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News and updates for charities and community organisations
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Keeping Connected
Join us at our new networking meetings to keep in touch with colleagues, share news and information and get support.
We are facilitating a number of networking meetings to share news and offer support. You can let us know about any particular points you would like to raise in advance or during the sessions.
We are limiting attendance at these meetings but we will organise another session if we are oversubscribed.
Find details and booking information below.
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Peer support for those managing volunteers
Following our successful inaugural online meeting on 7 April we have decided to run a weekly online session for those managing volunteers to provide support and share knowledge in a challenging environment. This session is for:
- those new to the role who may be volunteering to manage the army of spontaneous volunteers mobilised to help
- those managing volunteers who have been reassigned to new roles
- those seeking to keep engaged with existing volunteers unable to participate due to restrictions
If you have specific queries or topics you would like to raise please send them to christine@cambridgecvs.org.uk.
We will be sending joining instructions after you register.
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If you have specific queries or topics you would like to raise please send them to alan@cambridgecvs.org.uk.
We will be sending joining instructions after you register.
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If you have specific queries or topics you would like to raise please send them to christine@cambridgecvs.org.uk.
We will be sending joining instructions after you register.
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Coronavirus information updates
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Charity Trustee Meetings – A Coronavirus Guide
Offices are closed, we are not meeting face to face, but we still need to take decisions. There will be forgiveness for not following procedures to the letter of the law and procedural errors can be put right later. Philip Kirkpatrick from Baites Wells provides helpful guidance for trustees on holding meetings and taking decisions on the Baites Wells website here
His guidance covers notice periods, making your meeting quorate, holding virtual meetings and a final section on ‘getting around the problem’ – possible solutions if group is still facing problems.
His final advice is on taking minutes ‘Minute your decisions with great care when taking the most difficult decisions. Set out the matters taken into account, other options considered, and the reasons for taking your decision. Circulate the draft minutes as quickly as possible.’
The Charity Commission has also provided guidance for charities on holding meetings and AGMs.
Find this on the Commission's website here
Record your decisions
A common theme across all advice and guidance for chairs and trustees in the current crisis is the importance of keeping clear and comprehensive records of all decisions made and actions taken.
Trustees are having to take decisions on staffing, service delivery, financial planning and other issues in difficult and rapidly changing circumstances. It’s essential that all decisions and subsequent actions are carefully and thoroughly documented, including the reasons for decisions, who has been involved in making them and the circumstances leading to them. Keeping a daily diary could be very helpful as a means of recording what is happening to your group on a regular basis and of keeping records of decisions and the context in which they have been reached.
It is also important to keep records of all decisions taken to furlough staff. These must be kept for five years and even if claims are accepted now HMRC will be able to audit these retrospectively and to claw back any claims that have been made erroneously or fraudulently.
Furlough agreements: guidance from Acas
Any furlough agreements should be in writing. It's a good idea to include:
- the date furlough starts
- how much the person will be paid
- when it will be reviewed
- how to keep in contact during furlough
This is taken from the Acas website and you can also find a furlough letter template
Go to the Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for employers and employees page on the Acas website for other clear and helpful information for employers and employees
When staying at home isn’t safe: Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Help
The Government’s advice on self or household-isolation will have a direct impact on victims of domestic abuse. Home is not likely to be a safe place for survivors of domestic abuse and their children. Social distancing and self-isolation could be used as a tool of coercive and controlling behaviour by perpetrators and will shut down routes to safety and support.
Read the news item on the CCVS website.
This lists sources of advice and support – both local and national – for people experiencing domestic violence.
This a time for friends, neighbours and volunteers to be alert for possible signs of abuse and to know how to report this and get help.
It is also important for employers to be aware that working from home could be particularly difficult for victims of domestic abuse and that employees in this situation may need support. SafeLives have produced a briefing paper for employers outlining advice and recommendations.
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Scams: advice from the Small Charities Coalition
The Small Charities Coalition has provided information on some of the latest scams circulating and preventative tips.
Fraudulent websites
- Free of charge DBS checks subject to a ‘low cost’ admin fee
- Access to ‘free’ COVID-19 webinars subject to providing personal/administrator details.
Phishing emails
- Targeting parents/carers offering free school meals for their children subject to providing their bank details
- Targeting professional firms from the ‘Commonwealth Unit’ asking for an advance fee of £2500 to become the sole practitioner on a new ‘Parliament Hub App’
- Targeting charities offering ‘free’ help in order to obtain access to their systems (eg. Website development)
- Advising that the recipient’s mailbox is full but that they can increase their storage space free of charge by clicking on the link provided.
Some simple preventative tips
Read the little booklet of phone scams from the Met Police
Read and act upon the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) guidance for business on:
Use the Global Cyber Alliance free resources
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Heritage Emergency Fund
The Heritage Fund is making £50 million available to support the UK heritage sector as an immediate response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
We will be investing the £50m where it is needed most, by providing short-term funding for organisations delivering heritage projects or running previously funded projects, and safeguarding heritage sites we have previously invested in to ensure they are not lost to the public.
The Heritage Emergency Fund will be available as:
- A fund that organisations can access over the next three-six months as short-term funding to stabilise operations and manage unforeseen risks. Grants of between £3,000-£50,000 will be available.
- A select number of key strategic investments where heritage is identified as at greatest risk. This could include grant increases to funded projects that are currently underway.
In addition, we are also supporting the heritage sector by:
- Enabling organisations that have received grant funding and are currently delivering projects to delay or change the way the projects are delivered. This can include changes to approved purposes, flexibility on costs within a project, early drawdown of grant payment, a relaxation of some conditions of the grant, and flexible use of contingency funding.
- Providing bespoke advice and support via our local teams and in some cases, via our specialist network of mentors.
- Accelerating the provision of our £1.2m Digital Skills for Heritage initiative to help the sector through the crisis and beyond. This will include support for organisations to run activities and events, reach audiences, engage volunteers, share content and fundraise online.
For the longer term, to help with recovery from the current crisis, we have invested £4m in two Enterprise Development programmes for heritage leaders across the UK, and Business Support Programmes in all four countries. More information will be available in due course.
Decisions on awards under the Heritage Emergency Fund will be made as quickly as possible to support the sector. Awards will be made on the basis of a set of criteria to identify those with the greatest need.
Go to the website for more information and for guidance on how to apply
Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund
Tesco Bags of Help is responding to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis by setting up a new short-term fund to support local communities. Due to the need to respond quickly to the emergency we have created a streamlined application process and payment process to make it easier to get funds distributed quickly. If your application is successful the fund will provide a single payment award of £500 to organisations who are supporting vulnerable groups. The programme is set up to support organisational need in this time of crisis rather than fund specific projects.
Full details of organisations that are eligible to apply and all other details are on the website
Emergency Funding
Charity Bank is keeping an updated list of emergency funding available for charities and social enterprises
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