The weekly roundup from VANEL on good governance, charity trusteeship and non-profit leadership. News, information, resources and ideas. Complemented by our monthly “View from the Top” e-newsletter (Trustee Network members only), our “aboutgovernance” online discussion space for leaders and trustees and our @aboutgovernance Twitter feed.
The NCVO Governance roundup for October is out. Possibly the easiest monthly roundup of governance news to dip into. This month: A first look at the National Citizen Service bill, new funding to boost volunteering in over 50s, plus the latest on upcoming training and events.
We mentioned it last week, but a reminder that to launch Trustees’ Week, NCVO and BWB have their Trustee Conference 2016 on Monday 7th November. Entitled “Governance in the Spotlight”, it has an excellent range of keynote speakers, workshops and more throughout the day. For more information or to book to get yourself down to it go here. We’ll be reporting back on the themes from the event during Trustees’ Week. (keep an eye on @aboutgovernance).
A reminder that 7th-13th November is national Trustees’ Week. Activities will be taking place across the country, and, as always, VANEL will be involved with a range of Trustee and governance related activities. (see below). VANEL’s theme for this year is “Your Trustees are Volunteers too” – something which often gets overlooked. Take the opportunity to do something proactive with your board, trustees, committee members (or yourself) this week.
VANEL are keen to inspire and support a new generation of charitable sector leaders, and this article from the Guardian voluntary sector network re-emphasises this point – “We need to inspire and train the next generation of charity leaders“. There’s an important message behind this approach which aligns with VANEL’s INSPIRE and Young Leaders Network programmes, so have a read.
Also recently on the Guardian website – “Times are tough, so voluntary sector leaders need to learn to collaborate“. This explains the background to the launch of the new Open University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL). This is a bold new initiative which our sector needs to be closely watching. Courses from the OU CVSL launch on 31st October 2016.
VANEL are here to help you with your Governance requirements
On Friday 11th November (during Trustees’ Week) we shall be holding a morning of short workshops. Three workshops tackling different aspects of the Trustee role:
10am – “Get on Board” looking closely at the Induction Process by which Trustees join your organisation
11am – “Valuing Volunteer Trustees” focusing on the support and development of the board – particularly focusing on the individuals.
12noon – “Technology for Trustees” continuing the digital theme as a workshop looking at how the board can lead or support the adoption of technology.
Come along for 1,2 or 3 of the sessions – but please book and let us know your plans. All are held at VANEL offices at the Willows and book via Karl Elliott again. Sessions are free to VANEL Member and Friend organisations, otherwise £5 per person per session.
Good to see so many people at our “Induction and Refresher training for Trustees” session earlier this week. And good to hear from attendees about the positive steps being taken to improve their governance practices. Our next session will be on Wed 18th January 2017 at VANEL offices. We can also schedule the sessions on demand if a group needs to offer it to more than four trustees. If you are brand new to the role of Trustee, or perhaps a little uncertain as to your roles and responsibilities, or simply need a refresher to see what you are missing, then this is for you. (Prices are normally £15 per person for Members/Friends or £20 otherwise, with special, free places for any trustees aged 18-25. More information here or contact Karl Elliott to book, 01472 361043, karl@vanel.org.uk).
Remember that our theme for Trustees’ Week is “Your Trustees are Volunteers too”. It very often gets overlooked that Trustees, board members and committee members give their time freely into an often underpraised but quite responsibility role. We’d like to talk about this during Trustees’ Week and give trustees their due respect.
Follow @aboutgovernance and #vaneltweek to keep up with our plans during Trustees’ Week.
Our next issue of “The View from the Top”, our governance focussed e-newsletter, will be out on 1st November. If you are a trustee or committee member or in management of a VANEL Member or Friend organisation, then keep an eye on your inbox on the 1st. If you’ve not received the e-newsletter in the past and would like a copy then subscribe yourself here.
Young Leaders Network
As part of our support for younger trustees, committee members and leaders, we’re sharing and discussing a number of key governance themes through our “Young Leaders Gym”. Each “workout” is a short lesson in a particular theme and provides both information, resources, ideas and a starting point for discussion. The first three of these workouts are now online on our private discussion space,AboutGovernance. Our workouts so far are:
New to the sector? What is the voluntary sector all about?
New to the role? Understanding the roles and responsibilities of trustees.
Board mechanics – how meetings work.
Free LVC Training for younger trustees or committee members.
VANEL is able to subsidise completely training for the Lincolnshire Volunteer Card (LVC) for trustees, committee members, steering group members or team leaders who are aged 18-25. If someone in this age bracket is volunteering in a leadership position, then our “Young Leaders Network” encourages skills development, so the 6x2hour modules in the LVC are a good introduction to volunteering skills. Get in touch if you are interested.
If you are aged 16-25 and either already volunteering in a leadership role or are in interested in leadership then perhaps we can interest you in our Young Leaders Network? Just get in touch with Karl Elliott (karl@vanel.org.uk, 01472 361043) to get involved.
Opportunities for Trustees
North East Lincolnshire Carelink are in the position of losing two of their longest serving board members, as their Chair and Treasurer have expressed a wish to stand down at the AGM in November. They are consequently looking for some new board members. Please spread the word, and if you are interested, please contact Lynda Bringloe, Chief Officer at Carelink who can follow through with you and their board. (01472 312312 or www.care-link.org.uk).
If you’re on the hunt for Trustee opportunities, then Do-it, the national volunteering database, is another good place to start. They are collaborating now with the Small Charities Coalition to provide a Trustee Finder service. Visit it here. A number of local opportunities within North East Lincolnshire include:
Trustees needed for 19th St Hugh’s Scouts
VANEL also have information about a number of other local charities and non-profit groups who are seeking trustees, directors or committee members. We are looking out for individuals to connect with these groups, so should you be interested, please contact Karl Elliott (karl@vanel.org.uk) and we can discuss the groups and how to make the connections.
To discuss governance, trusteeship or leadership, or to subscribe to the Trustee Network, please drop me a line.
Karl Elliott, Development Manager
www.vanel.org.uk/governance – for resources and information
www.theviewfromthetop.org.uk
www.youngleadersmatter.org.uk
@aboutgovernance