Friday 17 May 2013

Bend it Like Beckham!


Bend it like Beckham is always my advice to organisations considering any form of grant bid - in other words to “bend” their service offer to meet the requirements of the grant giving body (getting the ball over the wall) , but beware shooting over the top or wide-mission drift! So the footballing celebrity retires from football..but is still a celebrity..and funding model!

Strange week. Our sister organisation West Sussex Council for Voluntary Services with whom we have a Memorandum of Understanding have formally announced they are closing, subject to approval by their members  at their AGM on 19 June. 

We are likely to be holding discussions with WCVYS but nothing can be assumed or taken for granted – Trustees and members will have strong views all round, as do I of course! Our inner cabinet – Management and Finance commented on our business plan this week , and then signed it off, but there are sensitivities all round..an awareness that this is a key “time of change” year, and colleagues are being cautious. That’s difficult for me as I see strategic opportunities very clearly and expect others to do so too, but those with different thinking and personality styles want to see details and persuasive facts. It really is time I learnt this!

Part of the big picture came together yesterday when we agreed with Surrey Chamber of Commerce to go into partnership appreciating that we are near identical support service organisations – one for businesses the other for voluntary youth organisations. The fruits of this will be in our being able to offer opportunities to businesses to mentor young people, undertake volunteering projects, introductory discounted membership of the Chamber fro our members and so on. My thanks to our volunteer Shelagh West for promoting these ideas.

The Surrey CC Local Prevention Framework grant bid date expired last week and “mini – competitions” (presentations by selected bidders to local councillors, young people et al) have been taking place. Suffice to say, I am hearing mixed reports about the process.

The closing date for our two new posts is today and we’ll shortlist on Monday – interviews on Thursday and Friday and we have some good candidates for both posts (Youth Work adviser and Events and marketing). We need more staff in as we’re so busy ! New website being developed well now and should be ready first week of June for Beta testing.

Off on (religious) retreat this afternoon to Walsingham for the weekend, being the village in north Norfolk which is a place of pilgrimage and a centre for Anglo-Catholicism, and Roman Catholicism - should at the least be peaceful and contemplative.

Have fun,

Mike

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