Downloads
This page contains resource downloads that are useful and relevant to Third Sector organisations.
We would appreciate any feedback on the information provided and welcome any suggestions for additional resources to include in the future. Please forward any feedback or suggestions to Paul
Equality & Diversity
Funding & Procurement
Governance
Research
Volunteering
The Cornwall Diversity Toolkit (May 2006) (pdf, 944kb)
Although originally written for organisations based in Cornwall, this toolkit provides a useful and comprehensive set of resources that any organisation can use in their pursuit of equality and diversity excellence.
Improving financial relationships with the third sector: Guidance to funders & purchasers (HMT 2006) (pdf, 680kb)
The Guide to Government Assistance to the Third Sector (HMT 2006) aims to provide an overview of the key sources of financial support available through the Government for the third sector.
NCVO - Before You Sign on the Dotted Line - All you need to know about procuring public sector contracts (June 2006) (pdf, 419kb)
A guide to enable small and medium sized organisations to navigate the complex rules, procedures and practices that constitute the public sector procurement process.
NCVO - How voluntary and community organisations can help Transform public services (June 2006) Full Report (pdf, 358kb)
Government remains committed to reforming public services and to enabling the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to take on a greater role in public service delivery, and this report explains how.
Governance Hub & Co-Operatives UK - Guide to Governance and Organisational Structures (August 2007) (pdf, 553kb)
According to Governance Hub research, many trustees and management committee members want greater reassurance and access to practical information about legal structures. In response, the Governance Hub commissioned Co-operatives UK to produce this guide about the common organisational and legal structures, including newer forms outlined in the Charities Act 2006: Community Interest Companies and Charitable Incorporated Organisations.
Charities Act 2006 - What trustees need to know (May 2007) (pdf, 1.26mb)
The Cabinet Office and Charity Commission have launched this concise guide to to the biggest shake up of charity law for centuries. The guide is primarily aimed at those running small charities that may not have the knowledge or expertise to make the most of the new laws.
What Management Committees Need to Know (May 2007) (pdf, 84kb)
This report is a guide that helps small voluntary organisations and community groups understand the Trustee and Management Committee National Occupational Standards and provides an introduction to key issues related to the running of their organisations. It is aimed at trustees, management committee members and paid workers who are helping committees to understand their role. Published by Governance Hub / Bradford CVS.
Governance Hub - Support and resource needs of Trustees and Chairs in voluntary and community organisations (September 2006) (Word, 1.19mb)
This report was commissioned by the Governance Hub, which is part of the ChangeUp programme, managed by CapacityBuilders.
Assisting the Development of Good Governance in Voluntary Organisations (Word, 232kb)
Based in Northumberland, the Foundation for Good Governance is an independent charity that focuses on developing greater understanding of governance within the charitable and not for profit sector by organising events, undertaking research and disseminating the results of its work.
The Governance Hub - Code of Governance and Standards (pdf, 264kb)
The Governance Hub has also produced a Code of Governance and Standards for the voluntary and community sector.
Governance Works - Essential Business Understanding for VCS Boards: Module 2 - Planning (pdf, 737kb)
Governance Works - Essential Business Understanding for VCS Boards: Module 4 - Money (pdf, 409kb)
The learning materials above were prepared by Governance Works for the Social Enterprise Unit, Office of the Third Sector.
They have been designed for trainers and advisors to use in voluntary and community sector organisations or with social enterprises and are free to download.
North East Third Sector Skills Survey 2007-2008 (Full Report) (pdf,1010kb)
North East Third Sector Skills Survey 2007-2008 (Executive Summary) (pdf, 227kb)
The North East Third Sector Skills Survey 2007-2008 was designed to update and help understand the current training needs of people in the sector, highlight any gaps in training provision, and identify barriers to learning across the region. A total of 282 surveys were completed between 19th November and 7th December 2007 and it is hoped that this report will be of interest to:
- Individual Paid Staff & Volunteers – to help encourage them to think more about their own skills development and career progression in the sector.
- Third Sector Organisations – to help organisations plan their own strategic development better and provide a more rewarding working environment for both paid staff and volunteers.
- Training Providers - to help them develop new training programmes that are more responsive to the needs of Third Sector organisations.
- Funders and key decision-makers - to help them better understand the training needs and barriers to learning in the sector, so they can help devise new initiatives and programmes in partnership with Training Providers, and encourage voluntary organisations to build the full costs of training and skills development into their funding bids from the outset.
North East Third Sector ICT Survey 2008 (pdf, 684Kb)
Commissioned by the North East Regional ICT Champion at VONNE, the aim of the North East Third Sector ICT Survey was to identify current ICT training needs and barriers to learning in the sector, which will help develop future training and support programmes in the region. 227 representatives of Third Sector organisations took part in the survey between 15th February and 3rd March 2008.
North East Voluntary and Community Sector Skills Action Plan 2005-2008 (Full Report) (Word, 837kb)
North East Voluntary and Community Sector Skills Action Plan 2005-2008 (Executive Summary) (Word, 31.5kb)
Developed from an extensive consulation process and building upon existing research on sector needs, contribution and resources, the aims of the Voluntary and Community Sector Skills Action Plan are to:
- Influence and link the development and delivery of skills policy, both nationally and in the North East.
- Make explicit the training needs of the Voluntary and Community sector as defined by organisations in the sector.
- Inform providers of skill needs and support the planning of learning activities.
voluntaryskills.com - Ambitions and Aspirations of Workers and Volunteers from the Voluntary and Community Sector in the North East (October 2005) Full Report (pdf, 263kb)
This report is intended to disseminate the findings of research undertaken by Project North East as part of the voluntaryskills.com project. It aims to facilitate an understanding of the wants and needs of the voluntary and community sector in relation to individual ambitions and aspirations, and to understand these requirements in relation to the available opportunities uncovered by previous PNE
work in the area.
voluntaryskills.com - Training and Development Opportunities for the Voluntary and Community Sector in the North East (March 2005) Executive Summary (pdf, 324kb)
The focus of this report is to communicate the results of a recent Project North East study, and to set out the relevance and importance of the findings. A data capture exercise of voluntaryskills.com website data sources was undertaken by Project North East on 17th December 2004. This was carried out to ascertain the nature and extent of training and development available for the voluntary and community sector throughout the North East of England.
bassac - Sink or SWiM? Towards a 21st century community sector (June 2006) (pdf, 1.70mb)
This report explores how 'clusters' have been seen in published findings across the world, investigates current practice of clustering in the UK voluntary and community sector and draws conclusions about how clustering can best be developed in the future. It identifies barriers to working this way and highlights examples of organisations who are sharing 'back-office' tasks such as HR, ICT and volunteer resources as well as PR and marketing.
SKiLD - Competency Framework for Development Workers supporting the voluntary and community sectors (August 2006) (Draft Report) (pdf, 1.36mb)
This draft competency framework has been specifically designed for development workers in the VCS based on local infrastructure organisations and those whose job involves giving hands-on support to local voluntary and community groups.
It's a realistic checklist of the skills and knowledge needed to do development work well and can be used in lots of ways. For instance, to pinpoint training needs or explain what you do to groups. Managers can also use it to write realistic job descriptions or improve induction. Organisations can also use it to design training that meets development workers needs.
SKiLD - First Findings from Learning Needs Analysis (February 2006) (pdf, 66.4kb)
The SKiLD Learning Needs Analysis reports on the feedback provided by almost 150 development workers in local infrastructure organisations regarding their training needs and barriers to learning. It is a useful resource for training organisations when developing new training programmes to meet the needs of the sector.
acevo & Volunteering England - Essential Guide to Involving Volunteers 2007 (pdf, 196kb)
Many volunteer-involving organisations say they are experiencing problems in recruiting and retaining volunteers. This guide aims to help organisations to develop a volunteer programme which will not only survive but prosper.
Jobcentre Plus Volunteering While Unemployed Report (April 2006) (pdf, 138kb)
Volunteering while you are unemployed and looking for paid employment can help you as well as helping to make a difference in society. Volunteering allows you to use your
skills and talents in a different way for the benefit of your community.
Disability Rights Commission (DRC) -Recruiting, Retaining and Developing Disabled Volunteers: Guidance for Volunteer Opportunity Providers 2006 (pdf, 296kb)
The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) believes that disabled people should have the same rights, choices and opportunities as non-disabled people. This applies as much in the field of volunteering as elsewhere. This document seeks to improve access to volunteering opportunities for disabled people by providing advice and guidance to organisations providing, or who are planning to provide, such opportunities.
The DRC hopes that organisations of all kinds will use this document to help them create barrier free volunteering opportunities for disabled people in many different types of volunteering environment.
Volunteer Management Training Needs Report (May 2006) (pdf, 112kb)
Volunteer Management is a complex role, requiring highly skilled, knowledgeable individuals who are prepared to work flexibly to provide a quality experience for their volunteers. The aim of developing a National Training Strategy for Volunteer Management is to help build the leadership, management and learning capacity of those who manage volunteers.
UK Workforce Hub - Management of Volunteers NOS (pdf, 976kb)
National Occupational Standards (NOS) define a framework of good practice in the way people work, based on the functions of their job or role, and the UK Workforce Hub has developed these sector specific standards for the management of volunteers.
Age Concern Newcastle and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne - Volunteering, self-help and citizenship in later life (2006) (pdf, 576kb)
Age Concern Newcastle worked with the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne on this research project for two years, the outcomes of which will be of use across the voluntary sector and to public policy makers.
Volunteering England - Volunteers and the Law (pdf, 298kb)
Volunteers and the Law has been created as a readable overview of legal issues for volunteer managers and anyone who works with volunteers.
