This was my last day in the office before heading off for the annual NAVCA Chief Officers’ Residential Event at Buxton.
I spent most of the morning talking with Hema Devlukia about our BME Advocacy Service. At 2:00 pm I went to the local Police Station for a meeting of the “Strategic Board” of the local Sunflower Centre. Having spent two years gradually getting to grips with the voluntary sector, newly proposed county-wide DV structures seem to completely exclude voluntary representation. Some mistake surely?
I will of course be accompanied to Buxton by Jackie – I wouldn’t want to be apart from her for a whole night, never mind two. I notice that the Institute of Fundraising has a National Convention and that the NCVO has an Annual Gathering. Yet we in the CVSs have to make do with a mere "event" that barely merits a capital e. Ho hum.
Sunday, 27 April 2008
After yesterday’s beautiful sunshine, today there were April showers and Jackie and I drove over to Shaw’s Corner. How magnificent Hertfordshire’s woodlands looked glistening with spring rain and with the silky bluebell veneer floating six inches off the ground – a stunning sight.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Enjoying the warm sunshine, Jackie and I drove to Cambridge to visit the Galloway and Porter warehouse book sale as promoted by Andrew Cogan at COVER. Laden with twenty-eight new books, we stopped off on the return journey for lunch at The Cabinet in Reed. We remembered visiting the pub together back in the 1970s when the "regulars" included many farm labourers. Structurally it has barely changed, but it is now more of a restaurant than a pub. We ate in the garden and it was so relaxing. The weather was perfect and we abandoned plans to visit the Round the Block quilting exhibition in Watford and decided instead to spend the afternoon in the garden.
Friday, 25 April 2008
Pam Handley arrived prompt as ever for our monthly supervision meeting. We covered lots of ground ahead of next month’s trustees meeting.
My big task for the day was to review the year-end procedure for our accounts, check everything through one last time, and forward a copy of our accounts file to our auditors. Thanks to Maria’s sterling work through the year, this proved relatively easy and I managed to send off the file and leave for home about 6:00 pm.
This left me the weekend to revisit our Job Evaluation scheme, and then next week to address our NAVCA quality assurance application. With perfect timing, Andrea Allez of NAVCA mailed me at 5:38 to remind me that our NAVCA quality assurance submission is still outstanding.
My big task for the day was to review the year-end procedure for our accounts, check everything through one last time, and forward a copy of our accounts file to our auditors. Thanks to Maria’s sterling work through the year, this proved relatively easy and I managed to send off the file and leave for home about 6:00 pm.
This left me the weekend to revisit our Job Evaluation scheme, and then next week to address our NAVCA quality assurance application. With perfect timing, Andrea Allez of NAVCA mailed me at 5:38 to remind me that our NAVCA quality assurance submission is still outstanding.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
This morning I met with the delightful Sarah Pinnock of Watford Borough Council. We had a vast amount to catch up on including the future funding of certain groups, the future of Watford’s Community Centres, the Community Development Network, WCVS’s accommodation, Watford Compact, Community buildings, Grassroots Grants, our ICT project and quality assurance strategies. It was a fairly intense two hours, but thoroughly worthwhile.
I later had a meeting with Louise Jones of Connexions on our Aim Higher contract.
But most of the day, and into the evening, I spent catching up on e-mails. Does this technology really offer a more efficient way of working? It strikes me that communication is sometimes a bit too easy and that people will sometimes communicate things that are best kept to themselves. Even after screening my e-mail, I still had nearly 100 e-mails that needed a response from me. By 10:00 pm I had reduced this to about 20 outstanding e-mails.
I later had a meeting with Louise Jones of Connexions on our Aim Higher contract.
But most of the day, and into the evening, I spent catching up on e-mails. Does this technology really offer a more efficient way of working? It strikes me that communication is sometimes a bit too easy and that people will sometimes communicate things that are best kept to themselves. Even after screening my e-mail, I still had nearly 100 e-mails that needed a response from me. By 10:00 pm I had reduced this to about 20 outstanding e-mails.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
I have celebrated St George’s Day with a rare day completely free of meetings.
Released to my own devices, I wrote up a note of last night’s Arts meeting, checked the minutes of yesterday’s HIC meeting, arranged a visit to Watford Asian Community Care, sorted out some IT plans, began planning the forthcoming Herts Compact meeting, issued invitations to the launch of the Community Development Network, advised a group on quality assurance models, and began framing a discussion note on investing LAA reward monies. I also made serious headway on catching up with correspondence.
Released to my own devices, I wrote up a note of last night’s Arts meeting, checked the minutes of yesterday’s HIC meeting, arranged a visit to Watford Asian Community Care, sorted out some IT plans, began planning the forthcoming Herts Compact meeting, issued invitations to the launch of the Community Development Network, advised a group on quality assurance models, and began framing a discussion note on investing LAA reward monies. I also made serious headway on catching up with correspondence.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
I left Welwyn Garden City at 6:30 am for a breakfast meeting of the Watford Chamber of Commerce and the launch of Watford for you - the campaign to promote Watford as a successful community. This all looks good and hearty congratulations are due to Jenny Tomley of John Lewis for pulling it all together.
At sixes and sevens
By 9:00 am I was back on the road heading to Stevenage to chair a meeting of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium. The main discussion was on the Hertfordshire Local Area Agreement. The question was, should the Consortium champion National Indicator 6 ("increased participation in volunteering”) or National Indicator 7 ("creating an environment for a thriving third sector”)?
It was a long (and at times rather intense) debate. Several contributors felt that there is an ongoing programme to promote volunteering in Hertfordshire and the baseline survey results for volunteering are well understood and so we ought to focus on National Indicator 6. Others felt that the Consortium was first and foremost concerned with creating the right environment for a thriving third sector, and so we ought to champion National Indicator 7 as a point of principle.
Eventually, National Indicator 7 won the day and majority support. But the final decision will be taken by the LAA itself. We all know that Ann Jansz will argue the voluntary sector’s corner – and we all recognise that this may require several marks in the sand, a bit of give and take and perhaps some trading of horses. Good luck Ann.
I also confirmed at the meeting that I was standing down as Chair and that the June meeting of the Consortium will be my last as Chair. I have “done my bit” and it is time for someone new to have a crack at things.
By lunchtime, I was on my way back to Watford, where I spent the afternoon catching up on correspondence, organising meetings, and talking with various staff about their work priorities.
In the evening, we hosted a meeting to try and launch a Community Arts Forum for Watford. It was a quiet affair with only five of us present. I had expected more. But there was commitment to a further meeting and I am confident that things will pick up: there is so much to do!
At sixes and sevens
By 9:00 am I was back on the road heading to Stevenage to chair a meeting of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium. The main discussion was on the Hertfordshire Local Area Agreement. The question was, should the Consortium champion National Indicator 6 ("increased participation in volunteering”) or National Indicator 7 ("creating an environment for a thriving third sector”)?
It was a long (and at times rather intense) debate. Several contributors felt that there is an ongoing programme to promote volunteering in Hertfordshire and the baseline survey results for volunteering are well understood and so we ought to focus on National Indicator 6. Others felt that the Consortium was first and foremost concerned with creating the right environment for a thriving third sector, and so we ought to champion National Indicator 7 as a point of principle.
Eventually, National Indicator 7 won the day and majority support. But the final decision will be taken by the LAA itself. We all know that Ann Jansz will argue the voluntary sector’s corner – and we all recognise that this may require several marks in the sand, a bit of give and take and perhaps some trading of horses. Good luck Ann.
I also confirmed at the meeting that I was standing down as Chair and that the June meeting of the Consortium will be my last as Chair. I have “done my bit” and it is time for someone new to have a crack at things.
By lunchtime, I was on my way back to Watford, where I spent the afternoon catching up on correspondence, organising meetings, and talking with various staff about their work priorities.
In the evening, we hosted a meeting to try and launch a Community Arts Forum for Watford. It was a quiet affair with only five of us present. I had expected more. But there was commitment to a further meeting and I am confident that things will pick up: there is so much to do!
Monday, 21 April 2008
I started my week in at 9:00 in Watford meeting with Mayor Dorothy Thornhill. We spent an hour or so talking through the many points at which the Council adn the CVS now share the same agenda. I suppose mostly we focused on Watford CVS’s draft Community Development strategy, but there were many “matters arising” too.
I then drove to Hatfield to meet with David Fitzpatrick of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation to talk about Grassroots Grants, the LAA and the ICT needs of Hertfordshire’s voluntary sector.
Then I collected Jacquie in Letchworth and we drove to Cambridge for our ReaLM course.
I then drove to Hatfield to meet with David Fitzpatrick of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation to talk about Grassroots Grants, the LAA and the ICT needs of Hertfordshire’s voluntary sector.
Then I collected Jacquie in Letchworth and we drove to Cambridge for our ReaLM course.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Jackie and I spent the day in Ampthill with my sister Caroline, and in the evening we watched Foyle’s War together.
Friday, 18 April 2008
From 9:00 to 5:00 I was in constant meetings with WCVS staff and WCVS members over priorities, accommodation, implementation of our new CRM system, and Connexions issues.
Jackie was out tonight at a friend's retirement bash, so I worked late so I could pick her up in St. Albans on my way home, finally leaving the office about 10:00.
This week has been exhausting. I look forward to a much quieter time next week.
Jackie was out tonight at a friend's retirement bash, so I worked late so I could pick her up in St. Albans on my way home, finally leaving the office about 10:00.
This week has been exhausting. I look forward to a much quieter time next week.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
I spent today in Hatfield at a training event with Terry Perkins of Public Law Project at NAVCA. I don’t think I ever enjoyed such a valuable day’s training – it was all absolutely critical learning and there was barely a moment of wasted time. This training should be compulsory for all charity CEOs – and for all senior public sector employees.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
This morning I met with our treasurer John Casstles to talk about financial controls. About mid-afternoon, I journeyed down to Whitechapel for a trustees meeting at the Disability Law Service: an excellent charity for which I wish I had more time: for the third day running I arrived home at well after 9:00 pm.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
In the morning I met with Maria (our Office Co-ordinator) to talk through some control issues and some outstanding year-end actions on the accounts. At lunchtime I drove over to Rickmansworth for a meeting of the Watford and Three Rivers Health Partnership Board. Then I returned to Watford for a meeting of the Watford One World forum which is gradually beginning to build up a head of steam and demonstrate its usefulness. There was a good attendance from some of the best and nicest people in Watford.
After the meeting, I worked late on correspondence.
After the meeting, I worked late on correspondence.
Monday, 14 April 2008
This, the first of several long working days, began with one of our networking lunches. David Fitzpatrick, CEO at Hertfordshire Community Foundation, travelled over from Hatfield to talk to us about Grassroots grants and plans for the new Watford Community Fund. David of course spoke very well, and I was pleased that the audience included both our Chair Pam Handley and Watford’s Mayor Dorothy Thornhill.
Before, during and after the meeting I talked to as many different people as possible about future plans and so on. After a difficult start, the revamped and reformed networking lunches are really beginning to produce some interesting outcomes: different people attend each time and there are always good discussions. And at last we have found a good reliable caterer!
From the lunch, I headed straight off to Cambridge Regional College for the start of my eight week ReaLM course from the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Cranfield Institute. Why does it take so many different groups to deliver a short course?
I was back in the strange parallel world of training where trivial questions expand to fill the time available to address them. I was disappointed (and rather insulted) that one exercise on this course tested that we were able to distinguish “opinion” from “fact”. Happily, our tutor realised her faux pas and hurried quickly along. When I finally arrived home after 9:00, I told Jackie it was “hardly a steep learning curve”. She told me I had been just as arrogant at school; I am sure she’s right.
Before, during and after the meeting I talked to as many different people as possible about future plans and so on. After a difficult start, the revamped and reformed networking lunches are really beginning to produce some interesting outcomes: different people attend each time and there are always good discussions. And at last we have found a good reliable caterer!
From the lunch, I headed straight off to Cambridge Regional College for the start of my eight week ReaLM course from the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Cranfield Institute. Why does it take so many different groups to deliver a short course?
I was back in the strange parallel world of training where trivial questions expand to fill the time available to address them. I was disappointed (and rather insulted) that one exercise on this course tested that we were able to distinguish “opinion” from “fact”. Happily, our tutor realised her faux pas and hurried quickly along. When I finally arrived home after 9:00, I told Jackie it was “hardly a steep learning curve”. She told me I had been just as arrogant at school; I am sure she’s right.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
A local business is relocating to London and at their invitation I rose at 7:00 to view their surplus furniture and stock and see if any of it could be of use to a local charity. At 9:30 I finally got a call cancelling the arrangement. My sunday morning wasn’t completely wasted: it provided an excellent instance of how the voluntary sector is treated with casual contempt by the commercial sector.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
The wrong sort of pallet
Today, Jackie and I tried to turn an old wooden pallet into a chicken coop. The idea was suggested to us by pekinbantams.com and presented as a cheap, environmentally-friendly alternative to spending £70 or more on a professionally built coop. There were pages of guidance which began with the simple instruction: “De-nail every board and joist and save all the nails”.
After more than two hours of strenuous labour, Jackie and I had a large pile of matchwood and about fifty bent nails. The nail heads are buried well below the surface of the wood and the wood itself breaks and shatters with the smallest pressure. Pallets aren’t designed to come apart.
Jackie and I regrouped and decided to abandon the pallets to their fate at the local re-cycling centre. Instead we scavanged around our own garden and found a few scraps of wood from which we successfully constructed the beginnings of a chicken coop.
Depressing News
There is depressing news from Africa. In Zimbabwe, inflation is rampant, unemployment nearly universal, a large part of the population has fled abroad and the tyrant Mugabe is stealing the election by stealth and perhaps soon by violence: there is a major crisis. But after a conference with Mugabe, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeke has announced that there is no crisis and that everything is tickety-boo. Corruption, cowardice and delusion are clearly as prevalent in South Africa as they are in Zimbabwe. When will Africa finally be free?
Today, Jackie and I tried to turn an old wooden pallet into a chicken coop. The idea was suggested to us by pekinbantams.com and presented as a cheap, environmentally-friendly alternative to spending £70 or more on a professionally built coop. There were pages of guidance which began with the simple instruction: “De-nail every board and joist and save all the nails”.
After more than two hours of strenuous labour, Jackie and I had a large pile of matchwood and about fifty bent nails. The nail heads are buried well below the surface of the wood and the wood itself breaks and shatters with the smallest pressure. Pallets aren’t designed to come apart.
Jackie and I regrouped and decided to abandon the pallets to their fate at the local re-cycling centre. Instead we scavanged around our own garden and found a few scraps of wood from which we successfully constructed the beginnings of a chicken coop.
Depressing News
There is depressing news from Africa. In Zimbabwe, inflation is rampant, unemployment nearly universal, a large part of the population has fled abroad and the tyrant Mugabe is stealing the election by stealth and perhaps soon by violence: there is a major crisis. But after a conference with Mugabe, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeke has announced that there is no crisis and that everything is tickety-boo. Corruption, cowardice and delusion are clearly as prevalent in South Africa as they are in Zimbabwe. When will Africa finally be free?
Friday, 11 April 2008
I drove to Great Chesterton for a meeting of the Trustees Together group. This group has a focus on supporting trustees throughout the Eastern region and we had discussions on the successor to the Governance Hub, the regional plans, TrusteElearning, trustee conferences, recruitment, retention, training, networks and resources.
But the meeting ranged far wider too and we had good discussions on the LSC, Train to Gain, Quality Assurance, mergers, and development “toolkits”.
Resource pressures on the Charity Commission mean that it must focus its attention on large national charities “where the money is”. The Charity Commission is less and less able to properly regulate local charities and public confidence in charities has fallen to an all-time low. In these circumstances, what can a CVS do to safeguard the good name of its local charities and community groups? How can a CVS act as a consistent objective referee for tenders and funding applications from local groups? How can a CVS offer reassurance to local funders? How can a CVS ensure that it does not adopt a regulatory role?
It is a question which we all now struggle to answer.
But the meeting ranged far wider too and we had good discussions on the LSC, Train to Gain, Quality Assurance, mergers, and development “toolkits”.
Resource pressures on the Charity Commission mean that it must focus its attention on large national charities “where the money is”. The Charity Commission is less and less able to properly regulate local charities and public confidence in charities has fallen to an all-time low. In these circumstances, what can a CVS do to safeguard the good name of its local charities and community groups? How can a CVS act as a consistent objective referee for tenders and funding applications from local groups? How can a CVS offer reassurance to local funders? How can a CVS ensure that it does not adopt a regulatory role?
It is a question which we all now struggle to answer.
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Hertfordshire is home to nine CVSs and is often identified as a potential candidate for mergers - sometimes called “rationalisation” or “modernisation”. Today have heard of another potential merger of CVSs in Norfolk. I am not against mergers in all cases and I do not know the circumstances in Norfolk. But I worry about this trend.
Many people say that mergers deliver economies of scale that release resources for support work. But this is an article of faith rather than a proven fact.
To my mind, where mergers are well-resourced they create over-large organisations that culturally and geographically are ever more distant from the community-based organisations that CVSs are supposed to support.
Where the mergers are poorly resourced, they create the illusion that support services exist when in fact they do not and the voluntary sector ends up colluding with local government that says: “here’s £25, go and run an infrastructure service for 1.5 million people”.
In today’s Third Sector magazine, Nick Seddon also writes questioning the current drive for mergers in the voluntary sector. I will await developments in Norfolk with interest.
Many people say that mergers deliver economies of scale that release resources for support work. But this is an article of faith rather than a proven fact.
To my mind, where mergers are well-resourced they create over-large organisations that culturally and geographically are ever more distant from the community-based organisations that CVSs are supposed to support.
Where the mergers are poorly resourced, they create the illusion that support services exist when in fact they do not and the voluntary sector ends up colluding with local government that says: “here’s £25, go and run an infrastructure service for 1.5 million people”.
In today’s Third Sector magazine, Nick Seddon also writes questioning the current drive for mergers in the voluntary sector. I will await developments in Norfolk with interest.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Jackie and I were awakened at 6:00 am this morning by two demented terriers (Yorkshire? Highland?) yapping and yapping away in our back garden having broken through several fences from neighbours a few doors down. I chased them away, but worried what they would do if they caught hold of Ken our decrepit cat. Ken is bullied by blackbirds and magpies, he is afraid of spiders and is quite wary of moths: he would stand no chance whatsoever against two ferocious terriers.
Most of the day I spent in Letchworth, resplendent in my new woollen waistcoat. I was there to attend a meeting of infrastructure bodies discussing how best to co-ordinate services across the East of England region.
The context for this meeting was that COVER (the regional infrastructure body) decided they could no longer accept funding from Capacitybuilders for co-ordinating the ChangeUp programme. COVER saw too many strings tied to not enough money. The vacuum left by this decision has in part been filled by MENTER (the Minority Ethnic Network for the East of England Region) who agreed that for one year they would co-ordinate the other five regional networks (on ICT, the elderly, children, advice and guidance and social care) to produce a regional plan.
The Norfolk infrastructure consortium decided not to make a funding submission to Capacitybuilders for 2008-09, and the Cambridge Consortium has had its application referred for a year.
Most of the day I spent in Letchworth, resplendent in my new woollen waistcoat. I was there to attend a meeting of infrastructure bodies discussing how best to co-ordinate services across the East of England region.
The context for this meeting was that COVER (the regional infrastructure body) decided they could no longer accept funding from Capacitybuilders for co-ordinating the ChangeUp programme. COVER saw too many strings tied to not enough money. The vacuum left by this decision has in part been filled by MENTER (the Minority Ethnic Network for the East of England Region) who agreed that for one year they would co-ordinate the other five regional networks (on ICT, the elderly, children, advice and guidance and social care) to produce a regional plan.
The Norfolk infrastructure consortium decided not to make a funding submission to Capacitybuilders for 2008-09, and the Cambridge Consortium has had its application referred for a year.
Meanwhile, the CEO at Capacitybuilders has decided to "stand down" - possibly as a result of missing several deadlines and driving a coach and horses through Compact.
With me so far?
Somewhere within all this, in the absence of COVER, those groups still standing have to produce a regional “metaplan” that incorporates all the six county plans plus the regional plan now being produced by MENTER. It was eventually agreed that this “metaplan” should be co-ordinated by representatives of the county Consortia and the regional networks with North Herts CVS acting as banker.
I have three main concerns.
First, why has it taken so long for the county consortia and the regional networks to start working together? I find it astonishing that four years into ChangeUp I still have no knowledge whatsoever about four of the six regional networks (I know only about MENTER and about the ICT network under Paul Ruskin).
Secondly, why are some consortia still content to let Capacitybuilders dictate the agenda and take the lead? Some give the impression that they want to take the money, do the absolute minimum to satisfy Capacitybuilders and no more. Surely we should learn from our neighbours, exchange skills and share tools? Surely we should be planning to raise standards and co-ordinate services better? Some want a personal invitation and a chauffer-driven cadillac to bring them to the table.
Finally, who on earth is responsible for coining the term “Metaplan”? It is my sworn mission to destroy this ugly hideous word and expunge it forever from our language.
Back at home, I did some emergency fencing to make our garden safe for Aged Ken and then spent the evening drafting job descriptions for a part-time Community Accountant and a possible part-time Receptionist.
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