Here you can keep up with the latest from Reading’s 900+ voluntary organisations and other voluntary sector news from around the area.
Local Charities Day – Friday 14 December 2018
12 December 2018Friday 14 December is Local Charities Day Local Charities Day, run by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is all about showcasing the amazing work of charities and volunteers and showing how you make a real difference to your local communities. You can find out more here and here. A large part of this day will be taking place on social ...
Second year of Reading, Place of Culture funding – opens in January
12 December 2018Arts, culture, heritage and voluntary groups are being invited to bid for funding for the second year running, based on how they can help improve the quality of life of Reading residents. Funding is available to organisations to deliver participatory arts, culture and/or heritage community programmes by, with and for Reading residents, particularly those less likely ...
Polling Station Review – open until 2 January 2019
5 December 2018Residents are being asked for their views as part of the Reading Borough Council’s review of polling districts and polling stations in Reading. Every local authority must review its polling districts and polling places every five years, with a public consultation forming part of that review. It is important to note that the review does not ...
Subsidised Management Training from January 2019
5 December 2018Alan Hester Associates is offering Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accredited training for managers of voluntary and community organisations in Berkshire. The training is subsidised by the European Social Fund (ESF), meaning that training, materials and support are free. Your organisation pays only a one-off ILM registration fee of £129 (normally £1,200). The course gives you ...
One more day to take part in Maternity Care Survey – closes 6 December 2018
5 December 2018Local Healthwatches have joined together (Buckinghamshire, Wokingham Borough, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire and Reading) to get mothers’ feedback on what was important to them while they were pregnant. The NHS will use their views to make maternity care better. The NHS have asked Healthwatch to run this survey, following the National Maternity Review. The review said that ...
Free webinars from The Foundation for Social Improvement – to celebrate Local Charities Day
5 December 2018Did you know that next Friday – 14 December 2018 – is Local Charities Day? Each year, Local Charities Day shines a spotlight on the incredible work local charities do to build healthy and happy communities in our country. To support our fantastic local charity members and celebrate Local Charities Day, the FSI will be running 15 free 30 ...
EU Settlement Scheme – grant scheme open until 1 February 2019
5 December 2018The Home Office has announced the launch of up to £9 million of grant funding, available to voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to help vulnerable or at-risk EU citizens needing additional support when applying for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). The Home Office states that: Ensuring that vulnerable or at-risk EU citizens and their families are ...
Funding: Support for Children Leaving Care
5 December 2018Brighter Futures For Children is improving support and accommodation for young people leaving care. Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) is a new independent organisation that is providing children’s services on behalf of Reading Borough Council. The main aim of BFfC is to protect and enhance the lives of Reading’s children. We help families find long term solutions ...
Free Employment Law Seminar with Blandy & Blandy
5 December 2018Employment Law Events 2019 Minimising Business Risks Are you a business or HR decision maker? Please join our leading Employment Law team at two free events in 2019, focusing on minimising risk within your business. Please join us at our 2019 Employment Law Seminar to keep-up-to date with recent and emerging changes in Employment Law, to minimise risks to your ...
RISC awarded RVA Safe + Sound
5 December 2018Congratulations to RISC who were recently awarded RVA’s Safe + Sound governance mark. We spoke to some of the team – trustee, Colin Date, HR Administrator, Jane Amin, and Sharon Fitton, a Collective member of staff – about the charity’s work and the process of applying for Safe + Sound. Tell us a little about RISC Colin: I ...
Cultural Commissioning Ready Workshop 13 December 2018 – funding streams released
4 December 2018Reading, Place of Culture invites voluntary sector organisations, cultural and arts groups to attend to attend a ‘Cultural Commissioning Ready’ workshop on Thursday 13 December, 11am – 1pm in the RVA Training Room, Third Floor, Reading Central Library. What is ‘Cultural Commissioning’? The Reading Cultural Commissioning programme, launched in 2018, aims to mainstream the commissioning of cultural activities for ...
Free fundraising tool for small charities and groups
14 September 2018The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) have developed ‘Fundraising Fundamentals‘, a free fundraising tool to help small charities and groups to develop a fundraising strategy. It includes four sections: Getting started Including where you are now and where you would like to get too, and a very simple SWOT analysis to help you; Know your donors This covers knowing who to ...
Who can act as a Trustee or Senior Manager? New Disqualification Rules
29 January 2018
The law relating to who can act as a charity trustee or a senior manager of a charity will change from 1 August 2018. This factsheet gives a brief overview on what to expect and the next steps for charities to take.
Accounting Records and Reporting to the Charities Commission
30 January 2017Unsure whether you need to prepare accounts, what form this should take and whether you have to file them with the Charities Commission? What about Annual Returns and Trustee’s Reports? This simplfied factsheet is an introduction to reporting and provides a checklist for all organisations including community associations, CIOs and charitable companies.
AGM guide
16 January 2017Are you unsure about how to hold an AGM? This short guide takes you through the process step by step.
How to become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Assocation)
5 December 2016A guide for existing unincorporated associations who want to change to an incorporated structure of a CIO. What are the benefits, what do you need to plan for and how do you go about changing your structure?
“In Kind Direct” provides donated goods to local groups
18 June 2015In Kind Direct is a national charity that helps organisations get the things they need to support communities. They do this by taking donations of goods from manufacturers and retailers and redistributing them to charities and not for profit organisations. From cleaning products to keep your premises sparkling, to packs of essential toiletries for people in crisis. As organisations only have ...
How to get funding and support from businesses
24 March 2015Grants from companies can often involve a less rigorous application process and lighter-touch monitoring than funding through charitable trusts, but it doesn’t always mean it’s easier to access. As many of them promote their grants heavily through local branches, lots of people know about them and give it a go.