Wednesday, 25 July 2007

IiP Today

I arrived at the office early to finalise and distribute Watford CVS News. All around the country, hundreds of CVS produce local newsletters distributing information never covered in any other publication. For Watford, this will be issue 128 of a newsletter published approximately quarterly since 1974. Since issue 127 it has been an e-mailed newsletter. Someone should write a social history before they all get turned into e-mails.

After finalising the text and layout, I had to check the e-mail list. We are still “between databases” for mailing and so lists are a little unreliable: I merged two lists together, removed duplicates, deleted people who had requested paper copies of the newsletter (or no copy at all in one or two cases), told people how to “unsubscribe” and issued the e-mail to c 500 recipients just before 10:00 am.

Almost as I clicked on the Send button, our IiP assessor arrived; a delightful lady called Angela fully recovered from her tribulations of last week.

I spent some time talking with Angela and then left her to her schedule of meetings with other staff, volunteers and trustees. With all the other distractions of the past month or so, I have barely had time to do any special preparation for the IiP assessment. So Angela is seeing Watford CVS “in its natural state”. I know that Watford CVS is a healthy and well-run organisation, but will this be enough to meet the IiP standard?

While Angela began her cycle of meetings, I spent some time with Sha-Lee working on the format for our soon-to-be-published Community Directory and tidying up our maillists. At lunchtime I had a meeting with the Muslim Awareness Forum on a number of issues. Then I looked hard at Microsoft’s Customer Relationship Manager software.

Then I had some calls about Watford Borough Council’s use “section 106” agreements to secure community gain on planning applications. Most voluntary groups can’t easily raise funds for capital spend. So in practical terms “community use” often means “use by a Christian group for private worship”. This can produce some unsavoury results with property development companies making overtures to religious groups (of varying degrees of respectability), and religious groups randomly approaching community groups like time-share salesmen with seductive offers of free accommodation that must be signed up for within 72 hours. It is of course utter madness and something must be done urgently to rationalise this system.

IiP IiP Hooray!

Around 5:00 I had a feedback meeting with Angela. In time honoured fashion, I was prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. I was delighted to hear that Angela felt Watford CVS did meet the Investors in People standard.

There are still more processes to go through (a formal report from Angela and a formal review of her recommendation) but this was excellent news.

By the time Angela had finished with her feedback, it was after 5:30 and only Helen (Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) and Vanessa (Development and Training Officer) were still around to share the good news.

As I am out of the office tomorrow, I wrote an e-mail telling staff and trustees the outcome and thanking them etc. When I read back the e-mail it seemed rather pompous and smug. Perhaps that’s how these things have to sound?

A recovery?

At home, Jackie claims to be fully recovered and says she will go into work tomorrow. I know she isn’t fully recovered - but she is determined.