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New Council Website – note to webmasters

LBB has recently published an improved website makes it easier to apply for, report and pay for Council services online. Visit www.bromley.gov.uk to view the new site and find out more.

However, anyone who has previously linked via their website to specific articles or documents on the old council site will need to check the hyperlinks as, in the case of CLB web, none of the old links work.

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Contact details for LBB departments

Bromley Council has launched the annual update to the Directory of Services for Businesses, in association with the News Shopper. The comprehensive guide includes contact details for Council departments and details of business support initiatives. Go to www.bromley.gov.uk/atozguideforbusiness to view the guide.

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Discounted database from LASA

AIMS, the Advice & Information Management System, is LASA’s case and client contact management database is 10 years old this summer. To celebrate LASA is offering 50% off the purchase price of all SQL versions ordered before 31st August 2011.

Plus 30% off all training booked at time of purchase.
If you are looking for a value for money case and client relationship management database, with low annual support charges, contact Phil Woodall, AIMS Project Manager on 020 7377 2806 for more information or a chat about the system or download a demo
**prices shown are for voluntary sector agencies only. 50% off also applies to statutory sector, see web site for price details.

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News from PEACe - HR and employment law advice service

The PEACe HR and employment law advice service has supported London's voluntary and community sector for many years, and remains a popular and valued service.

In response to recent major changes in LVSC’s funding, the service is being  developed as a social enterprise providing low-charge helpline subscription support, one-off HR consultancy and mediation, a new HR and Employment Law Compliance Health Check service and training. 

PEACE will continue to provide the following free services:

If you are interested in finding out more about any of the new services provided at reasonable rates especially for the voluntary sector in London, please email us at peace@lvsc.org.uk or contact Shirley on 020 3349 8913 or Clare on 020 3349 8914.

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Searching for funding?

Free access to a funding database, hosting over 4,000 trusts and foundations, called trustfunding.org.uk is available at Community Links Bromley and one-to-one supported database searches are bookable through Julie Hunt, Funding Information and Advice Officer on 0208 315 1915 , email julieh@communitylinksbromley.org.uk

In addition, registration to another database is recommended:  www.fundingcentral.org.uk  Access to this site is also free and is funded by the Cabinet Office.  It will provide updates on grants, contracts and loans direct to your email address.

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Wonderland Productions – films for the community

Do you want to raise the profile of your organisation? Involve more supporters or volunteers? Show the impact you make in the community to potential and existing funders? Or just document an existing project? WonderLand Productions UK is a social enterprise specialising in producing professional and affordable videos for charities and community groups. From short corporate videos to documentaries, for web or DVD release, we will work with your to make your voice heard.

Working with young people or vulnerable adults? Why not involve them in a positive activity such as filmmaking, where they can learn new skills, such as scriptwriting, filming, editing, but also team working, planning and prioritising. We deliver educational video projects with young people or vulnerable adults where they can have fun while growing in confidence and self esteem.

To find out more please contact Alice info@wonderlandproductions.co.uk
or visit www.wonderlandproductions.co.uk

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Monitoring and Evaluation on a Shoestring

As funding pressures on the sector grow, there is an even greater need for organisations to demonstrate the difference that they are making, and to learn from their performance.

This practical new guide published by the National Performance Programme is essential reading for organisations who want to develop their monitoring and evaluation without breaking the budget. Offering a simple but systematic approach, the guide is designed to be used by charities with limited budgets who want to improve their effectiveness and demonstrate the difference they make to people’s lives. 
With guidance on identifying your outputs and outcomes, identifying what data you need to collect, methods for collecting data, good practice guidance around collecting data, and how to use the data you collect, this guide can help you discover that monitoring and evaluation doesn't have to be expensive - there is a lot you can do with the resources you already have.

Download your FREE copy of Monitoring and Evaluation on a Shoestring today!

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E-learning website KnowHow NonProfit launch ‘How-to’ guide micro-volunteering platform

The purpose of ‘How-to’ guides, launched 7th February 2011, is that anyone interested in the voluntary sector can share their knowledge by writing a guide or learn by guides contributed by others. The platform provides a new free support tool for charities during a time when resources are stretched. Writers do not have to be experts; contributors should think of themselves as micro-volunteers giving their time and experience to share useful ideas to help others in the voluntary sector.

It is the first of its kind in the voluntary sector and responds to the Government’s Giving Green Paper calling for technology to enable micro-volunteering. The platform guides include how to create podcasts, how to demonstrate impact and how to work with local media.

Linden Muirhead, Head of Operations at KnowHow NonProfit said it is an “exciting development in the future of online volunteering in Civil Society.”
Visit the ‘How-to’ guide platform at www.knowhownonprofit.org and share your knowledge or discover best practice from across the voluntary sector.

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What’s a “Green Mortgage”?

 It is a term that many, even the most environmentally focused of us, have not heard before. And it’s not what you might think. It is not a marketing or public relations effort. It is a program backed by private and government mortgage programs designed to help you make your home more energy efficient.

Green, or “Energy efficient” mortgages, let you borrow extra money to pay for energy efficient upgrades to your current home or a new or old home that you plan to buy. The result is a more environmentally friendly living space that uses fewer resources for heating and cooling and has dramatically lower utility costs. The types of things that are covered include upgrades that you may have thought you couldn’t afford like double paned windows, tankless water heaters, modern HVAC systems, and new insulation.

At this time, Energy Efficient Mortgages aren’t second mortgages. Though they are created separately from your primary mortgage, they are ultimately rolled into your primary mortgage—so you only make only one payment per month. Download the guide from www.mortgageloan.com/environment/

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Need HR support?

The Cranfield Trust is a nationally respected charity providing free management consultancy for charities and social enterprise groups involved in issues of poverty, disability or social exclusion. Highly skilled managers from the commercial sector act as Trust volunteers throughout the country. Volunteers donate their time and expertise to support the voluntary sector, providing advice and mentoring on a wide range of issues to improve management effectiveness, such as:

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Get better connected in 2011

The voluntary sector underwent many changes in 2010 and there are likely to be more challenges in the year ahead, not least responding to the Big Society and delivering public services.

In the current issue of Improving Support Magazine (The Big Society: Turning the concept into a reality, pages 8-9) Julie Wilkes, Chief Executive at Skills - Third Sector, talks about the importance of skilled support and advice for the voluntary sector in order to respond to these challenges. And the need for a central ‘bank’ of resources and best practice to ensure that support is smarter and more accessible in the years to come.

www.improvingsupport.org.uk , the online community for the voluntary sector, contains a range of top rated guides and toolkits to help you in the year ahead. One such resource, highly rated by members of the site, is ‘Approaches to Negotiation and Relationship Building’ by the Association for Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO).

Become a member of www.improvingsupport.org.uk to share, connect and learn with other people in the voluntary sector.

For regular updates you can also:
Follow: www.twitter.com/ImproveSupport
Join: www.Facebook.com/ImproveSupport 

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