Listen Again to "The Voluntary Sector with HVA"

Would you like a second chance to hear the latest episode of "The Voluntary Sector with HVA" on Halton Community Radio?

This week I was talking to Ralph, Chris & Rachel (from the Mencap Link Youth Club), Jaki Florek (from the Loose Music Collective), Jayne Lloyd (from ChangeUp Merseyside) and Lorraine Dutton (from the Alzheimers Society).

To listen to the show (or download a copy to your PC), please visit http://tiny.cc/GUp02

If you'd like to promote your voluntary organisation on the show, e-mail me at mroberts@haltonva.org.uk or call (01928) 593 118.

Many Thanks.

Matthew Roberts

Listen Again to "The Voluntary Sector with HVA"

Would you like a second chance to hear last week's "The Voluntary Sector with HVA" on Halton Community Radio?

Guests included: Mark Browne (from Riverside), Karen Dickens (from Halton People into Jobs), Liz Shore (from VOLA), Jackie Le Fevre (from Magma Effect), Andy Guile (from HVA) and Asif Sadullah (HCR's Cricket Correspondent).

To listen to the show (or download a copy to your PC), please visit http://tiny.cc/hnQoc.

If you'd like to promote your voluntary organisation on the show, e-mail me at mroberts@haltonva.org.uk or call (01928) 593 118.

Many Thanks.

Matthew Roberts

Do you trust your bank? So why should people trust a Charity?

Trust has to be earned, and re-earned

So the other night I found myself watching Mary Poppins, I know, I don’t know why or how, only that it was about 2.00am and I had a kebab!

Anyway, I was watching the bit in the bank when the little lad won’t hand over his penny and this leads to a run on the bank. How ironic I thought, how modern is this film?

You see trust is the cornerstone of all organizations, it doesn’t matter how big or small, how good your PR machine is. If people don’t trust you, you’ve had it!

So what does that mean for us?

Third Sector recently reported that incoming RSPB chair Kevin Carey has questioned the efficacy of current charity law, asking instead for a new definition of social gain.
In a concern which seems to particularly hinge on whether trustees should be eligible to be paid, he asks:

Who says charities should have extra controls in case we hoodwink the public when we have a long record of trustworthiness that far exceeds other sectors?
Last year Mark Thompson made a speech on trust and public implications, namely the BBC. He said “Trust in a given institution may be based on a great tradition and great inherited values, but it depends on what you do today. It has to be earned and earned again.”

In other words, our sector’s ‘long record’ would be as to nothing if there were a clear and public example of a breach of trust that emerged tomorrow.

Last year an NCVO news article reflected on Thompson’s speech. They drew out the fact that high levels of trust associated with public sector and civil society institutions have negative, as well as positive implications: put simply, we expect more of them, and they are easily broken.

Sorry is the hardest word to say – “I’m giving a tenner to charity” is easier
If you break trust, you have to be really sorry. Or at the least, you have to be seen to be really sorry. Cue MP’S and there cheques “I’m giving the money back” Did that make you trust them again?

Interestingly, in the raft of television boo-boos of 2008 (where prize money was effectively taken under false pretences), from Ant and Dec to Blue Peter, there was one response: “We messed up. We’re sorry. To show just how sorry we are we’ll give the money to charity”. This is charity as the hair shirt, somehow trumping a simple return of funds.

A donation to charity allows you to implicitly admit guilt without explicitly saying so.

There are three implications from this: first, there is a key understanding that the hurt caused by a breaking of trust is emotional, not transactional – if it were the latter, simply repaying would be the obvious solution [this emotional reaction to trust failure is shown in a comment on Carey’s suggestion by someone who describes himself as “a charity beneficiary who feels well and truly hoodwinked and used”]. This response isn’t rational – but it is pervasive.

Second, charity giving is in this sense a kind of penance; a way of saying “look what I’m giving up” it’s your 3 Hail Mary’s

And third, if charity is capable of offering absolution, it must itself be beyond reproach and entirely trustworthy.

Trust v. legislation

All in all, it’s not been a good year for trust, what with duck houses, claining for DVDs of oneself speaking on ensuring value for taxpayers money and the like. So why try and make a claim now for a move back toward a reliance on it in our sector?

Because it’s very time consuming and costly to operate without trust.

This is the basic premise behind Francis Fukuyama’s classic Trust. This shows the competitive advantage of a high-trust society: you can get things done easily through personal connections, with reputation ensuring an agreement won’t be broken. This situation is compared to a highly legalistic and even litigious society, where costly mechanisms ensuring fair play are imposed onto a system rather than being inherently understood within it.

Of course, this has implications within organisations as well as for the sector as a whole: if trust - essential to the smooth efficient running of informal, personal networks - is broken, it’s necessarily to implement slower, more costly formal guidelines and hierarchical working practices. [Karen Stephenson has produced excellent work on this area, analysing the interplays between hierarchies and networks – ie relationships and structures built on authority and trust respectively – at an organisational and inter-organisational level. The problem is, of course, that the two systems – trust-based and legislation-based agreements - are at play at once. And funny things start happening when we 'pollute' an honour-based system with transactional-type checks. Hence our anger when bankers refuse to pay back bonuses which they are entirely right to keep, contractually speaking, or MPs defend claiming second home allowances that fit perfectly the letter of the law. (I am not in the wrong, but I will pay the money back anyway !)

Implications of a [civil] society without trust

If we presume like all other organization the public will now have less trust in our sector, then we need to talk more about the need to become “transparent and adopt new mechanisms for accountability”. This is currently being played out. For example:

Transparency

In the wake of politician’s expenses being released NCVO’s CEO Stuart Etherington was quick to publish his expenses. This degree of openness is crucial to building trust.

Mechanisms for accountability

The Charity Commission has increased the visibility of its investigations into charities.
It is also developing mechanisms for assessing the public benefit of a charity – in other words, an organisation’s very status as a charity.

So there seems to be evidence that this kind of legislation and demand for increased openness will only increase.

Kevin Carey describes the current state of law as “unnecessary, heavy-handed and [a hindrance]”. He’s right, but only to an extent. The problem with trust is that it’s essential, but hard to keep going, and easily lost. Or, as Benjamin Barner put it in an article on the credit crunch,

“Trust is at once both precious and precarious, foundational but fragile.”

When we stop trusting people to use public or donated funds or time efficiently and effectively, we have to create measures to counteract this inherent lack of trust. And such measures are necessarily costly, irritating and time consuming. Charity law is an unnecessary burden until something goes wrong and trust is broken. Then it becomes very necessary indeed.

Baroness Warnock, speaking in the first Hinton lecture on altruism and philanthropy in 1998, arguably foresaw the Banking Crisis as an issue of trust. It could equally be a warning for our sector.

institutions […] collapse if those who belong to them themselves lose the idea of honesty [and] trustworthiness.

We - as individuals, organisations, and as a sector as a whole - need to continually work to create, build and keep trust. At the same time, we have to understand that regulation is a necessary check that must exist to ensure that institutions – and the sector – can continue to operate if that trust is ever lost.

Trust in charities is a key driver for the sector, It only takes a small boy to start a run on one the countries largest institutions, so we need to keep our guard up, don’t be complacent, we have to work at earning trust.

Andy Guile

Thanks to NCVO Foresight for bases of this article

An Increasing Number of Charities

The number of charities in the UK is growing. The number of general charities has increased significantly in recent years, rising from 120,000 in 1994/95 to 171,000 in 2007. This is partly due to government investment in the VCS due to its increased involvement in public service delivery.

What are the implications?

· More competition within the sector.
· Changes to levels and sources of income as the funding environment becomes more competitive.
· Blurring boundaries between sectors and an increase in hybrid charities.
· Growing numbers of duplicate or inefficient VCOs may lead to an increase in efficiency drives which may lead to procurement practices that favour economies of scale.
· Further polarisation of the sector as the income gap between small and large charities continues to widen, as larger charities are more likely to benefit from increased public service delivery.
· A wider variety of providers giving users choice and creating a variety of services.
· Increased pressure on organisations to demonstrate their outcomes and the difference they make.
· Effective organisations will be more likely to flourish in this environment where as less useful ones won’t.
· Increased public concern that there are too many charities leading to negative perceptions of charities.

Moving forward

In a more competitive sector, you may wish to think about your strategic position in relation to other players.

· Do you want to stay small and cover niche markets, or work towards targeting high volumes of clients to benefit from economies of scale?

Being clear about what you offer commissioners could put you at a competitive advantage. VCOs that are able to demonstrate the lasting benefits and distinctive value of what they do are more likely to secure funding.

· Does your organisation need to improve how it assesses and demonstrates the changes it makes?
· What strategies can your organisation put in place now to manage potential future changes in funding?

Efficiency drives are likely to push purchasers towards awarding fewer, bigger contracts.
· How can your organisation develop its negotiating skills to improve your discussions with funders and potential funders in order to secure funding in a more competitive environment?
· Do you have good systems in place to assess your outcomes, and the broader value you create (social, economic and environmental)?
· Can you diversify your income sources or work in partnership with other organisations?

Collaborative working can be highly beneficial for your stakeholders and avoid a duplication of services.

· Are there other organisations with different areas of expertise that your organisation could work with to complement your services?

Funders may increasingly require partnership bids in order to reduce duplication amongst services.

· Do you need to reconsider your strategic position in relation to other players in your area?
· What questions does your organisation need to consider before entering into a partnership with another organisation? (e.g. you may want to think about differences in organisational life cycles, cultures and aims).

Andy Guile

Want to know more?

Contact HVA, we can help you make the difference

Call (01928) 592405 or e-mail adam@haltonva.org.uk.

Charities struggle to meet demand for staff volunteering, survey finds few companies are willing to pay for placements

In our last E-Newsletter we told you all about our recent awards night and I am pleased to say it has ignited a huge response on the blog site.

I want to start by saying a big thank you to everyone who took the time to write a response, THAT’S WHAT THE NEWSLETTER IS ALL ABOUT. It’s your opportunity to let people know what you think. We have been reading with interest and it has led to a number of discussions between the staff at HVA.

Have you seen the advert on TV for Orange? You know the one with all the “volunteers who did work to get concert tickets. Yeah that’s the one, so Volunteering to get concert tickets, agreeing to do something to receive something back, isn’t that a payment not a reward?

And so the debate in the office goes, is it right to reward volunteers?

At what point does it become a payment and so what if it does, is that wrong anyway?

It seems different people have different views on this, for instance, Seventy five per cent of charities say more companies are looking for volunteering opportunities for their staff, according to a survey by research and consultancy firm RedCCI.

But the survey shows that charities are struggling to offer such opportunities and only 18 per cent of companies pay them to match volunteers with placements.

The survey, carried out in July, covered 200 charities and companies. According to the results, only 24 per cent of companies reported interest in volunteering came from their staff - interest in employee volunteering was more likely to come from senior management, it says

Jamie Thomas, chief executive of Red Foundation, the parent body of RedCCI, said: "Many companies feel volunteering is a useful way of boosting staff morale during the recession. But many are unwilling to pay for sourcing opportunities, and charities are struggling to find the capacity to accommodate employee volunteering. Firms often demand ‘team challenge' projects, but these are very difficult for charities to set up, particularly if companies are unwilling to pay for them."

From our experience what charities need are good trustees, people with transferable skills who can give that longer term commitment. There is little cost to this, it’s a few hours a month and can lead to mutual growth. The charity has the experience and skills of the person at hand and the individual can also learn new skills and gain a different insight into the world. So why isn’t there more of this going on?

Why do our friends in the private sector want to don wellies and paint fences when with a little creative thought we could all do things that could make a real long term difference?

Well I think it’s probably about the payment not the reward. Companies want people to see they are doing there bit, they want staff to instantly feel they have done something, they want a “reward” for doing what they are doing, now in my book there is nothing wrong with this, doing work with charities should be a win win, free publicity is a good thing and I would always encourage companies to do what ever they can, we are always grateful, but sometimes in doing the quick fix, easy piece of high profile work, they miss the opportunity to make a real long term impact.

So come on the private sector, let’s be creative, show us your entrepreneurial skills, take up the challenge and give us a call.

So what about our sector, is rewarding or paying volunteers a good thing?

The recession we are told is leading to more and more new volunteers coming on board.

But why? Because they want to get new skills and work experience, they want some thing in return, is that a payment?

And what about saying thank you? Is it wrong to thank volunteers for their work, do you think awards nights are divisive?

I can understand people feeling it’s wrong to recognise a few above the many. I hope those of you who came to our awards night found we kept it light hearted enough not to be seen as a competition, more of a recognition of the sector as a whole, highlighting a few examples of exemplorary practice. Well that was the plan any way.

So now over to you, let the debate begin, rewards, payments, thank you's, we want to know your thoughts, what do you think is right, what do you do for your volunteers and if you work in the private sector how can we work more closely together so we both get what we really want?

We look forward to hearing from you

Andy Guile

Thanks to Kaye Wiggins, Third Sector Online, 13 August 2009 for your input

Unitask Awarded Halton’s First Ever Green Pennant

Congratulations to everyone at Unitask Ltd. As a result of their stunning work in the Kingsway ward of Widnes, they’ve been awarded a Green Pennant at this year’s Green Flag Awards in Birmingham. Tommy Glynn received the award on behalf of the group and fulfilled one of my lifelong ambitions when he got to meet Michaela Strachan. Tommy described her as “gorgeous, with a big smile”. Also pictured is Tommy showing the Pennant to HVA's Matthew & Chris during last week's radio show.

Matthew Roberts

Listen Again to “The Voluntary Sector with HVA”

Would you like a second chance to hear last week's "The Voluntary Sector with HVA" on Halton Community Radio? Guests included: Christine Taby (from Age Concern Knowsley) talking about the Digital Switchover, Tommy Glynn (from Unitask) on success at the Green Flag Awards in Birmingham, Chris Carlin from HVA and Paul Quigley from Norton Priory. Visit http://tiny.cc/ofYaq to hear the show!

Matthew Roberts

The Halton Show

I don’t know what it is at the moment. It might be the fact that my son is about to start high school, it might be the aching joints after an hour in the gym or it might be the fact that this year is my last playing for the under 40’s cricket team. Anyway, whatever it is, I am feeling rather nostalgic (What, you thought I was going to say old? Ageing is unfortunately a fact, growing up is optional).

Anyway nostalgia, I have found myself and my mates talking about the past, daft kids TV programmes, places we used to go, school and the other day the Halton Show.

Yeah the Halton show, remember that, the biggest 2 day free event in the country, I think?

Those 2 days in the year when we really were Halton and nobody moaned about going to Widnes. Two days in the year when Halton was the centre of the North West and we had brilliant fun and entertainment (Girls Aloud, right here in our town!!). Right here on our door step. Wasn’t it a great few days?

Unfortunately, when the budgets started to tighten and priorities had to be decided, the Show was axed. I think we all understand why the council made the decision and I think it was the sensible thing to do.

Four years on we are now in even tougher times, smiles are few and far between, confidence in public services is falling, satisfaction with the council is falling significantly, people don’t feel they can influence decisions, only 1 person in 10 is involved in civic/community activities and key, is that people don’t feel they are kept informed about what services are doing.

So the question is, what can we do to give people some civic pride?
What can we do that will let people see what it is we are all doing to create change?
What can we do to get more people involved in the community?

Well at a Local Strategic Partnership away day earlier this year, we asked all these questions and we came up with a simple answer

Bring back the Halton Show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The councillors at the event said (quite rightly) that the council just cannot afford to run the Show any more, but as we all commented, why should they?

It’s a Halton Show and as such every one should put in. Why can’t we get local companies and other public services to come together and help put on a show we can be proud of?

Here is a perfect opportunity to show off the fantastic work going on in Halton, a chance to do our surveys, to thank people for their work, to generate funds for local charities, to promote Halton on a BIG SCALE. It’s perfect, it hits all the buttons, so why not?

So its over to you, would you like to see the show back? Let us know, if enough people say yes, we will do our best to make it happen, but we need the evidence, we need you to say yes. Send us your best memories of the show and tell us what you want in a new show.

Come on! Let’s do this!!!

Please post your comments below or e-mail them to adam@haltonva.org.uk.

Andy Guile

Credit Crunch leads to boom in Volunteering

Another HVA Press Release. This one's about the ever increasing number of volunteers who've registered with the Volunteer Centre.

Would you to make a positive difference to the lives of people in Halton? If so, perhaps you could add your number to the ever increasing scores of people in Halton who've decided to become volunteers.

The staff of Volunteer Centre Halton (based at Halton Voluntary Action) have never known life to be so busy. In 2009 they've already helped 230 people to take up voluntary opportunities in Halton. This is an increase of about 13% more than from this point at last year. "It's not that we weren't running at full capacity last year", said Linda Goodier, a member of staff at HVA. "But this year, we've been amazed by the number of people coming forward to volunteer. We're a tiny bit overwhelmed, but we're enjoying the challenge of matching new volunteers with opportunities that they find inspiring."

Despite dealing with record numbers of people wanting to volunteer, the staff at Volunteer Centre Halton have continued to deliver an excellent service. "We're extremely pleased," said HVA Chief Executive Officer, Debbie Dalby, "that the feedback we've received from new volunteers (regarding our service) has been extremely positive."

Staff at HVA are at a loss to explain why so many people are coming forward to volunteer though they believe that the current economic climate could be responsible. "The Credit Crunch has made jobs even harder to find", said Debbie Dalby, "and people are beginning to recognise that when they volunteer, they learn new skills and gain experiences which will beneficial to them in the job market."

This massive increase in new registered volunteers will obviously be beneficial to the 500 plus voluntary organisations that operate in Halton. HVA are able to list the voluntary opportunities that exist within each organisation and promote them to the new volunteers who come through their doors.

If you're interested in volunteering, or would like to promote voluntary opportunities within your own organisation, contact Linda Goodier or Alison Gleave on (01928) 592405 or e-mail lgoodier@haltonva.org.uk. Alternatively, you can drop in at HVA between 13.00 and 16.00 on any Thursday afternoon. HVA's office is easy to find, positioned by Wetherspoons in Runcorn Old Town.


Has you organisation noticed an increase in the number of people wanting to volunteer? Do you think the Credit Crunch is the cause of this boom? Is HVA doing enough to support new volunteers? Is HVA doing enough to support your organisation so that it can work with volunteers? Please post below.

Matthew Roberts
(01928) 593 118
mroberts@haltonva.org.uk