Welcome to the April Social Enterprise Link e-newsletter. Warmer weather seems to have arrived, but we're not heading on holiday just yet! There is plenty happening, with a wide varity of events taking place over the next few weeks.

As ever, if you would like to promote anything through the newsletters, be it news, and event or job vacancy, then please email lucy.p@sesc.info

News

Regeneration & Renewal Awards 2007

The Regeneration & Renewal Awards are new. They will seek out, recognize and reward schemes of the highest merit, then applaud and publicise them with vigour.

Regeneration & Renewal magazine is the leading publication in this sector and it will bring its depth of knowledge and editorial rigour to the selection of judges, the judging process and the way in which finalist and winning schemes are described in any published material on the Awards.

Because the Awards are new for 2007, they will automatically attract interest and the expectation is that entry levels in the first year will be high. You are encouraged to enter, too, in the sure knowledge that only the best projects will make it through the first stages of judging, having been scrutinized by some very senior and expert judges.

The Regeneration & Renewal Awards will also make sure that where it is important for judges to visit a scheme to assess it properly, the resources will be in place to carry out the inspections.

This rigorous judging process will allow us to use the Regeneration & Renewal Awards to found a library of best practice and successful projects firmly set in the twenty-first century.

With adequate time to enter - you have until May 2007 to submit your entries - and with an eligibility period that spans twenty months - from 1 July 2005 until 31 March 2007 - you will be able to hone your entries and gather together the support material to provide the judges with full understanding of your work.

Make sure your contribution to regeneration is recognised. Be a part of the first Regeneration & Renewal Awards, which will take place in September 2007 in London.

For more information and entry forms visit the haymarket website

Funding

Social Enterprise Fund

From April 2007, the Department of Health will hold a Social Enterprise Investment Fund of at least £73 million over the next four years. Of this £73 million, there will be £1.2 million revenue and £8.9 million capital money in the new financial year 2007 to 2008. Both social enterprise pathfinders and other social enterprises, delivering health and social care services, will be able to apply to the Social Enterprise Fund in the financial year 2007 to 2008.

Q: When can social enterprises apply to the fund in the financial year 2007 to 2008?

A: Pathfinders will have first access to the Fund in April and May. Other Social Enterprises in health and social care can apply in the Summer. The application process and criteria will be on the website early in the new financial year.

Q: What can social enterprises apply for in the financial year 2007 to 2008?

A: The Department of Health will consider a range of business start up costs, as well as initial project development. The majority of the Fund is made up of capital monies.

Timetable

April to May 2007
Assessment of 26 Pathfinder requests for start up funding
Early summer 2007
Detailed investment criteria and online application process available to all social enterprises in health and social care
Autumn 2007
Investment decisions on Social Enterprise Fund applications.

Visit the website for more information

Linking Communities - small grants available

Diversity Exchange now have some more Linking Communities funding available.

The funding is running on a rolling programme:

Application deadlines: 16th April 07, 14th May 07 and 18th June 07, groups will be informed within a couple of weeks after each deadline whether they have received the funding or not. Money has to be spent by end of September 07.

For further details please contact; Julie Whiting Linking Communities Co-ordinator, Diversity Exchange, 63 Nesfield Street, Bradford BD1 3ET Tel 01274 201236 or email julie.whiting@dex-online.co.uk

What’s On

Selling Added Value

The Selling Added Value course is now open for bookings for the Thornbury Centre, Bradford, April 20^th for day one and May 17^th for day two.

Do not miss this opportunity to identify your added value for tendering purposes. The course takes two days to complete (the days are three weeks apart) and also offers one to one support. At the end you will have looked current contract culture for the sector, calculated your added value over and above service delivery and learned how to use it when tendering for business.

Further information is from the Social Enterprise Support Centre 0845 2578027

Yorkshire NCVCCO working together with VCS Engage and the Government Office Commissioning Workshop

16th May, Government Office, Leeds

This is a joint workshop which has been organised by the Yorkshire Regional group of the National Council for Child Care Voluntary Organisations (NCVCCO), VCS Engage and the Government Office.

This workshops aims to develop the way that commissioning should develop between the statutory and voluntary sectors. Alongside presentations from key note speakers Helen Mc Mullen Director Children & Learners, Denis Gale, Principal Commissioning Manager, Services to Children and Young People, City of Bradford Council and June O’Sullivan from Westminster Children’s Society participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues in more detail with colleagues from other organisations.

This event is aimed at staff, volunteers and trustees from across the voluntary and community youth and children’s sector and from both large and small organisations.

The outcomes from the workshop are:

Clarity of understanding of the issues relating to commissioning from both the commissioners and those being commissioned – Third Sector
Information about where support can be obtained for the Third Sector and how this can be best made available
An example of good commissioning from a statutory agency which values the contribution that can be made by the voluntary sector

It is important that people feel that the half day clarifies issues for them. In order to do this a support pack will also be provided on the day that will include useful information.

We anticipate significant interest and as numbers are limited we recommend that you make an early booking in order to avoid disappointment. To book please complete the booking form below and return to Louise Asquith. And although this event is free, please inform us with 48 hours notice if you are unable to attend so that we can provide the place to someone else. Those who fail to inform us of their non-attendance within 48 hours will be charged £10 to cover the cost of lunch and associated costs

Booking forms should be completed before the 7th May, for more information and forms please contact Louise Asquith on 0113 2581100 or email louise.asquith@barnardos.org.uk

Nervous about writing or updating your business or development plan? Don’t be – Help is at Hand

We are organising 5 sessions 9.30am – 2.30pm around the district the first 2 of which are:

30^th April – KDPC, Temple Row, Keighley, BD21 2AH

22^nd May – The Cellar Project, Farfield Road, Shipley, BD18 4QP

Come along to one of these and you’ll be able to:-

Define and plan your direction: What are you selling? Who wants it? Why they want it? What’s your added value?
Control your destiny: Determine where you want to go and break that into specific, concrete steps with dates, deadlines and budgets. Don’t merely react to events; be proactive and set a roadmap to follow, you can adapt and revise things along the way.
Plan your cash: You’ve got to make a good educated guess, then manage your planned cash flow vs. actual cash flow very carefully.
Allocate resources realistically: this isn’t just cash, but all your resources, who does what, who has responsibility for what? Whose best skilled / placed for a particular task.
Communicate your plan: The business plan is the standard tool for communicating what your business does and where it’s going to all stakeholders. You need to understand and own it; your staff need to share in its development so that they understand it too.

The sessions will be very practical so that you will take lots of useful ideas back to implement in your organisations.

You’ll have a better understanding of what belongs in your business plan and how to phrase your plans, so that it is easy to understand by staff, partners and customers alike.

We are encouraging organisations to send up to 3 delegates as we feel that your business plan should be a shared document, it’s also easier to do if you share the workload!!!

Call 01535 665258 for more information and booking

Using the Media for Maximum Effect

Thursday 19th April, 10am to 1pm, The Colour Museum, Bradford

This half-day course is designed for anyone whose role includes speaking to the press and presenting their organisation to the wider world directly via the media.

The course will Cover:

How to deal with the press effectively
How to write a press release
Understanding how to get your message across
Deal with difficult questions and hostile interviews
Doing more than just answering the questions
How to prepare
What to ask before hand and understand your rights
Tailoring for different media
Crisis Management and dealing with difficult issues

How to Book

This course is FREE for Management Committee members, staff and volunteers of Voluntary and Community Organisations.

Organisations participating will be expected to report back on how they have implemented what they have learned, by the end of May.

To book a place, please send a booking form to Diane Fox
Booking forms are available on our website www.bradfordcvs.org.uk/training.htm
or from Diane at CVS Training, 19-25 Sunbridge Rd, Bradford BD1 2AY, 01274 722772 or email training@bradfordcvs.org.uk

Funded by Safer and Stronger

New Media Made Cheap and Easy

Monday 23rd April, 10am to 1pm, CNet, Frizinghall

This seminar will be run by a leading new media consultant, and will feature practical advice and examples of free internet techniques such as blogging, podcasting and wikis. The seminar will highlight the need for voluntary and community organisation to use various online internet techniques to help with their internal and external communications, to create awareness of their organisations and to help increase funds.

How to Book

This course is FREE for Management Committee members, staff and volunteers of Voluntary and Community Organisations.

Organisations participating will be expected to report back on how they have implemented what they have learned, by the end of May.

Funded by Safer and Stronger

Delivering 4 Community Conference

24th April - York Racecourse

The Yorkshire and Humber '3rd Sector - Delivering 4 Community' event is the fourth in the series of regional events. Open to all sectors. Attendees can choose from 12 workshops on a variety of issues. The one-day conference and exhibition concludes with a networking drinks reception.

Subjects which will be covered include:
- Introduction to the new Compact
- Commissioning in Practice - An introduction to what it means, how it works
- Marketing and Fundraising using the web
- Making a Successful Application for a Futurebuilders Loan
- Capacitybuilders and Change Up
- Effective Leadership
- Raising Capital and Banking
- Management and Governance
- Public Sector Procurement
- Commissioning and the Health Sector
- Partnership working in practise

This event, organised by funding information providers j4b plc, is in direct response to requests for further support from organisations and has been developed in consultation with local agencies and enterprises.

Please see http://www.delivering4community.com/ for further information or to book a place. You can also ring j4b on 01625 628080 to talk to the Events Team about getting involved.

FREE Marketing and Media Training

Practical Introduction to Marketing (With No Budget!)

Thursday 26th April, 10am to 4pm, The Mayfield Centre, Bradford

Friday 27th April, 10am to 4pm, Keighley Disabled Peoples Centre, Keighley

Participants will learn the basic skills of marketing to help their organisation engage effectively, communicate with their stakeholders and create opportunities. The course is aimed at small to medium sized organisations who have little or no marketing budget, but want to improve how they market their organisation.

The course will include the following topics:

What are you marketing?
Who are you trying to reach?
What are you marketing objectives?
What methods to use when marketing
How do you want to come across?
How can you market your organisation with no marketing budget?
How do you evaluate whether your objectives have been achieved?

How to Book

This course is FREE for Management Committee members, staff and volunteers of Voluntary and Community Organisations.

Organisations participating will be expected to report back on how they have implemented what they have learned, by the end of May.

Funded by Safer and Stronger

Introduction to Social Enterprise - Choice of 3 dates!

26^th April, 10am – 12.30pm, ATL Centre for Enterprise, Manningham Lane

27^th April, 1pm – 3pm – Business Link, Devere House, Bradford

25^th May, 1pm – 3pm – Business Link, Devere House, Bradford

A social enterprise is a business with social aims, where all profits are reinvested back in to the business or community. These workshops are for people who would like to explore the concept of social enterprise, how to set one up and what support is available.

Call the Business Gateway on 0845 8336000 for more information and booking

Money Go Round

16^th May, Cellar Project Shipley

How the Local Multiplier 3 tool can help you track your organisation’s effect on the local and wider economy. How this can become a fundamental part of your Social Accounting process and how you can demonstrate the economic impact you make in real money terms.

For more information and booking contact Linda Lockwood at In To Business Scheme on 01484 223686

SESC courses

We are running two courses through Wakefield College, funded by Learning and Skills Councils. The courses are in Project Management and Coaching and Mentoring. Both courses are due to start in May, for further information please contact Rachel Oddie, Enterprise Network Manager at Rachel.oddie@sesc.info

Useful Links

West Yorkshire Social Enterprise Link: http://www.wyselink.co.uk/

Social Enterprise Support Centre: http://www.sesc.info/

Social Enterprise Yorkshire & Humber http://www.seyh.org.uk/

Bfunded http://www.bfunded.org.uk/

Supplier route to government http://www.supply2.gov.uk/

Local Info

Are you a Community Arts Based organisation?

We would like to hear your views about some ideas that we are investigating developing. The ideas were suggested by members at the networking events we held last year and we hope to develop them further. They say two heads are better than one so we would really value your opinions and involvement. The ideas are a central resource centre for the hire of equipment and scenery, this idea originated when we were discussing the cost of putting on productions, especially for smaller voluntary, community and youth groups. It was also suggested due to the waste that was created in the sector the potential for re-use of scenery, costumes and other related equipment.

We would be grateful if you could complete the online questionnaire and return it to us by the end of April. We look forward to hearing from you, and please remember if you have any news or information that we can include in the network newsletter please email it to Rachel.oddie@sesc.info