do we evidence this work?

This is an opportunity for groups to look at how they measure their organisation and project's progress and impact.

Participants will be able to:

• Consider how their organisation is making a difference
• Identify key terminology
• Recognise the tools for gathering and analysing information

Participants will be able to:

• Recognise effeective leadership
• Determine how to create and communicate a vision for their organisation
• Obtain tools to develop strategic and operational plans

In light of funding cuts and changes in the way the new government views the voluntary and community sector, what does this mean for organisations?

Participants will be able to:

• Consider the current issues and climate
• Discuss change and how to take the organisation forward
• Use practical tools to support change

Many charities and voluntary organisations now face cuts in funding and increased competition for grants or donations. How can your charity respond quickly and effectively to these challenges? What immediate steps can you take to make your organisation more likely to survive the difficult times ahead?

This course will provide an overview of information, techniques and resources to help you prepare for possible funding cuts, including:

• Reviewing your direction
• Making the most of your resources
• Risk and reserves
• Insolvency and how to avoid it
• Sources of specialist advice and support

You will leave with an action plan to help you move forward and follow up support will be available to help you to put it into practice.

This is a full day course but to keep costs down we will not be providing lunch.  You may either bring your own food or there are many cafes and shops in the area.

The voluntary sector has effectively worked collaboratively in different ways for sometime. However, the sector is now required to develop closer collaborative work with other organisations and institutions. partly to ensure its survival, but one which may bring new opportunities and more integrated ways of working. If you are a development worker, you may have observed the positive outcomes collaboration can bring, as well as the challenges and potential difficulties that can be encountered facilitating collaboration.

If you facilitate collaboration or you are going to, you may be interested in this forthcoming free two-day collaboration training. Limited spaces may also be available for public sector colleagues.

The sessions will focus on:

• Good practice in collaboration working
• Joint tendering and consortia building
• Critical success factors in collaborative working
• Cross-sector collaboration
• The policy context for collaborative working

Please see attached flyer and booking form. Please note that you need to send your form back to us by 1st March 2010 to ensure a place.

For more information, you can contact Luisa Ares on 020 8314 7072 or luisa@valewisham.org.uk

The Learning Partnership Project aims to bring a partnership approach to the delivery of support to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in Lewisham working with the Federation of Adult Skills Lewisham and other strategic partners. 

The Project will last initially for one year and will facilitate access to training and learning opportunities for VCS staff that will enable career development and aid organisational sustainability.  The project will provide capacity building opportunities via a training programme for the VCS, supporting them to develop and improve their systems, processes and services.

Social Enterprise

Another major element of the project is to promote economic growth within the VCS by encouraging the sector to be more enterprising.  Over the next 6 months the Learning Partnership project will work in partnership with Simple Business Solutions (SBS) to develop a comprehensive programme of support to Lewisham's VCS along with enterprise awareness training that will equip organisations to maximise their resources and reduce dependency on grant funding.  The first Social Enterprise Awareness event took place on the 4th March 2009.

For further information about the Learning Partnership Project contact Jennifer Laing: jennifer@valewisham.org.uk or call 020 8314 9044