Clarity Blog Spot

[claritycic]

Good enough

Is ‘good’ enough?  We work with a lot of organisations who are doing ‘good’ – and many of them are doing it well.  However, there are always one or two organisations that stand out as simply doing things ‘better’…  

> they listen - to their clients, to their partners and to others working in their field,

> they constantly question and develop what they do;

> they are aware of other organisations and the services in their local area & how these are changing

> they are constantly learning,

> they innovate;

> they aren’t scared to change things, to try new things, to perhaps even be unpopular for a while

> they take pride in their successes and learn from their mistakes

> they are clear about what they don’t do, and work with others who have the skills or services their clients need

> they trust themselves and their knowledge of their clients, and only work with funders who also recognise this – or they find new ways to fund their work, which give them more freedom

> they ALWAYS put the client at the centre of all their decisions

In this current climate of increased pressure on statutory services, and reducing money (for organisations and individuals), with Brexit and other unknowns looming, my feeling is that simply doing what has always been done (even when it is pretty good) isn’t enough.  People being supported deserve to have the very best service that can be offered. It feels like it’s time to step up… to benchmark, to seek ideas and innovation, to ask clients what could we do that would make the MOST difference for you? And then, with those answers, to work better ourselves, and with others to make sure that the individual is really getting the services and support that will make the most difference for them, from the people who are best at delivering that service/support.  

We see examples of this in our work, and it’s exciting!

[claritycic]

Powerful Conversations – the benefits of face to face meetings

A couple of weeks ago I met up with representatives from 3 organisations Clarity CIC had worked with earlier in the year as part of the BLF funded Communities Can programme of development support provided to small community groups in Torbay.  I hadn’t seen them for a while so it was an ideal opportunity to catch up with their news.

The purpose of the meetings was to see how they had been getting on and to offer some additional support – as a Social Enterprise we offered this free follow-up to support our mission of providing supportive and practical advice to the VCS in the South West.

It was delightful to see the progression the groups had made – two out of the three had recently achieved registered charitable status and were now looking forward to developing their charities even further, showing me their bright new leaflets listing their planned activities. Another recounted their summer success, the fundraising they had achieved and the difference they had made. They all had specific questions which we discussed and a list of actions to be done was created.

Crucially, and I’d argue more importantly, we got a chance to chat about other subjects: The sad loss of a pivotal trustee; difficulties faced with another local organisation; concerns over liability, the obligation and tiredness felt in leadership; lack of funding and the difficulty in recruiting and managing new volunteers.

These issues only came out through conversation - they were not on the top of their things-to-ask-Clarity-about lists but were concerns not easily expressed online or in an email.

Some of the issues we addressed there and then – just by talking – others highlighted real concerns which they had been keeping to themselves which needed further follow-up support – but without our face-to-face meeting may never have surfaced until matters got too difficult or distressing.

The continuing move to online support for all kind of advice seems unstoppable – quicker, more cost effective, one size fits all, online chats rooms and never ending FAQ sheets are everywhere. So, not to worry if your exact circumstances don’t fit the form, or you haven’t got the right password, or you just have one simple question which for some reason never seems to have an answer – can you help me?

So this blog is about the power of the meet-up – long may it live.

[claritycic]

In NPC’s latest publication ‘Charities Taking Charge’ which forms part of their research on the State of the Sector there was a participant quote which for me, stood out from the rest:

Increasingly there are fewer distinctions on the type of organisations providing services for social good. The traditional registered charity is not, as the quote suggests, the only or perhaps the ‘best’ vehicle for social change.

Clarity CIC has over the past 12 months worked with an array of individuals and groups of people with a passion to ‘do something’. They sometimes remain just that, an individual with a vision or collective of people with a mission – not wishing to formalise but provide support to their communities without the burden of bureaucracy. They are often driven by an issue that needs a bespoke local solution; energetic and expedient; lateral and innovative; use social media over a website, seek funding through networks and use what’s needed through their own resources rather than being reliant on what’s been traditionally provided.

We have worked with private sector businesses that see and respond instinctively to a need in their community and others that have registered as a CIC or other structure because the charity model just doesn’t work for them but they need some form of legal entity to attract funding (where they can).

Yet there is still a reluctance to recognise this ‘alternative’ contribution to social change – Paul from GRIN (Grants Resources Information News) recently told us that he estimated, taking two similar organisations - one a registered charity – the other a CIC, the latter would be eligible for only 25% of the funding from Trust Funds the former could apply for. Whether this is because Trust Givers think charities in some way more ‘legit’ or because they don’t pay enough attention to outcomes rather than the vehicle, is a question worth exploring.

Whatever the reason, times, as they say, are a’changin and the sector(s) needs to consider what the future of good looks like and be prepared to diverge and converge the lines of distinction.  

[claritycic]

Jumping through hoops

We were recently discussing the pros and cons of the increasingly popular ‘Dragons Den’ and on-line (or live) voting processes as methods to decide who gets funding.  There are advantages – many groups struggle to really show their passion and story in traditional application forms, and for those who have English as a second language, or where most members have lower literacy levels then forms can be really challenging.  For those whose passion is evident when they talk about their project, and who are comfortable to stand up in front of others then the Dragon’s Den or Soup events can be a real opportunity.  For those with a large ‘supporters’ group (eg a sports club), then on-line votes where you get people to vote for your project can work.

BUT these public votes come with the potential for public humiliation, how do you feel when you walk away having presented your project to have been told face-to-face that yours just wasn’t as ‘good’ as someone else’s….  How do you feel when your project on-line (or in the supermarket voting systems) doesn’t get the support that another one does – and everyone can see the result.  At least with a form, you can blame the funder or the form, and you don’t really have to share that decision with many people.

Increasingly, it feels like as a sector, there are more and more hoops to jump through, dances to perform and boxes to tick, to gain support or funding.  

 Maybe it’s time to take back control – think about the methods that are best suited to YOUR organisation – do you have people who are good at writing?  Or at talking about your project?  Do you have volunteers or supporters who enjoy arranging fundraising activities?  Do you have a building/venue that lends itself to events?  Do you have good links with a local school or business?  Does your project have wide appeal (e.g. children, animals), or is it currently relevant (e.g. mental health, dementia)?

Take a few minutes to reflect, rather than just doing what you’re told you need to do. We would recommend our ‘back of the envelope’ funding strategy…  a simple way to think about the money you need and where you might get it from.  http://www.claritycic.org/funding.html

[claritycic]

Mission Matters Most

The finale of election campaigning yesterday and the result today will have had many-a-politician re-thinking their priorities going forward. As usual, some things were amended as they went along and in reaction to the electorates response to news and events. 

Charities and communities groups like political parties also need to move and change with time and whats important but they also need to operate in a way that is consistent with their vision, mission and values by ensuring:

1.       what they plan to do is needed and wanted by the people they serve (by regularly asking beneficiaries and other stakeholders)

2.       that they are not duplicating  but adding value to what’s already on offer (this is particularly relevant if setting up new services or providing services in a new area)

3.       they will be effective (by researching what works)

4.       that they have the experience, skills, capacity, resources and necessary systems in place to provide their services

5.       that they work in collaboration with others (by forming partnerships and sharing resources)

6.       that they understand the risks

7.       that they have worked out what outcomes they are looking for and how they know when they have got there (by monitoring and evaluating what they do)

8.       that they are aware of their costs and offer value for money

9.       that they have considered what would happen if they did nothing

10.   Finally, and crucially, if their plans are consistent with their aims and objectives and provides something for the greater good.

It seems to me if the above check list could be done by Voluntary and community organisations when making decision about going forward they could also be used by political parties to plan OUR future.

[claritycic]

Recently, I’ve read a few blogs and articles about the negative impact Trustees can have on organisations if they are under-skilled or don’t understand their role, and whether ‘charity’ is an out-dated model.  We work with a wide variety of organisations – most often Charities, CIC’s constituted and un-constituted community groups, and CASCS…  (defined below – there are other options too…).

Thinking about which work ‘best’, and which we see making the most impact, it doesn’t seem to us to matter how the group is constituted, what appears to make the difference is THE PEOPLE.  

It is individuals with a passion for what they are doing, who go above and beyond, that are the thing that matters.  They might be a Trustee or Director, or they might be a member of delivery staff, a Chief Executive or a volunteer.  The model is actually fairly inconsequential (as long as it works for the organisation, and allows those involved to do the best for their clients).  

This reliance on the passion, energy and skills of individuals is what makes out sector so great… but is also a weakness.  If that individual is not there, then what happens to the group or organisation?

A discussion at a focus group we ran on loneliness recently (for Healthwatch), further highlighted this for me.  One volunteer who attended is involved in a huge number of organisations, committees and partnerships.  She said that she had recently been thinking about how best to make sure that the organisations she works within could move forwards without her.  It struck me that this is unusual – that many people do not think about this, and that actually it is a hidden issue within the sector. We don’t advertise for staff who will willingly work loads of extra hours for free (because that wouldn’t be legal).  We don’t list ‘excessive passion for the client group or organisation’ as a key ask on our skills list for Trustees.  We also don’t really acknowledge quite how dependent we are on individuals.  

If we really want groups and organisations to thrive beyond the individuals, yet still harness their passion, expertise and enthusiasm, how can we make this happen?  How can we plan this into things?  We don’t have the answers… but I think there is a need for everyone to make sure we value the individuals when we have them, and recognise them when we see them.  We need to understand that our organisations will change when a particular individual is no longer involved, and that is OK.  We need to have some plans in place, and to build the skills and passion of others within our organisations so that they can flow through the sector and make the most impact possible.

So at the end of many people’s financial year, let’s all take a moment to focus on the resources in our organisation that are perhaps hidden behind the money – the people who do go above & beyond for the benefit of our clients.

CIC – Community Interest Company (non-profit company)

Registered Charity – non-profit organisations registered with the Charity Commission with charitable objects (these can be unincorporated or also registered as companies with Companies House)

CIO – Charity Incorporated Organisation (incorporated legal structure for charities regulated by the Charity Commission)

Association with charitable aims and objectives - formal group with a constitution which is charitable but not registered with the Charity Commission (most likely because their income is below the £5,000 threshold)

Constituted community group – formal group with a constitution which lays out issues around membership, who can make decisions, what they do and how they will use any money etc

Un-constituted community group – generally small groups who have come together because of a shared issue, or to set up support within their geographical community.  Tend to be organised informally and have no written rules around their group

CASCs – Community and Amateur Sports Clubs.  Groups who are constituted and whose core purpose is amateur sport.

[claritycic]

Too much to ask - Ethics in Evaluation

With measuring impact becoming increasing important for organisations to ‘prove’ themselves I have recently heard a few worrying tales about funders requesting organisations use particular questionnaires to monitor their activities with clients and record outcomes. On some occasions these questionnaires asked for very detailed and personal information and took over an hour to complete.  

This begs the question how does monitoring benefit clients and what should be the limits about collecting evidence to prove impact?

Forming filling is rarely an activity anyone relishes (please let me know if this is not true) and being presented with a questionnaire which asks for your personal information and/or how (generally bad) you are feeling before you receive a service does not seem a good way to start a conversation or build rapport and trust. Equally, if monitoring is to be effective it needs to be able to show progress (or not) - during and after service delivery with yet more questionnaires on ‘how do you feel now?’

It is understandable that organisations (and funders) want to know a starting point and end point so they can see if any change has happened. This is important so they can see what works, what doesn’t and what would be better. It helps with proving interventions and supporting funding applications. So what and when is too much to ask?

As evaluators for organisations with a social purpose we often work with groups where the clients are vulnerable for one reason or another: they may be elderly or young people; they may have disabilities or addictions; they may be lonely or bereaved – so monitoring should be sensitive to their needs, appropriately timed and people given the option of ‘not being asked’.

The type of monitoring and evaluation tools used and the way they are presented makes a big difference and care must be taken to ensure evaluation ‘does no harm’.

A thrown together, selection of monitoring types which involve the people themselves (rather than observed) are given below: They are roughly divided into categories:

Before and after trackers – questions are asked about how people feel; how skilled they are; how confident; how informed etc etc - generally recorded using a scale (e.g. very much, through to not at all). Services are delivered or interventions take place and a follow-up measure is taken. The advantages of this process is it is pretty clear – but care must be taken on the questions asked and if overly long will result in the middle of the road answers being ticked.  Timing and support to complete this form of questionnaire is crucial as it may re-affirm how bad someone is feeling (e.g. how lonely did you feel today?) without suitable support this may cause distress. There is a danger that if you catch a person on a ‘bad day’ the answers do not reflect the general situation.

Reflective – how was it for you? – this kind of monitoring is not uncommon when organisations haven’t thought about monitoring before intervention – (often seen at the end of training courses etc). This form of monitoring is quite often linked with quality (how good was the venue etc) but if used to measure if changed has happened (e.g. how better informed do you feel?). It can be difficult to be sure the answers are not unduly influenced by the recent experience. One exception of this is when it is done collectively and people have a chance to speak about their experience.  It can also be useful when completed by a third party (not involved in the service delivery) – this is particularly important when the service may be continuing (e.g. how well do you feel your volunteer understands your needs?) So the client can feel their comments will not jeopardise future relationships.

Self-monitoring and goal setting -  there are some tools which are completed for clients by themselves for themselves – e.g. personal goal measures – these tools are for the benefit of the client – so they can see their own progress – depending on how they are presented they can be done when and where clients feel most comfortable and puts clients in control. They can suffer from the effects of how people feel on a particular day but over time can show change in a positive and constructive way.

There are numerous other ways of collecting information which don’t require forms at all – using Photographs; Post-it notes and games, which make people (particularly children) more willing to take part.

So next time you pull out a raft of paperwork for your beneficiaries to complete – ask yourself (and your funder) questions – is this going to help this person? – Is this the best way we can measure the difference our services make?-  Is it fun/right for the purpose? Is it accessible? Is it relevant and is each question resulting in information we are going to use – remembering if you won’t use it – don’t ask it!

For more information on ethics in evaluation visit the Better Evaluation website http://betterevaluation.org/en/plan/manage_evaluation/ethical_evaluation and nearer home, South West Forum produced a very good guide to Research Ethics: Guidance for the Voluntary and Community Sector in 2012.

[claritycic]

What to do in 2017?

You know what it’s like – friends tell you - this is it! – this is the year I’m going to…….

And it is something about losing weight or taking the plunge or going it alone and so on. And it’s contagious -get too close and you also start making wild statements and promises that you (hope to) keep.

What you can guarantee in January (or possibly late December)  is an increase in the number of adverts for entries to charity ‘fun runs’, marathons, peak climbs and time trials  – these sponsored events are increasingly popular and bring in welcome unrestricted income for charities of all sorts and sizes.  

So what are the stats around events as a channel for fundraising? Eventbrite produced a report in April 2106 on All the Event Industry Statistics You Need To Know in this they included statistics on non-profits - showing 56% of organisations have seen event fundraising income rise with 92% of event participants considering supporting the same charity again.

So how can your organisation benefit?

Firstly sponsorship events are BIG – the larger charities do them because they work in a number of ways:

1) Someone does a challenge for you - raises cash and gives it to you – what’s not to like.

2) More people hear (and see) your name

3) You can build a relationship with: a) the people who completed the challenge and b) with the people that donated to your cause.

Downsides - It is not all gravy - you need to work on (and pay for) the promotion – sometimes you can’t get enough people, or they pull out at the last minute.

Laws apply in terms of: Access –there must be equal access for all; Risk Assessment & Insurance: needs to be in place; Licences/Permissions: if required need to be adhered to; Written Agreements must be in place if there are professional fundraisers involved - Promotional Materials need to be accurate; Tax and VAT rules will apply; if cancelled by a participant – they must contact sponsors to ask if they are still happy for the sponsorship money to go to your organisation. More information on the Law and other really helpful guidance regarding sponsorship events can be from Institute of Fundraising

It’s exhausting – chivvying people along takes time and effort – the big boys have big teams and quite a lot of marketing and promotion behind them.

So a few top tips for putting on your own sponsorship event in 2017:

1) Start small – if you have never done this kind of event before – plan a simple sponsored event (e.g. a sponsored sleep-in) at your own premises (make sure you are covered by your insurance to do so).

2) Promote well in advanced to people you know and use your website, social media, local radio, press etc.

3) Include a message of WHY you are doing the sponsored event (e.g. to fund a new piece of equipment for your clients). Be specific – give examples of what the money will be spent on e.g. £5 will buy a soft toy for a vulnerable child, £50 will help a family to have a counselling session. Be prepared to provide proof.

4)  Paint the bigger picture – the piece of equipment will help people because….

5) Ensure you have good financial systems in place to receive funds – if you are able to receive Gift Aid –follow the correct procedure.

6) If possible keep in touch with people that give – ensure you have permission to contact them again by following the Data Protection Act.

7) To get some ideas – visit websites of organisations that promote events: Time Outdoors.Com or Do it for charity.com or national charities which have a great reputation for putting on events like Mind or NSPCC

Whatever you decide to do as a last resort you could always have a sponsored ‘Stick to your New Year's Resolutions Event’ and see how well you do.

[claritycic]

OK. I know you’re probably fed up of elections and referendums and all that has come with then in 2016.  But, there are some messages for the non-profit/social purpose sector there.  Whichever way your political persuasions lie, it is clear that a large part of the population of the UK (and America) are fed up of feeling ignored, of struggling, and of being ‘done to’.

So, as a sector, what response can we have?  As individuals who do care, what can we do?

We are really lucky at Clarity to work with a range of social purpose organisations. We spend our time supporting groups and organisations who have a huge passion for making a difference at a local level – who go way above just providing ‘a service’, and who really do change people’s lives.  For example, one of the organisations we work with provides training courses for unpaid carers – the feedback shows that these courses are turning people’s lives around (in terms of their physical and mental health and their ability to care). Another group who we met for the first time last week, run a community centre.  They run a youth club attended by 50+ children every week, a breakfast club 3x a week and an older people’s group weekly.  All organized and run by volunteers (many of whom are disabled or ill themselves), they are providing a place for local people on this estate (of largely social housing) to get together, to get out, and to have access to reasonably priced meals and activities.  Both these organisations listen to what their clients say, and go the extra mile to make sure that they really make a difference for those they are supporting.

Our challenge now, is to get involved as individuals, within our communities. To ensure our organisations are listening to the real stories and needs of clients, and to be inclusive of all those within our communities.   Someone has to listen to the needs of those who feel excluded and frustrated, and the non-profit sector is the one with the skills, and ability to do this.  So, this Christmas make a commitment to listen, and to give people back their sense of control and trust.

[claritycic]

Too much to ask - Ethics in Evaluation

With measuring impact becoming increasing important for organisations to ‘prove’ themselves I have recently heard a few worrying tales about funders requesting organisations use particular questionnaires to monitor their activities with clients and record outcomes. On some occasions these questionnaires asked for very detailed and personal information and took over an hour to complete.  

This begs the question how does monitoring benefit clients and what should be the limits about collecting evidence to prove impact?

Forming filling is rarely an activity anyone relishes (please let me know if this is not true) and being presented with a questionnaire which asks for your personal information and/or how (generally bad) you are feeling before you receive a service does not seem a good way to start a conversation or build rapport and trust. Equally, if monitoring is to be effective it needs to be able to show progress (or not) - during and after service delivery with yet more questionnaires on ‘how do you feel now?’

It is understandable that organisations (and funders) want to know a starting point and end point so they can see if any change has happened. This is important so they can see what works, what doesn’t and what would be better. It helps with proving interventions and supporting funding applications. So what and when is too much to ask?

As evaluators for organisations with a social purpose we often work with groups where the clients are vulnerable for one reason or another: they may be elderly or young people; they may have disabilities or addictions; they may be lonely or bereaved – so monitoring should be sensitive to their needs, appropriately timed and people given the option of ‘not being asked’.

The type of monitoring and evaluation tools used and the way they are presented makes a big difference and care must be taken to ensure evaluation ‘does no harm’.

A thrown together, selection of monitoring types which involve the people themselves (rather than observed) are given below: They are roughly divided into categories:

Before and after trackers – questions are asked about how people feel; how skilled they are; how confident; how informed etc etc - generally recorded using a scale (e.g. very much, through to not at all). Services are delivered or interventions take place and a follow-up measure is taken. The advantages of this process is it is pretty clear – but care must be taken on the questions asked and if overly long will result in the middle of the road answers being ticked.  Timing and support to complete this form of questionnaire is crucial as it may re-affirm how bad someone is feeling (e.g. how lonely did you feel today?) without suitable support this may cause distress. There is a danger that if you catch a person on a ‘bad day’ the answers do not reflect the general situation.

Reflective – how was it for you? – this kind of monitoring is not uncommon when organisations haven’t thought about monitoring before intervention – (often seen at the end of training courses etc). This form of monitoring is quite often linked with quality (how good was the venue etc) but if used to measure if changed has happened (e.g. how better informed do you feel?). It can be difficult to be sure the answers are not unduly influenced by the recent experience. One exception of this is when it is done collectively and people have a chance to speak about their experience.  It can also be useful when completed by a third party (not involved in the service delivery) – this is particularly important when the service may be continuing (e.g. how well do you feel your volunteer understands your needs?) So the client can feel their comments will not jeopardise future relationships.

Self-monitoring and goal setting -  there are some tools which are completed for clients by themselves for themselves – e.g. personal goal measures – these tools are for the benefit of the client – so they can see their own progress – depending on how they are presented they can be done when and where clients feel most comfortable and puts clients in control. They can suffer from the effects of how people feel on a particular day but over time can show change in a positive and constructive way.

There are numerous other ways of collecting information which don’t require forms at all – using Photographs; Post-it notes and games, which make people (particularly children) more willing to take part.

So next time you pull out a raft of paperwork for your beneficiaries to complete – ask yourself (and your funder) questions – is this going to help this person? – Is this the best way we can measure the difference our services make?-  Is it fun/right for the purpose? Is it accessible? Is it relevant and is each question resulting in information we are going to use – remembering if you won’t use it – don’t ask it!

For more information on ethics in evaluation visit the Better Evaluation website http://betterevaluation.org/en/plan/manage_evaluation/ethical_evaluation and nearer home, South West Forum produced a very good guide to Research Ethics: Guidance for the Voluntary and Community Sector in 2012.

[claritycic]

There is nothing like a solo train journey (off peak) to help you think about what’s happening in terms of your life, work and the world in general. This time to reflect seems ever less available with the constant stream of information to read, emails to send, social media to check and calls to make. Yet ‘to reflect’ is a positive and useful experience for individuals and organisations to re-affirm priorities and check they are on the right track to meet their mission.

Organisations with a social purpose can become lost and suffer from mission drift – there are many reasons why this might happen – beneficiaries’ needs change, organisations play to strengths and interests and seeking funding can lead to following the money – all for a good cause but distracting to meeting purpose.  Equally important is knowing what you do leads to the change you wish to make.

Clarity CIC recently held a Theory of Change (ToC) and Impact Measurement Framework session for a charity supporting children to be safe from abuse. The three hour workshop with trustees and staff was well received as it gave the organisation the time to think carefully about the services they offered, what outcomes they wanted to see for children, their families and the wider community and how this contributed to reaching the organisations’ mission.  It helped new staff and trustees see the bigger picture and the links between activity, outcomes and goal and gave an opportunity for longer serving staff and trustees to re-evaluate what was working and what needed to change to enable the charity to be more effective and demonstrate the difference it was making.

At the end of the session one participant said that they really enjoyed the workshop however they were initially put-off by the title - which made me think about how we explain the process of a ToC and why it is helpful to organisations.

It occurred to me that being explicit about purpose, outcomes and activities is fundamental to communication and as important in the process of delivering training as it is in running an organisation – so instead of using the term ToC or Impact Measurement perhaps I could use the definition provided by  NPC -  ‘A theory of change is a tool that allows you to describe the need you are trying to address, the changes you want to make (your outcomes), and what you plan to do (your activities)’ or the one from the Center for Theory of Change ‘Theory of Change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context’.

Or perhaps something a bit simpler would suffice which can be used to describe the process of a Theory of Change, meeting organisational mission or setting personal goals:  

Ensuring you are on the Right Track - Reflecting on what you do and why you do it so you can inform others about the difference in the world you are endeavouring to make.

For more information on how Clarity CIC can help you to remain on the right track – visit www.claritycic.org

.

[claritycic]

Purposeful acts of kindness

A colleague’s son just won a school award for kindness – and she couldn’t be happier if he had won an Olympic gold medal. Because like winning any medal his award was given not for a one off event but for the cumulative effect of effort over time.

Kindness - the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate seems overlooked in a world day after day dominated by headlines of cruel and hard to comprehend actions by a minority of people bent on creating division and hatred. And yet if you dig deep and look behind the headlines at the third or forth page of a local newspaper you see reports about acts of kindness – a young girl spontaneously buying a drink for a person without a home, a man jumping out of a car to give a stranded motorist an umbrella in the rain, a parent rescuing another person’s child from the sea.  These random acts are selfless and demonstrate the instinctive human ability to help those in need.

Many charities and voluntary sector organisations missions are also based on kindness – supporting those in need, conserving the landscape for next generation, creating opportunities for sharing experience and helping to build a better future. The difference between organisational mission and instinctive human reaction is the purposefulness – the planned act of kindness.

“The Future of Doing Good” event in Plymouth on 21st July was the first of Big Lottery’s Regional debates of a national programme and illustrated what could be done with collective and planned acts of kindness.  Hosted by the creative and inspiring POP (Plymouth Octopus Project) it brought together charities, businesses, local statutory agency representatives  and community organisations to discuss how we could work together to create social value, stronger communities and a brighter future for Plymouth and beyond. It helped to remind us how we are more alike that different and that kindness is a natural state of affairs and not a rarity.

The challenge is how we can create a wave of purposeful kindness across the country to help unite communities after Brexit and the recent terrible attacks across the globe –the Plymouth event promoted the opportunity to share knowledge and skills to support others in which we all gain by increasing dialogue, aiding understanding and building bridges.  

So if we can promote purposeful acts of kindness - where individuals and communities seek out doing good then perhaps we can reach what should be our collective mission of a happier, healthier, thriving future.

[claritycic]

Closed for Good?

With the EU referendum result in June, Chief Executive of NCVO , Stuart Etherington said in his blog “The voluntary sector is needed now more than ever” yet over the past few months we have seen  a number of organisations that support charities and voluntary and community groups put their shutters down for the last time:

The National     Federation of Community Organisations trading as Community Matters went     into voluntary liquidation in March 2016.

Also in March, Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action (GAVCA) Trustees took the decision to embark on a managed closure

According to Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council (GVOC) website they closed ‘for good’ in May 2016

It makes you think what does the future look like for support for grassroots organisations in the UK?

Generally funded by local district and county councils, traditional voluntary sector support services, have felt the cold chill of local cuts as ‘third sector infrastructure’ is not seen as an essential service. Yet without these organisations the smaller charities and other voluntary groups will find the work they do even harder. So what is replacing these organisations? – Looking on-line perhaps remote support is the way – with numerous ways of getting information and toolkits to follow - do the people that run charities and other community groups need an actual person to speak to?  I think they do –particularly in times when the voluntary and community sector are being increasingly asked to provide social care services, are facing challenges in governance, and scrutinised over their fundraising activities. Organisations that offer face to face advice and support to the sector are responsive to need, adaptive to the conversations held and able to build relationships which go beyond the wispy touch of an online FAQ’s sheet or quick chat of a webinar. These organisations may not be the traditional model – indeed there are many new forms of support which offer similar, but complementary services to their older cousins. They form the part of a wider and growing picture of support across the country and could help build the bridges that will be needed in communities over the next few years. Sir Stuart Etherington’s also said in one of his speeches – this time at the Big Assist Beacon Awards in Manchester last year- “These organisations may lack the glamour of their sisters on the front-line, but I think it is about time a spotlight was shone on the vital work they do. They are the ones in the boiler rooms at the back, powering the best voluntary sector to be found anywhere in the world today, and creating new partnerships that are capable of transforming the life chances of our communities”. So, as the EU referendum result has brought in new challenges for the voluntary sector, perhaps we will also need our boiler rooms and ancillary services even more than before. ​​

[claritycic]

Legacies and Individual donors

Things are tough.  Small charities and social enterprises are finding more need for their services and less money to pay for them.  Grant funding is getting more competitive and is really tough if you want funding for the stuff you do every day, rather than for a shiny project (a couple of excellent funders are exceptions to this…).  The media is full of stories that call Charities and the sector into question.

Maybe it’s time to think about spending some time on developing individual giving to your charity – small amounts each month, one-off asks and legacies. There is a great opportunity to be able to prove to those people who are close to you (geographically or in terms of interest in your service), that small charities really can do a lot, with very little.  

Many small charities feel a bit uncomfortable about “asking” for money from their supporters.  But think about how you’d feel.  Perhaps you live some way from your mum.  You know that she really values the volunteer visitor who has been coming to see her every week – why wouldn't you want to say a “thank you” for their time & effort?   Perhaps your child has a passion for music, or drama and has been going to a local club where they meet others with the same interests, have made new friends and have become more confident… you KNOW what difference these organisations make.  Surely you’d rather give your money to them, in the knowledge that your £10, £100 or £1,000 really will make a difference, than to a large Charity where you don’t really know quite what they do or how they will use your money.  BUT if you aren't asked, then you won’t give….

 Here are the first few steps you can take:

Raise this at your Board meeting, and see if there is commitment to look at this type of fundraising

Nominate someone from your Board or staff to lead on this

Look at what other people are doing, and who you currently support yourself – what works?

Look at your existing website, leaflets, Facebook page etc. – how easy is it for someone to make a donation?

Make a list of your current supporters – maybe people who attend your activities, people who come along to fundraisers or have shown an interest in your activities.  Identify any who may be interested in making a larger donation (i.e. they have money and have shown a commitment).

Put in place the paperwork necessary for receiving legacies – and talk to a local solicitor about Will Making

Make it clear how much it costs to run your organisation, and what you deliver for that money.  Tell people, if grant funding is coming to an end – give them choices rather than having services or activities stop

And then set targets and develop a plan to increase individual giving to your organisation.  It won’t happen overnight, but it could well be a more sustainable income stream in the long term

 Here’s some links for more information….

https://knowhownonprofit.org/funding/fundraising/individual-giving/legacy

http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/guidance/fundraising-disciplines/legacy-fundraising/

http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/library/legacies-slides/

http://legacyvoice.co.uk/ten-legacy-fundraising-tips/

And finally… aimed at the arts, but good http://www.southeastmuseums.org/domains/southeastmuseums.org/local/media/images/medium/Legacies_Toolkit.pdf

Clarity CIC is a Community Interest Company based in the South West that helps organisations that do good – do even better. We provide clear solutions for ongoing projects or short term issues. Clarity provides support and training on all aspects of running organisations with a social purpose and can help with legal structures, funding applications, group facilitation and monitoring & evaluation. For further information or to discuss your support requirements please contact [email protected]

[claritycic]

The Sharing Economy – how charities and community groups could share more AND be better off

As a child I was always told that sharing was good. It meant that everyone had an equal chance to take part. So we divided up sweets (biting them in half, if required) and took turns on the swing.

Did it feel good, well… not always, but sharing is something I now encourage in my own children and equally with the charities, voluntary and community groups and social enterprises I help.

Sharing is an important lesson to learn about equality and fairness, unity and strength in numbers, collective action and a sense of community and I would add, makes organisational and financial sense.

Going through the Charity Commission’s list of charities will throw up multiple organisations providing similar services in one geographical area or specialism.

Often or not these organisations have little or nothing to do with their ‘competitors’ seeing the differences between themselves rather than the similarities. Determined to be independent at all costs, having their own space, staff, volunteers and funding.  There are exceptions of course, with some very large mergers and collaborations at a national level. But for smaller charities and community organisations, some would rather fail than form an alliance.

Funding, or more recently the lack of it, hasn’t helped as you might think.  Instead of clubbing together, there is a tendency for organisations to become less than happy to work with other organisations. They look inwardly, cutting capacity, reducing expenditure and closely guarding their access to funding. And yet I would argue sharing is an opportunity to learn and develop, meeting aims and objectives and growing the sustainability of the sector.

Space sharing

For many smaller organisations the overheads of running a building can be difficult, sharing space or leasing space out to similar organisations has benefits beyond the rent. People can access more services in one place, heating, lighting, telephone and other costs can be shared, buildings can be open longer, staff and volunteers can learn from each other and gain peer support.

Resource sharing

Many assets owned by charities and community organisations are not used for the majority of the time. That’s because many services are daytime, week days. And yet these assets (with a bit of planning) could be used by other community groups at other times, providing additional services and bringing in important income. Minibuses, photocopiers, projectors, display boards and gazebos all have the potential of being shared.

People, have the capacity of being involved in more than one organisation and in fact do so. Volunteers (often one of the most guarded assets) can be offered opportunities to work with other organisations, building on their experience that they can bring back to the ‘host’ organisation, fulfilling their own needs and enabling them to try out new things.

Intelligence sharing

Organisations can be cagey when it comes to data. OK, so some information should not be shared, data protection is important and details of service users should be protected. But the data organisations collect on a need for a service, the cost of providing it, where an organisation has gaps or extra capacity, what works and what doesn’t, are much more useful when used collectively. This shared data can be a powerful tool in building evidence of need, solutions to problems, ideas to innovation and demonstrate the impact of the sector.

Money sharing

If data is a subject matter kept close to the chest, then money is even more of a secret squirrel. What is stopping small charities and community organisations bidding with another local organisation for a contract instead of against them?

The ability to work in partnership is particularly important to smaller organisations that individually would not necessarily be able to offer all the things required of a contract but collectively could offer a very special service indeed – the total being much greater than the sum of the parts.

Mission complete?

Organisations are (or should be) be driven by their mission.  So if the mission is met by another organisation providing a service – than that is good isn’t it? So why do so many organisations choose not to work together to further their aims?

One reason maybe around trust, organisations that do not share cannot easily trust. Organisations that build an environment which shares the same space, involves the same people, exchanges data and is open about finance may also find it easier to trust and share their vision and meet everyone’s mission.

[claritycic]

Impact & Fundraising

How do you know that the funding you seek will cover the costs of the things that you want to do?

How do you know how much of the money you receive goes to deliver your activities?

How do you know the activities you put on achieve your mission?

How do you know your mission is valid?

How do you prove it?

Fundraising and measuring impact should go hand in hand but when fundraisers are busy looking for money to deliver services and organisations are even busier delivering services – measuring the difference services make to people is not necessarily high on the ‘to-do’ list.

Yet without proof that services meet need and ‘do what they say on the tin’ obtaining grant funding can be difficult.

Funders are increasingly looking at where their money is going and want to maximise the amount of ‘change’ they get for each £ spent.

Big Lottery takes Impact Measurement seriously and promotes outcome and Impact measurement through all of its funding programmes. Other funders keen on you measuring your impact include Lloyds Bank Foundation which includes a Pre-Eligibility Question which asks “Are you comfortable that your charity has the appropriate systems in place to monitor the outcomes of the grant you intend to apply for?” The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation announced their  5 year funding strategy in March last year which includes a specific section on Impact and effectiveness in which the Foundation plans to create a data strategy to map grants and social investments against funding priorities as well as tracking the effectiveness of interventions for people and communities – which brings us nicely to the PURPOSE of fundraising and why measuring impact matters.  

The ‘So What’ question is vital to fundraising

Fundraising = Money to meet mission, and without the understanding of the purpose behind an organisation, or how good the organisation is at meeting its mission finding funding can be difficult.

Generally, fundraisers get information on what their organisation does, who with and when from colleagues within the organisation – they occasionally get information on the ‘so what’ – which describes the Impact an organisation makes. E.g.

·         A Village Hall has space for people to meet – So what?

·         People meet and feel less isolated - So what’?

·         By feeling less isolated people are more resilient, less likely to need additional support and more able to take part in community activities -So what?

·         People are less likely to take part in anti-social behaviour and/or cost savings are made by reducing the need for additional support services and /or people learn new skills, make friends and enjoy themselves.

So by giving a grant to a Village Hall a funder is helping communities to be happier, healthier, more skilled and safer!

How does the fundraiser know all this – they gather data and information on the outcomes achieved, they use client surveys, case studies, research and monitor change. They make sure that for each grant they apply for the organisation can measure the outcomes that are required and they work seamlessly with the organisations’ management board, staff and volunteers to ensure the funding found is spent wisely and well.

Easy :)

For more information on Impact and Fundraising visit NPC , use our FREE resources on our website www.claritycic.org and oh yes – gives a call.

Clarity is a Community Interest Company based in the South West UK that helps organisations that do good – do even better. We provide clear solutions for ongoing projects or short term issues. Clarity provides support and training on all aspects of running organisations with a social purpose and can help with legal structures, funding applications, group facilitation, training and monitoring & evaluation. For further information or to discuss your support requirements please contact

[email protected]

[claritycic]

Small is beautiful

Want to support charity – start thinking locally!

Lloyds Bank Foundation Policy and National Programmes Manager, Caroline Howe blog Expert Yet Undervalued and On the Front Line  was really thought provoking in terms of the future of small and medium sized charities and how they were coping with an increase in need for their services whilst finding funding more and more difficult.

This insightful reflection also comes at the time when charities are being looked at in a new, not always attractive, light: The inappropriate fundraising practices of some larger charities (or the companies they engage to run their fundraising campaigns) have come under public scrutiny, along with the way some charities are being run in the UK.

Whilst the debate still rages whether Kids Company was poorly managed and the ICO investigates the selling of data by some charities is there anything that can be salvaged from this mess for small and medium charities?

In a brief paper published by NPC last year: Matter of trust: What the public thinks of charities   it concluded people trust small charities more than larger ones and “the more people know charities, the more they tend to trust them”.

Small, local charities and other organisations providing direct support to people have a great advantage over larger more remote charities and should be using this USP to gain an important source of funding.

The public can see every day what they do and the benefits of their work: they often know the people (a large proportion being volunteers) running the organisation and either benefit themselves or have a connection with others who benefit from their services.

I am not saying that people should not give to causes where they don’t have a direct vested interest, or that that global issues can’t be tackled locally or indeed that small charities should take up aggressive fundraising strategies. It is more about small charities being better at informing potential local givers of their funding needs.

I have gone on about his before but there is strength in numbers: Small local charities without the greater capacity and vast reserves of their larger cousins should seek out others of the same ilk, working together to collaborate and bid for contracts and build a community of local charities: Sharing data, sharing skills and yes sharing funding:

Have a charity fair in the village hall, do a local charity lottery – supporting local groups, if a charity is holding a volunteer recruitment event – invite others to join you. Share skills, have a ‘pool’ of local experts all giving time which can be accessed by all. Be open about your organisation’s finances: all these things will encourage the public’s trust and support your and other’s causes.

It is a difficult climate out there for all charities but as small organisations doing a lot of good we are not alone – so let’s remember often the best things come in small packages.

[claritycic]

With the actions of large charities again in the press - smaller charities need to sell themselves - small is beautiful.