Wednesday 28 February 2018

New Pro Bono OR Project with The Young Hammersmith and Fulham Foundation. Volunteers with knowledge and interest in Theory of Change apply now!


The Young Hammersmith and Fulham Foundation

Project summary:

Project:
The volunteer will work with YHFF staff members in a one-day session to establish and outline theories of change for five identified themes (mental health, education, employability, youth justice and healthy living for young people), and to document these. The insight gained in these 5 key areas will be used by the organisation at a later date as the basis for an event with relevant organisations.

Time commitment: 2 days, including one full day workshop. Volunteer to start ASAP in order to complete project by 21st March 2018. 
Location: Fulham, London
Please read projectscope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to hope.meadows@theorsociety.com by Tuesday 6th March.

Information about the organisation:
The main activities of the organisation include income generation/fundraising, training and organisational development, grants, information and networking.
Young Hammersmith and Fulham Foundation’s vision is that all young people in Hammersmith and Fulham grow up healthy, safe and happy with the best opportunities for bright futures. London is a fast-paced, changeable city with massive challenges ahead. London’s youth population is growing at an unprecedented rate and are a vital asset to our future right now, they are the next generation of future talent.
 For further information about YHFF please visit www.yhff.org.uk.

For further information about the Pro Bono scheme please visit:


Pro Bono OR February Spotlight - "I'm new to the third sector, what does it look like?"

If you have free time and some skills to share then the best place to utilise these would be in the third sector. We have a whole host of volunteers who can vouch for this. I’m often approached by professional analysts who have the skills but lack experience in the third sector. The first question is what’s it like to work in the third sector? How is it different from me using my skills in my every day job? Well the good news is, OR is one of the most adaptable disciplines out there, so the way in which you use your skills doesn’t change that much. It’s more about the context in which you utilise your skills. You’ll find that working in the third sector needs a personable approach. The approach is reciprocated, and as a result, taking on a Pro Bono OR project will certainly help you refine your interpersonal skills.

The sector, the organisation, the project, are all brought together because of an unprecedented amount of dedication which is something that’s not guaranteed anywhere else. Charity Founders put everything they have into the set-up, charity workers are endlessly creative and innovative, and volunteers (in any context) dedicate time that could be spent doing literally anything else, except they don’t, they choose to work for a good cause for free; so regardless of what role you play in the third sector, you’re likely to have something in common with the rest of the busy bees. The third sector can be bursting with mutual respect, something that isn’t guaranteed anywhere else.

Dedication is defined as the quality of being ‘devoted or committed to a task or purpose,’ and it is this commitment which is often praised, however, there’s often motivation behind the dedication to see results, and in the third sector this is frequently down to the mission and objectives. Most of our day-to-day projects are about getting the job done in order to cross it off the to-do list, this is still true of the third sector, nevertheless, the difference is that finishing a project means we are able to see what the effects of this project are (effect on service users, donors, clients, workers, the sector as a whole) and allows us to make plans to spread good news and successful results. In the third sector we have a habit of thinking if 20 people befitted from a project then how can we do it again to make 40 people benefit, and what are the restrictions preventing 100 or 1000 people reaping the benefits. If you’ve ever completed a Pro Bono OR project then this point is important, the work you do on a project, whether it be 6 months ago or 6 years ago, is still providing benefits today. Organisations use your insight to provide clarity and grow stronger, without the insight or the tools you provided, progress may not have been conceivable.

In the third sector, the motivation that encourages us to look past the finish line of a project is the mission and vision a charitable organisation. Whilst a mission statement informs us of what the organisation wants to do, the vision statement outlines where the organisation wants to get to. A good vision statement will tell us where the organisation is going, and it’s the thing to return to whenever clarity is needed at the time of defining objectives.

With motivation in mind, it is important to refer to an organisations mission, vision and objectives when you complete a Pro Bono OR application form. Regardless of whether your approach to the project will work or not, the organisation will be reluctant to work with someone who hasn’t used their values as motivation for your approach. Taking a tailored approach to cater for the needs of an organisation is what gets you hired. Although an organisation has requested help, that’s not to say that they don’t already have strong in-house skills. I suggest you find out what they are during your research and initial meeting with the organisation, then you can utilise them. Some charities may not have sustainable measuring and evaluation tools in place, but what they do have is plenty of experience at national and grassroots levels. You can identify what experience the charity has during research and your initial meeting. Maybe Julius Cesar was right when he said ‘experience is the teacher of all things.’ I’ll let you be the judge of that.  

Wednesday 14 February 2018

New Pro Bono OR project with Family Action. Volunteers wanted to help with impact measurement.


Family Action

Project summary:

Project:
This project requires assistance from a volunteer to help write an impact report to demonstrate the value of the Young Carer’s Neighbourhood Charter accreditation programme. The organisation would like advice and structure as to what data to collect and how to analyse it effectively. Advice on how to best present findings would also be appreciated. The data set includes over 50 schools, more than 30 organisations and 20 GP surgeries who have achieved accreditation.

Time commitment: 5 days (to be reviewed during initial meeting with organisation)
Location: On site meetings to be held at Shildon, DL4 1AH. After initial meeting, remote working is possible.
Please read projectscope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to hope.meadows@theorsociety.com by Tuesday 27th February.   

Information about the organisation:

Main activities of the organisation
Family Action provides effective and innovative services that have a positive impact on people’s lives. The work is wide-ranging and includes help for parents-to-be, parenting and relationship support, the provision of many nurseries and Children’s Centres in local communities, intensive family support, emotional health and wellbeing services, counselling, mediation and therapies, a range of mental health services including supported housing, wellbeing support in schools and GP surgeries, financial grants programmes and a range of training and consultancy services. Family Action works with a variety of partners, including local authorities, schools, health and voluntary sector organisations.

For further information about Family Action please visit www.family-action.org.uk/

For further information about the Pro Bono scheme please visit:


New Pro Bono OR project with BLCF. Help design a measurement framework. Volunteers apply now.


Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation

Project summary:

Project:
BLCF is currently reviewing its approach to capacity building amongst its beneficiaries; a sub-committee has been created to help support and develop this. A volunteer is needed to help refine a new strategy, possibly using a model such as Theory of Change. This will be the onset to designing a measurement framework based on old approaches and new sustainable measurement approaches. BLCF use Salesforce as its CRM, this may be utilised to automate data collection.

Time commitment: 4-7 days
Location: Cardington, Bedford, MK44 3SX
Please read projectscope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to hope.meadows@theorsociety.com by Tuesday 27th February.   

Information about the organisation:

Main activities of the organisation
BLCF focuses on providing accessible grant making based on a deep understanding of community needs and an effective service for donors.
The mission of BLCF is ‘to build partnerships which effectively connect donors with community projects through efficient grant making and philanthropy in order to strengthen the communities in Luton and Bedfordshire.’ With this in mind, BLCF are seeking to maximise results and efficiency of grant making programmes.
As well as grant making services, BLCF also serves as a philanthropic advisor, offering information and advice which helps donors achieve their objectives. This ties in with BLCF’s position as a community leader, stimulating community dialogue and decision making that helps define common goals and solve crucial problems.

For further information about BLCF please visit www.blcf.org.uk

For further information about the Pro Bono scheme please visit:


Tuesday 6 February 2018

Pro Bono OR project with Crossing Boundaries. Volunteers apply today


Crossing Boundaries

Project summary:

Project:
Crossing Boundaries has done some incredible work over the years and is now looking to highlight success by identifying impact measurement tools. During this project the volunteer will need to liaise with the Manager, obtain background information, retrieve necessary documentation and identify key stakeholders in order to design a facilitation session.
The half day facilitation session should address identifying potential impacts of Crossing Boundaries services, and encouraging an agreement on the best way to monitor activities.
Once measurements and suitable monitoring methods have been agreed, the volunteer should hand over details of recording systems that will allow measuring impact to be sustainable.       

It is desirable that the volunteer attend a meeting on 20th February at Westcliff-on-sea.

Time commitment4-5 days
LocationEssex, SS0 0RJ. After initial meeting, work can be carried out remotely.
Please read projectscope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to hope.meadows@theorsociety.com by Friday 16th February.   

Information about the organisation:

Main activities of the organisation
The Crossing Boundaries project has come about because of a desire to see people more effectively supported and helped as they work their way through difficulties that come with interacting with statutory bodies. Crossing Boundaries aims to work across, and with, all statutory bodies to enable people to access resources and support they need in order to continue to be part of their community. Crossing Boundaries seeks to help people live their lives to the full and become part of a resilient community.

For further information about Crossing Boundaries please visit www.earlshall.com

For further information about the Pro Bono scheme please visit:


Pro Bono OR moving elsewhere

Pro Bono OR projects can now be found here:  https://www.theorsociety.com/get-involved/pro-bono-or/open-pro-bono-projects/ This blog will no...