Community Support

Master Fundraising in Challenging Times – Training & Tea with DVA

Facing the Future Together: Introducing DVA’s Fundraising Masterclass
With the recent cuts to discretionary funding announced by Derbyshire County Council, charities, community groups, and voluntary organizations across Derbyshire face an unprecedented challenge. At Derbyshire Voluntary Action, we’ve heard the concerns of our members loud and clear. The question is: how do we keep delivering vital services with reduced financial support?

In direct response to the needs of our members, we are thrilled to launch our Fundraising Masterclass Training & Tea series, kicking off in January 2025. This series is designed to equip VCSE groups with the tools and confidence to unlock new funding opportunities, align their missions with funder priorities, and craft standout applications that make an impact. Join us online for a bitesize training session that will set you up for the year!

Meet Your Trainer: Anna, Fundraising Expert
Anna has always been interested in how we can make a real difference to the world. When she began working for Citizens Advice in 2006 she started to learn more about what was needed in communities, and came up with the same issue again and again. “So how do we make these things happen?” Her work is the answer to that question.

With nearly two decades of experience and a proven track record of working with over 30 charities and not for profit organisations, Anna is a powerhouse in the fundraising world. As a seasoned fundraising consultant and bid writer, Anna’s passion lies in empowering small and medium-sized charities to thrive without their own dedicated fundraisers, especially in the face of adversity. She specialises in work tackling deprivation and poverty and currently manages all aspects of grant fundraising for several charities. Anna knows what it takes to secure the funding needed to drive change, and it’s that experience she brings to our members.

Her experience isn’t just about writing bids—it’s about helping organizations see their services from fresh perspectives and making them “application ready.” This series is your chance to learn directly from an expert who’s been in the trenches and knows how to navigate the funding landscape in challenging times.

What’s in Store?

  1. Unlocking Opportunities – Finding grant funding in challenging times 7 January 2025
    Discover how to track and find opportunities when funders close their doors. Learn how to navigate challenging times and uncover possibilities you may not have considered before.
  2. Mission Possible – Aligning with funder guidelines 14 January 2025
    Tired of squeezing your services into narrow funder criteria? This session will teach you how to view your work through different lenses to match funding opportunities effectively.
  3. Vision to Victory – Being application ready 21 January 2025
    Avoid last-minute panic! Learn how to create a plan for upcoming applications and be prepared to tackle deadlines with confidence and efficiency.
  4. The Perfect Pitch – Crafting a standout application 28 January 2025
    From intimidating word counts to vague questions, crafting a funding application can be daunting. This session will help you overcome those challenges and present your work with clarity and confidence.

Why This Matters
The recent funding cuts are a stark reminder of how critical it is to secure the resources needed to sustain vital services. This training series isn’t just a response to the challenges we face—it’s a proactive step toward a stronger, more resilient voluntary sector in Derbyshire.

Save Your Spot
Booking for the Fundraising Masterclass Training & Tea is open now, so be sure to secure your place today. Together, we’ll turn challenges into opportunities and ensure that Derbyshire’s VCSE sector remains to provide hope and support for our communities.

📅 Starts January 2025
📍 Location: Online
💻 Cost: Free for DVA Members

Let’s build the future of Derbyshire’s voluntary sector, one successful application at a time.

Posted in Save Our Sector, TrainingTagged in , , , , , ,

Training & Tea: The Secrets of Marketing Success

Unlocking Your Marketing Potential: 4-Part Training Series with Kevin Karaca from The House Outside

Marketing is crucial for voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations looking to stand out and thrive. Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) is excited to offer an exclusive 4-part training series designed to help VCSE members sharpen their marketing skills. This invaluable opportunity, hosted by DVA and presented by Kevin Karaca from The House Outside, will focus on building solid marketing foundations to amplify your organisation’s reach and impact.

Kevin from The House Outside, has worked extensively with organisations across various sectors, bringing expertise that is accessible, practical, and engaging. This series will provide actionable insights to help your organisation connect more effectively with its audience.

Session 1: Identifying Your Audience

Dive into one of the most critical aspects of marketing: understanding your audience. Knowing exactly who you are speaking to is essential to delivering messages that resonate.

Session 2: Developing a Strong Brand

Understand what a brand is and the importance of a strong brand. This goes beyond just a logo—it’s about creating a consistent unified voice, vision, and identity that reflects your organisation’s mission and values.

Session 3: Creating Strong Visuals

Visual content is powerful. Introducing Canva, a user-friendly design platform that allows even the most design-challenged individuals to create stunning visuals. Whether it’s social media graphics, posters, or flyers, seeing the basics of Canva will show how effective visuals can elevate your organisation’s message.

Session 4: Using Social Media Effectively

Social media is an indispensable tool for reaching new audiences, but it can feel overwhelming. Break down strategies for using platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram effectively.

Who Is This For?

This training series is designed specifically for members of Derbyshire’s VCSE sector, including members of DVA and the Derbyshire Community Hubs Network. Whether you’re just starting out in marketing or looking to refine your existing strategies, these sessions will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to make your organisation stand out.

Why Attend?

With Kevin Karaca’s expertise and The House Outside’s innovative approach, this series promises to be a game-changer for your organisation or group.

Don’t miss this chance to learn how to take your marketing efforts to the next level. Strengthen your brand, engage your community, and expand your reach by joining this essential training series.

Posted in Derbyshire Community Hubs Network, News, TrainingTagged in , , ,

Connecting Events

Are you involved in community building in Derbyshire?
Are you motivated to create spaces for the community to gather?
From Community Centres to Church Halls, Village Halls and Miners Welfares; Derbyshire has plenty of places that support their communities.
We call all these places Community Hubs.

Derbyshire Community Hubs Network is here for those individuals working hard to maintain and grow these Community Hubs. You may be a member of staff, a volunteer organiser or a trustee. You’re all welcome to our upcoming connecting events.

This network will create a strong community of supportive relationships to unlock the potential of community hubs across our region.

The network will learn from each hub’s experiences, enable peer support, joint training, and knowledge sharing. You will meet others in similar circumstances to you. We will share our stories of working to create spaces for our communities. We’ll find similarities and differences. We’ll find opportunities to support one another. Derbyshire Community Hubs Network is a place to learn from one another and to discover the rich expertise of the people doing this work. We’ll unearth our strengths, our challenges and we’ll problem solve together.

“I was invigorated and inspired, to be in the company of so many people at once, passionate about supporting their communities and overcoming challenges along the way. Managing a community space can be tricky and isolating at times -having a space to normalise some of the difficulties was really helpful, and a really great opportunity to share learning”

Attendee at Derbyshire Community Hubs Network Launch Event

A connected community is a stronger community. Each Hub is a community in itself, our events will bring these Hubs together. We will build a community of communities!

We’ll be travelling across Derbyshire to bring connecting events to your area. These local events will support Hubs to meet one another in the location in which they are based. These events will allow you to find those working near to you and begin to connect and learn from one another. Join our mailing list by emailing hubs@dva.org.uk to hear about each event as it is announced.

Booking for these events is live now, so spread the word and lets connect together!

Erewash https://bit.ly/3AxYjow
Friday 20th September 10:30am-2pm at Cotmanhay Community Network 

High Peak https://bit.ly/4cyPjg3
Monday 23rd September 1pm-4:30pm at The Bureau, Glossop 

Chesterfield https://bit.ly/4dyrS80
Tuesday 24th September 10:30am-2pm at CDC Cosy Hub 

Derbyshire Dales https://bit.ly/3AuuIMF
Tuesday 1st October 10:30am-2pm at Hartington Village Hall 

Amber Valley https://bit.ly/4fQ7OQ5 NEW DATE
Friday 4th October 10:45am-2.15pm at Infinite Wellbeing, Heanor 

NE Derbyshire https://bit.ly/4dOuvlQ NEW DATE
Tuesday 8th October 10:30am-2pm at S45 Hub @ Clay Cross 

South Derbyshire https://bit.ly/3AB4dFy
Tuesday 15th October 10:30am-2pm at Repton Mapletree Cafe, Repton 

Posted in Derbyshire Community Hubs Network, NewsTagged in , , ,

The VCSE Unites at ‘Save Our Sector’ Event

Celebrating Strength and Resilience

In an inspirational display of solidarity, over 100 members of Derbyshire’s Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector came together at the vibrant ‘Save Our Sector’ event along with service users for the support provided by these groups. Hosted by Wynne Garnett, the Programme Lead for the VCSE Alliance, the gathering was a powerful statement to the resilience and dedication of our community in the face of proposed funding cuts from Derbyshire County Council.

This is not panic, this is strength.

Held with the help and support of Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust, and the African & Caribbean Community Association (ACCA), the atmosphere was charged with a sense of purpose and unity. Despite the looming financial uncertainties, the event was an uplifting celebration of the collective power and indomitable spirit of the VCSE sector. It was a day filled with inspiring stories, shared experiences, and a collective commitment to safeguarding the vital services that support Derbyshire’s communities.

The event featured insightful keynote speeches from Lud Ramsey, Vice-Chair of ACCA and Labour Councillor for the Spire Ward; Sue Wheatcroft, DVA Board Member and Founder of the Borderline Personality Support Group; and Karen Lawson, NHS Social Prescriber and Director at Kakou. Each speaker highlighted the indispensable role of VCSE groups in enhancing community health and wellbeing, and the risk taken in cutting funding to these services.

Lud Ramsey’s passionate address underscored the essential nature of VCSE services, reminding us all of the broader implications of the proposed cuts. “The services provided by our VCSE groups are not just essential; they are lifesaving”.

Sue Wheatcroft looked at the transformative power of community support often relied on by those most at need. “This is the true value of community support. Shouldn’t high salaries come second to making sure people have their basic needs met. These groups are a lifeline to our communities and we need to defend them” she remarked.

Karen Lawson spoke about the critical synergy between social prescribing and the VCSE sector, illustrating how integrated services enhance community health outcomes. “The synergy between the NHS and the VCSE is vital. Together, we can provide holistic care that addresses both medical and social needs. Please take a step back and think of the consequences of what you’re doing to the people of Derbyshire. Find a way that does not target those most in need” she emphasised.

Showcasing Impact and Value

A key focus of the event was gathering and presenting both quantitative and qualitative data to underscore the profound impact and value of VCSE groups. Attendees participated in interactive sessions designed to collect compelling evidence of the sector’s contributions to the community’s health and wellbeing. The data collected will be instrumental in advocating for the preservation of discretionary grant funding.

A Call to Action

The event concluded with a resounding call to action, urging attendees and the wider community to rally together, complete the consultation, and advocate for the preservation of discretionary grant funding.

“The biggest reflection today is this is just the beginning. It’s not just about the organisations that are losing funding, where will it land? It will land in our communities”. Jacqui Willis, CEO of DVA.

We have demonstrated that our sector is resilient, passionate, and indispensable. Now, we must take this momentum and channel it into tangible action to safeguard our future.

Posted in News, Save Our SectorTagged in , , ,

Take Hosting Collaborative Events to the next level

Boost your skills with Training and Tea – Hosting Collaborative Events series.
Do you want to explore what makes collaboration work? Do you want to ensure your collaborative events are not just successful, but memorable and impactful? Then join us for a series of enlightening and practical sessions of Training and Tea!

Derbyshire Hubs Network logo

What is Training and Tea?

‘Training and Tea’ is a bite-sized learning series designed to provide valuable insights and practical skills to enhance the capabilities of those working in the voluntary and community sector. We asked you which areas you wanted to see covered to make the most difference to your group or organisation, and here it starts here.

This series focuses on the art of planning activities and designing successful formats for collaborative events.

Why You Should Attend

Learn the Essentials of hosting a collaborative event: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the key elements that make collaboration successful. From the initial planning stages to the execution, this series covers it all.

Virtual vs. In-Person Events: Discover the critical differences between virtual and in-person events. Learn how to leverage the unique advantages of each format to engage your audience effectively.

Know Your Audience: Understand the importance of audience analysis and tailoring your event to meet their needs and expectations. A well-targeted event is a successful event!

Who Should Attend?

This training is open to all members of the voluntary and community sector in Derbyshire. Whether you’ve run collaborative events already, or are new to the idea, this session promises to deliver actionable insights and practical tips.

FREE* for Community, Voluntary or Third Sector organisations & groups in Chesterfield & NE Derbyshire provided by Derbyshire Voluntary Action. We are particularly keen to welcome participants who work within community hubs.

Benefits of Attending

Expert Guidance: Receive expert advice from experienced trainers at Derbyshire Voluntary Action who understand the nuances of successful collaboration in the community sector.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow participants, share experiences, and build a network of supportive peers. Collaborative learning and networking are key components of this session.

Free for Members: This invaluable training is offered free of charge to members of the voluntary and community sector in Derbyshire. It’s our way of supporting the incredible work you do for our communities. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a member please get in touch here.

Event Booking

Training and Tea: Hosting Collaborative Events: Planning

Training and Tea: Hosting Collaborative Events: Facilitation

Training and Tea: Hosting Collaborative Events: Digital Tools

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance the way you see collaboration, and ensure your next event is a resounding success. Click the links above to register today and secure your place.

At Derbyshire Voluntary Action, we believe in the power of well-planned, collaborative events to bring communities together, foster connections, and drive positive change. Training and Tea is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to create impactful events that resonate with your audience.

We are excited to welcome you to this training session and look forward to seeing how you’ll use these new skills to benefit your communities. So, grab your cup of tea, and join us for an insightful and enjoyable learning experience.

Ready to boost what you get out of collaboration? Register now for the Training and Tea, and take the first step towards creating unforgettable collaborative events. Let’s make your next event one to remember!

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