How your charity can be donation ready

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This winter we are encouraging people to ‘Donate Local’, supporting the charities and community projects in their area that they can really connect with. Covid-19 might have temporarily limited in-person fundraising or events, but it doesn’t mean all is lost.

Following on from our blog earlier this year on making virtual fundraising a reality, here are some tips to help you gather more online donations:

  • Make sure people know about you: This may seem obvious, but the more you can make your presence known the better. Do you ever get mentioned in local newsletters or have posters on noticeboards? Do you encourage your known supporters or people you work with to tell people about you? Do you have a website or are you on social media and interacting with the groups for your area? We will have some social media training in the new year to help with this, keep an eye on our events calendar and enews for dates.
  • Register on a community directory: North Yorkshire Connect is a free database for voluntary and community groups in North Yorkshire to register themselves and their activities, making it easy for people searching for things to do to find them. If you are based outside of North Yorkshire you can find directories in South and West Yorkshire, such as Rotherham Connect to Support, Live Well Barnsley and the Sheffield Directory.
  • Register on online donation platforms: Local Giving, Just Giving and Virgin Money are donation platforms where you can register your charity for people to choose to donate or fundraise for you. However, each one has different conditions in terms of commission taken and if you have to pay a monthly fee to be registered, so it’s worth seeing which one suits you best.
  • Sign up to online shopping sites: Amazon Smile and Easy Fundraising are online shopping portals where people can access their regular sites through these, and their nominated charity receives money for every pound spent, without it costing the purchaser or the charity anything! They are free to sign up to and when you do they will email you a link or some wording that you can share with your networks to promote yourselves.
  • Other digital sources: If you have a website you can have a clear call to action on there with how people can donate to you, it may be though an external online site like those above, or you may have a function built into yours. It may be that you promote legacy giving to your charity, or ask people to donate in another way, but if it’s not clear on your website, people won’t know! Charity Digital also has this handy guide to donations via social media channels.
  • Keep it going: Continue to let people know about the impact donations have on your work, whether that’s through letters or emails to known supporters, phoning into local radio shows if they are covering a relevant topic, or shouting about it on social media.

You can also find useful resources on fundraising and finances on our Community Gateway.

If you are happy to share the impact donations have on your organisation and the difference they can make, please contact us.

Disagreements in Sheds

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Sometimes there are disagreements in Men’s Sheds between members and between members of the management committee.

The first thing I want to say is that this is not uncommon, as people are often passionate about their Shed, probably because it means so much to them.

Sometimes disagreements occur about the direction a Shed is going or other matters such as health and safety. With people bringing different experience of the world of work or past experience to the Shed.

If these disagreements occur, don’t feel it’s unusual or that you have failed. In a way it’s all part of the group development process of:  Storming, Norming and Performing.

The key is that above process is given time and not rushed so that people have their views and ideas heard and acknowledged. A phrase I have used is that sometimes people need a “Good Listening to”. The difficulty is that others may be in a hurry or used to taking a more dictatorial approach, which means that people may feel they are being discounted or even ganged up on.

In my view, it’s actually sometimes good in the development of a new shed that it takes time to find suitable premises and apply for charitable status.  This gives the time for members of the shed development group to get to know each other and work out what the shed is all about; without the encumbrance of actually managing the shed on a day to day basis.

The other point to bear in mind is the process of disagreement and resolution is actually both circular and linear, i.e. there will be new experiences to work through, learn from in the future and each experience will deepen and strengthen the team and the process is a bit like a coil spring with coils both going round and along at the same time.

Experiencing a disagreement, talking about it, learning from it, and moving forward.

There is a danger that if people don’t feel they are being “listened to and acknowledged” that the process will get stuck, the emotional temperature will rise and may boil over and there may be heated arguments with accusations made and people walking out.

If this does occur everyone will be a loser, both the shed and the people or person who has left.

Sometimes, it seems even the slightest thing can cause someone to react in a way which seems out of proportion to what has occurred.  In these situations, it’s probably due to some baggage the person is carrying with them. Some past hurt or trauma that has left a wound. Which means that when something similar occurs this can trigger the feelings they experienced the first time around.

For example, this could have been being bulled in the workplace, or as a child, experiencing a traumatic event or witnessing something like an accident at work or in the armed services or abandonment.

What is important is that the person is listened to, supported and not to be made feel bad about what’s happened, as this may have a further negative impact on their mental health. It may in fact be appropriate to sign post them to mental health support through their G.P. or other health professional.

However, certain behaviour isn’t acceptable and it’s useful to have a Code of Conduct clearly displayed so shed members are aware of what is expected of them.

In conclusion it’s worth remembering that disagreements will occur for a whole variety of reasons, some of which may be totally unconnected to the shed.  It’s important to remember that no one is perfect, but we can all show respect for each other.  Making sure we listen carefully to one other and give the process of developing and running a shed the time and space it needs keeping everyone on board and so people don’t feel they have to leave or leave others behind.

Voices of North Yorkshire: Miranda

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My husband and I were posted to North Yorkshire from Germany in July, 2014, both of us very eager to be coming home to the UK. I will never forget cresting the hill and seeing Richmond for the first time; it was so beautiful I cried, and I embraced Richmond and its surrounds as home ever since.

We settled in and made a circle of friends with the structures in place for the military community, especially our padre and the Wives’ choir. Then, our world changed dramatically when I became pregnant for the first time and we discovered we were expecting twins.

Our children were born in April, 2016. I had to leave work as the cost of childcare for two exceeded my wage, and the needs of the army had not changed; my husband was away more than he was home for the first 3 years of our children’s lives. This left me alone, at one point for a year, without any family support and not driving. I felt completely isolated and fell into depression.

As a military spouse one often hears, “You knew what you signed up for”, which is perhaps the least helpful thing that can be said to us. It is also untrue in several ways: you can’t know until you’ve lived it, and as spouses, we didn’t sign up for anything. The world expects us to carry on with little understanding of the very real toll the lifestyle takes on our mental health and overall wellbeing. I tried my best to help myself: I went to coffee mornings and play groups. I contacted Homestart. I made myself known to our Unit Welfare Officer. Many of my previous friendships fell away and new friendships with other new mums just didn’t materialise.

For 21 hours a day, I was at home, alone, with two babies depending on me. I went from house proud to embarrassed to let people in, as I hadn’t dusted in weeks. I wanted help but couldn’t ask for it; it felt too wrong to ask recently-made friends to clean or watch the babies while I napped or showered, as I would have done with close friends or family. Without a vehicle, getting out and about with the children was nearly impossible. If I couldn’t get there on foot pushing a double pram, I didn’t go. The walls were closing in around me, changing into prison bars. I “emptied my cup” pouring out for my children, and there was nothing left for me. I was desperately lonely: for my husband as well as the close friendships I lost in the move to Yorkshire and in having the children. It felt like there was nobody I could rely on. For the first time in years, I relapsed into my eating disorder. It has taken two years to emerge from that relapse and inch back towards recovery.

When the first lockdown was announced, I felt dread I had never known before. The last time I was trapped in the house with my children nearly broke me, and the prospect of going back into that prison was my deepest fear. I didn’t want to let my family or myself down; I wanted to be strong and resilient as the whole nation is in this boat together, but I didn’t see how I would manage any better. People aren’t made to be alone.

As of this morning, my husband is abroad in the service of our nation, and I am once again under lockdown, in sole care of our young children with no family support. If they were not in school, I don’t know how I would manage this next month. So much of being a happy, whole person comes from our connections with other people, from hugs with our family and close friends to the people we chat to at work and sharing a glance with a stranger in a shop or on a bus. Now, being locked away in our homes as much as possible and with faces covered in public, it’s harder and harder to connect with other people. Mental health isn’t something that can be fixed once and then ignored, it is ongoing maintenance of mind and spirit that needs steady attention. The longer isolation goes on, the worse off we’ll all be. I just hope that I come through it in one piece.

To hear more stories about loneliness from the Voices of North Yorkshire, see here.

Stronger Together – how to build connected communities

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Living somewhere with a strong sense of community is of great importance to people in North Yorkshire; however, developing neighbourhoods that are resilient, cohesive and sustainable is not always easy. It can be difficult to start those small, local conversations and once started, will anyone else see the vision?

That is why, as part of The Loneliness Campaign, we have brought a collection of free online resources together in the Stronger Together toolkit, to help and support communities, parishes, villages and neighbourhoods think about their own settings, and to encourage those wider conversations and social actions. We want all residents in North Yorkshire to have the opportunity to engage with neighbours, build stronger connecting networks and create more sustainable communities.

Divided into four sections, the resources are free to access and can be shared with others within your community, neighbourhood or organisation. There is a section for use by parish councils, local neighbourhood and action groups, and anyone with a local interest in making their community better. There is also a section specifically for professionals, where community projects are required as part of wider work or there are larger funding requirements. The final two sections go into further detail on two types of approaches for tackling loneliness within communities – Making Every Contact Count and Asset-Based Community Development.

As part of the communities section, you can either download or request a hard copy from the office of the new Building Connected Communities poster.  Designed to offer some ideas and starting points, it brings together a range of ideas for local action to create connected communities. It ranges from the simple such as ‘Stop to talk’, to the more complex ‘Start a free fridge’!

Wouldn’t it would be great if, once we are able to come together again, communities across North Yorkshire, brought their sharpies out and scribbled their own ideas, commitments and notes all over it and worked towards communities which were Stronger Together!

If you have more ideas to share let us know!

Your voluntary and community sector needs a Trustee like you!

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Communities are coming together to face challenges of the day

Over the last few months we have seen the power of people coming together to volunteer and support their communities. Many of these volunteers have been co-ordinated by charities and organisations who have rapidly adapted and developed new services to help in this seemingly ever changing world.

Trustees – volunteer leaders from all walks of life

Behind the scenes of many of these organisations have been the trustees – also known as board or committee members, directors or governors.  Trustees are those volunteers who lead these organisations, decide how they are run and make sure a charity is doing what it was set up to do.

Trustees come from all walks of life, backgrounds and life stages.  Some have roles needing specific skills, such as experience of senior management, finance or HR and increasingly digital. Others have roles requiring lived experience, enthusiasm and drive. Time commitments vary depending on an organisation’s size and activities.  In smaller charities involvement is more likely to be hands on, in larger organisations the role may involve more support and liaison with the staff team.

The difference you can make as a trustee

Being a trustee offers a unique opportunity to support a cause from the inside, to develop or enhance leadership skills, to use or develop professional/managerial/business skills and experience all while contributing ideas and knowledge to make a difference to an organisation and in turn the community it serves.

But don’t just take our word for it. Visit our YouTube channel and watch our playlist ‘Why be a trustee?’. Please note these pieces were filmed pre covid.

How can you get involved as a trustee?

If you’re interested in finding out more about what’s involved take a look at our information sheet on What Do Trustees Do?

Ahead of this Year’s Trustees Week (2 – 6 November) a wealth of new resources with further information about what’s involved in being a Trustee are also becoming available including this new book by Directory of Social Change How to Become a Charity Trustee  and a new guide with the same name from Getting on Board.

North Yorkshire needs trustees – could you be one of them?

Search for volunteering roles on the NCVO (the National Council for Volunteering Organisation) website. There are links to multiple volunteering websites from organisations such as Vinspired, and Volunteering Matters.

Local government reorganisation: what might it all mean?

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There has been much talk recently about devolution and local government reorganisation, but what do these phrases mean and how might they impact on the residents, charities and community groups in North Yorkshire.

What is changing and why?

At the moment all major decisions about what happens across the country are made in London by central government. Devolution is the transfer of certain powers and funding away from London and given to local governments so decisions are made closer to the people, businesses and communities they serve. According to the Local Government Association, devolution provides increased flexibility and freedom for councils to more effectively improve public services for their local area.

The central government has indicated that in order for devolution to North Yorkshire to happen, the current two-tier system of a county council, seven district and borough councils and the City of York Council need to be simplified and turned into one new combined authority (a partnership of local authorities).

North Yorkshire County Council is submitting one proposed model and the district and borough councils are submitting another. City of York Council states on its website it wishes to remain a unitary council. Central government will make the final decision.

The proposed models

District and borough model

The seven district and borough councils are proposing two councils; dividing North Yorkshire into East and West.

West would incorporate Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton.

East would incorporate Selby, York, Ryedale and Scarborough.

They say the main benefits of this model are:

  • The two new councils would be large enough for efficiency but small enough to keep connected to the communities
  • The model would give two unitary authorities with similar population size to ensure parity of influence in the combined authority
  • Savings of £33m – £56m
  • Greater alignment with transport infrastructure driving economic growth along the A1 (M) and A64 corridors
  • Ensures strong local leadership and democratic representation
  • Unlocks the potential of York, allowing it to address key challenges around housing delivery, capacity and improvement of children’s services

North Yorkshire County Council model

North Yorkshire County Council is putting forward a proposal to have a single council for North Yorkshire incorporating Harrogate, Craven, Ryedale, Scarborough, Richmondshire, Hambleton and Selby, with the existing separate smaller City of York Council staying as it is.

They say the main benefits of this model are:

  • Strengthen the county’s voice at national level, being able to compete with similar size combined authorities such as Sheffield, Leeds and Durham
  • Saving in excess of £25m
  • Working collaboratively on common issues affecting the whole county, e.g. rural, market towns, tourism
  • Won’t split up outstanding high-performing services such as children’s services
  • A “double devolution” offer to parish and town councils and communities – offering flexible opportunities to run services and assets currently managed by the county and district councils
  • Provide a single point of contact for people, voluntary and community organisations and businesses, replacing complex partnership arrangements

Both models propose savings in senior management and back office costs and say they won’t come from front-line delivery services.

What happens next and how to find out more

The proposals will be submitted to central government on receipt of a formal invitation to do so. The new structure is expected to be in place in spring 2022.

To see more information and keep updated with timelines and consultation opportunities visit their websites:

North Yorkshire County Council: Stronger Together

District and boroughs: Get Change Right

Making virtual fundraising a reality

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Not being able to meet in real life has put paid too many planned fundraising activities. So could now be the time to go digital and get to grips with virtual fundraising? Perhaps more than ever fundraising is not just about generating funds, it is also about raising awareness for a cause #nevermoreneeded.

Virtual fundraising is an opportunity for organisations to think about how they can diversify and strengthen their fundraising approach. Already growing in popularity, it is no exaggeration to say that there are hundreds of virtual fundraising ideas out there. This blog will highlight some of the different ways you can fundraise virtually, with real life examples for inspiration.

As virtual fundraising has become more popular it means there are already lots of tools, sites and resources to support you. Links are provided at the end of this blog to help you with the technicalities of delivering virtual events, as considerations will be different depending on the type of event or challenge you choose.

Virtual fundraising has many positives

Flexibility – fundraising virtually allows people to participate how, when and where they want – it gives them the flexibility to decide what to do, when and how to raise money.
Engagement – it can also increase the number of people who – through viewing shared and streamed fundraising events, activities and updates online – become aware, involved or engaged with a charity. It is also easier to see, link to and promote online donations.
Delivery – virtual fundraising can save time and be easier, while there are still considerations around aspects such as online safety and public perception, it does remove all the logistics of organising a big in-person event, which can take months to organise, plan and deliver.

Types of virtual fundraising

There are three ways to approach virtual fundraising.

Host a set, timed event that people access through their phones, laptops, tablets etc. Everyone does the same thing at the same time but with the freedom to do so from wherever they choose. Depending on the nature of the event people can either; purchase a ticket, make a donation or be sponsored to take part. Hosted event formats can work well for coffee mornings, auctions, talks, storytelling, tutorials or classes, bake-offs, fancy dress, performances or gigs, movie nights, quizzes or bingo, virtual club nights with shared streamed playlists or videos and prizes for best outfit or funkiest moves! Hosted or set timed events can also work for fitness events, like running or cycling. You could even consider setting up an event so that people can log their progress through a fitness tracking app or website. It doesn’t have to be just running either – you could consider some old school sports day type challenges such as laps of the garden with an egg and spoon or sack racing in pillow cases. Again people can either donate to take part, raise sponsorship or ask people to track them online and donate whilst they are completing an event or challenge.

Open fundraising events or challenges, fitness challenges or events do not however have to be done in one go. You may all decide to start or even finish at the same time, similar to a hosted event, but individuals could complete the challenge over hours, days or even weeks. Which leads into the second way to virtually fundraise, with people doing similar things over a period of time; a day, week or month but choosing when exactly within that time frame to complete their challenge.

The British Heart foundation my marathon has, for a number of years, hosted a ‘run a marathon your way’ event every February to raise funds. The idea being that you run the equivalent of a marathon but over a month. During lockdown on the weekend that the London Marathon was due to be held the idea was that people should do something that involved 2.6. It could be running but it could also be knitting 2.6 meters of bunting or baking and selling 2.6 or 26.2 cakes to raise funds – not sure what happens with the 0.2 of a cake?! The Red Cross have recently launched an online campaign asking people to choose one of a host of different challenges to raise funds for refugees, giving people even more flexibility in what they do.

It does not have to be only fitness activities. The popular monthly ‘stop or start’ events also involve people doing the same thing but in their own way. Perhaps the most well-known is Movember which promotes and raises funds for mens health charities. Cancer research’s Month off March is another event that offers lots of flexibility where people can choose to do one thing together, but again in their own time.

Go your own way, the third way to think about virtual fundraising is to give people complete flexibility; allow them to design their own events or challenges. You’ll also find out what the people who support you like and what they are interested in. A football mad 10 year old girl is raising money to support the NHS and key workers by doing keepy uppies. One that is completely new to me is ‘twitching’ – people donate or pay to watch a streamed video of someone playing an online video game, it can apparently be a real money spinner. The benefit of this type of fundraising is that it allows your supporters to do more of the things that already interest them adapting how and when they do them to raise money.

Planning your event

Decide what to do by getting online and researching to see what others are doing. All of the event ideas listed in this piece are web linked to real life examples for inspiration. Some may be a little aspirational at a smaller local level, but many of the ideas could be scaled down and given a local twist.

You may also want to consider following some dedicated fundraising blogs, not only will you get ideas for what to do but they will also share tips on best practice and safety.

Here are some suggestions to get you started;

Fundraising.co.uk – they do the hard work for you and have put together a blog which pulls together all the best fundraising news, ideas and inspiration from professional fundraisers across the UK.
Institute of fundraising blog – the go to place for everything fundraising related. They cover important legal, finance or health and safety considerations.
Charity digital – top ten virtual fundraising ideas.
101 fundraising – a crowdsourced blog on fundraising from across the world.
Fundly – a blog focusing on fundraising ideas with a sporty theme.
Mind UK – an overview of different virtual fundraising ideas from a charity’s perspective.
JustGiving – lots of great fundraising blog ideas.

Once you have decided what you want to do, continue planning your virtual event in the same way you would a normal fundraising event. However, virtual fundraising will require careful consideration particularly in relation to your social media and how your event or challenge will be marketed before, during and after your event.

‘Setting up for success’ virtual fundraising 101 this guide from BlackBaud takes you step by step through all the stages of planning and running a virtual event.

Community First Yorkshire have a dedicated marketing resource section on our website that covers using different social media platforms. There is also a dedicated section for fundraising resources.

Further support and information

Please contact info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or call on 01904 704177.

Shared leadership: lockdown lessons from the learning club

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Louise Ennis (Community First Yorkshire) and Catherine Oakley (The Rowntree Society) are co-facilitators of the North Yorkshire learning club, launched by Community First Yorkshire and the Open University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership to provide opportunities for sector employees to develop energetic, practical and thoughtful leadership practice.

In the last in their series of blogs they share their experience of participating in a peer learning network during the pandemic, and insights into leadership practice going forward.

What will Leadership look like in the voluntary sector post-Covid-19?

Catherine: Back in the first week of the course we covered the difference between a ‘managerial’ approach and a ‘leadership’ approach in organisations. The managerial approach works through processes, and systems and policies to try and ensure that people and organisations work effectively. A leadership approach aims to open things up and unsettle existing practices and assumptions.

I think the Covid-19 pandemic is forcing lots of organisations in the voluntary sector into managerial mode out of necessity because things are so pressured right now as the sector responds. But in the medium-to-long term, leadership practice that is shared, collaborative and democratic will be so important in navigating the complex consequences of the pandemic. It’s important that we create time and space for this.

Louise: We’ve seen the voluntary and community sector step up to respond to the pandemic crisis, delivering vital services to the isolated and vulnerable in our communities and becoming a channel for public and private sectors to provide financial and volunteer support where it is needed most.

It’s clear that smaller, leaner, flatter charities and voluntary organisations, with less layers of hierarchy, more frontline contact, and devolved decision making are better placed to respond more quickly and are taking a lead.

The heroic single leader, bogged down in multiple decisions and task delegation, would cause blockages and take longer to respond and act. In a crisis situation, an empowered team or network of leaders, able to consult, reflect and problem-solve, and cover each other as needed, is far more effective – think of geese flying in formation, taking it in turn to take the lead as others get tired.

Another important lesson from the lockdown is how perceptions about the charity sector may change. Even within our organisations we can have different perceptions of the value of volunteers versus paid employees. The Covid-19 response has been volunteer-led and that demonstrates how fundamental both types of role are to how we operate.

Catherine: We talked about approaching volunteering as a type of collaboration in the learning club a couple of weeks ago. It can be easy to lose sight of the needs of your volunteers when you’re in crisis mode. But we agreed that reaffirming those needs on all sides explicitly was still important. Are we checking in as regularly as we can with volunteers to see whether their needs are being met, or whether they have changed?

Louise: I think the course and our learning club meetings have really highlighted the need for us to question any unconscious bias so that staff, volunteers and the people our organisations support are all equally valued and consulted.

 

How has social distancing affected peer learning?

Louise: We all agree we’ve got so much out of the online course, but the peer sharing has been equally rewarding. I think that holding our sessions face-to-face was more informal and energising, but the online interaction has been more convenient for people. There’s probably room for a combination of both going forward, and we’ve been sharing links and ideas in the club Whatsapp group as well as on the OU discussion forum too.

Catherine: I’m quite new to the sector, and I’ve loved meeting and hearing from other people working locally and regionally. We all work for different kinds of voluntary organisations but there’s a sense of common values and shared interests.

It has been a relief to have an hour or so each week just to take a step back from things, check in with everyone, and have these broader conversations. We’ve had to be relaxed about how we approach the sessions since lockdown. Some people have been completing the online module quite rigorously. Others are focusing on the learning club meetings online as a place to have some focused conversations, listen to new perspectives, and just stay in touch with people.

Louise: Leading meetings from our homes during the Covid-19 lockdown, with interruptions from kids and pets, has brought a more human side to the workplace, which is more real, more open and builds on our common experience as people, not colleagues.

Catherine: I love the interruptions. They are just lovely informal moments of shared vulnerability that bring people together.

You can watch the video of the full discussion with Louise and Catherine here.

For more leadership support visit our Community Gateway.

 

Navigating challenging times for North Yorkshire charities and social businesses

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Mark Hopley, Head of Community Support North Yorkshire, highlights the greatest challenge facing charities and social enterprises at this time.

There are over 5,000 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups and organisations across North Yorkshire, with both a paid and volunteer workforce. An integral part of Community First Yorkshire, our Community Support North Yorkshire service provides capacity and capability support for civil society organisations of all shapes and sizes across the county.

During the current Covid-19 pandemic the VCSE sector has made a significant difference locally and nationally in supporting the community through difficult times, from keeping communities connected to delivering frontline services.

Our recent VCSE Resilience Survey demonstrated that 41% of North Yorkshire organisations do not anticipate being able to continue beyond October 2020. The predominant factor is funding. Many organisations are currently facing the perfect storm of reduced income at a time when the demands for their services are at an all-time high and in many instances this is not diminishing.

Charity trustees and directors of social businesses as the key decision makers have been able to access short-term funding from a combination of Community Foundations, the National Lottery Fund and Small Business Discretionary Grants.  In many cases this will not be enough, organisations will continue to reduce costs whilst trying to fundraise in a fierce and very competitive external environment.

If you are a charity trustee, director or senior manager and your not for private profit organisation is struggling financially, then I advise you to speak in confidence with a member of the Community Support North Yorkshire team who will listen to your story and help connect you with support that’s bespoke to your needs.

However, the earlier you make contact the better as the number of support options available can diminish the longer you leave it.  So if you are beginning to find cash flow a challenge or if you are anticipating struggling paying bills as they fall due, then now is the time to make that call.  You can contact us either via communitysupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or by calling our office 01904 704177.  If you need to leave a message someone will return your call as soon as possible.

You can visit our Community Gateway to see the training, events and suite of resources that you may find useful to support and develop your organisation at this time.

Funded by North Yorkshire County Council and NHS North Yorkshire, we have a vision of a capable, collaborative, diverse and influential civil society across North Yorkshire supporting resilient, resourceful and confident communities where co-produced solutions enable people of all ages to be healthier, independent and able to fulfil their ambitions.

Facing Elephants in the Room: Collaboration Lessons from the Learning Club

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Louise Ennis (Community First Yorkshire, pictured above centre with leaders from the Open University) and Catherine Oakley (The Rowntree Society) are co-facilitators of the North Yorkshire learning club, launched by Community First Yorkshire and the Open University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership to provide opportunities for sector employees to develop energetic, practical and thoughtful leadership practice.

Here they share insights from the group’s learning around the OU’s free Collaborative Leadership online course.

 

What are your experiences of the challenges and opportunities of collaborative leadership?

Louise: We all agree that collaboration is the way forward for sustaining the voluntary sector given reduced resources and ever increasing demand. But it’s not always easy to know how to lead collaboratively.

A particular issue is the way that our services are commissioned by the public sector and funders. That process makes organisations who could collaborate into competitors, less likely to share, join forces, and less able to offer complementary solutions and services.

Collaborating brings so many benefits – greater voice and influence, greater share of funds and resources, and more joined up, holistic services for the communities we serve. But we need to know how to collaborate, and that’s where a shared leadership practice can really help.

Catherine: I remember thinking about the challenges of collaborating in my course activity. Time, obviously is one: identifying, building and maintaining collaborations is a big commitment and it requires a lot of energy. I’m the only employee in our organisation so our resources are limited.

Some practical advice from the online course was to ‘think about where the greatest early promise lies and go with this’. Also to ‘focus your attention on people with the power to enable or block the growth of the organisation’. Both are about being selective and strategic.

There’s an issue around ensuring that expectations on all sides are understood from the start of a collaboration. When collaborations emerge informally, there can be tough conversations when obstacles arise or circumstances change for one partner. And what can we learn from ‘failed collaborations’? Which partnerships didn’t go well and why? Would we have done anything differently?

Louise: The key to success is to agree expectations upfront and not be afraid to work through elephants in the room – that’s how things get sorted and progress is made. Striving for harmony won’t result in action or enable everyone to have a voice. Those thorny make or break issues are the ones that count and need to be openly discussed, and considering a range of viewpoints is the way to solve them.

 

Why should we collaborate with other sectors?

Catherine: For a small heritage organisation like ours, working collaboratively ensures that we can reach more people and extend the impact of our work. It also helps us build a cross-sector community of individuals, groups and organisations who can approach projects and problems in distinctive ways we wouldn’t otherwise have considered.

Louise: That’s so true. Our discussions in the club have shown that it’s much more effective to seek a range of collaborators – don’t just go to those people who think like you. Also ask volunteers for example, or funders as well as beneficiaries.

There is a clear opportunity for leaders to collaborate outside the sector by bridging cultures and challenging perceptions – such as that the private sector is all about profit, or that the voluntary sector is a bunch of well-meaning amateurs doing good work. Being open to wider perspectives and building trust and understanding creates a real opportunity for us to put the beneficiaries first and come up with solutions for our communities together.

I see the boundaries between work and volunteering becoming increasingly blurred – the CEO of a company may also be a trustee or have a CSR strategy and lots of employees carry out employee volunteering programmes in the workplace or deliver voluntary services in their own time. Just look at the Covid-19 response networks springing up across the UK, many manned by new volunteers sharing their professional skills.

The bottom line is that we all care about where we live and work, whatever sector we work in, and by taking a more collaborative approach, leaders can give all of us a voice and a way to contribute.

Catherine: I really believe that our colleagues right across the voluntary sector would benefit from getting together in a safe space to build relationships and explore collaborative leadership together, just as we have. There’s so much common experience to share – because it’s not just for senior leaders, it’s for everyone.

 

You can watch the video of the full discussion with Louise and Catherine here.

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