As part of our work to present information on the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in the city, NCVS has carried out a number of surveys of the sector in previous years. This is our first opportunity to survey the sector since 2016.

We really need to hear from as many of you as possible.

Jules Sebelin, Chief Executive of NCVS, urges you to take part: "This is your chance to tell us about your challenges and struggles and the good stuff, too. Now more than ever we have the attention of the public sector and we need to seize the opportunity to embed our sector firmly as equal partners.

"Please do take some time to let us know how you are doing and if you are struggling with the survey, get in touch, we are here to help."

A State of the Sector survey is our opportunity to ask the important questions to get the information we need to ensure the sector is firmly embedded in wider systems as equal partners with the public sector. We will use the anonymised data from your survey responses to influence commissioning intentions as well as funding allocations. The voluntary sector has a key role to play in delivery of services and the subsequent report can provide the evidence.

Make your voice count. Please participate, and encourage other groups in your networks to take part.

NCVS is launching a new project called Volunteer Local which will place us at the heart of local communities.

Our new drop-in service will provide face-to-face support to voluntary and community sector groups looking for volunteers and promote volunteer opportunities to local people.

Volunteer Local will launch at Bulwell Riverside, in Nottingham (NG6 8QJ), on Friday 10 September 2021, from 10am till 1pm. The service will continue to run every Friday at the centre, from this date onwards. Covid-19 safety precautions will be in place to protect staff and those accessing the service.

We are delighted to have been invited by NCVO to co-host their Members' Assembly for voluntary organisations in Nottinghamshire. This free online networking opportunity is aimed at staff, trustees and volunteers from NCVO member organisations in and around Nottinghamshire. Non-member organisations in the area are also very welcome to attend.

This Members’ Assembly is your chance to hear the latest insights on the current issues facing the voluntary sector. As a non-member, you can learn about the benefits of NCVO membership. You will also have the opportunity to meet, collaborate and share experiences with other like-minded organisations in the area.

Join NCVO and NCVS via Zoom on Tuesday 28 September 2021 from 9.30am to 12 noon. Booking is through the NCVO website. Email networks@ncvo.org.uk with any questions or queries you may have.

If you're one of the many organisations which thinks that bidding for a public sector contract seems time consuming and complicated, then this online workshop is here to support you.

NCVS is working with the D2N2 Growth Hub to offer an online workshop on Commissioning and Procurement for Social Enterprises on Thursday 23 September, from 9.30am-11am.

To help your organisation understand and navigate the processes of commissioning and procurement, the event will include guest speakers from the public sector who will talk about how the processes work, the difference between commissioning and procurement and how you can get involved.

NCVO and ACEVO have launched a programme looking at the future of flexible working in the charity sector.

The project will be chaired by Becky Hewitt, former chief executive of the charity Changing Faces, who said that the pandemic had shown that charities “urgently need to change our attitude to flexible working”. Hewitt will lead a working group of up to 10 members from the charity sector, which will report its findings later in the year.

Share your experience, give and receive advice and network with people who understand volunteers and volunteering at our Leaders of Volunteers Network (LoVN) meetings.

The next session will take place online via Zoom on Wednesday 3 November 2021, from 10am to 12pm. To register your place, please visit our website.

You can find out more about the network here. Any questions can be directed to Volunteering Development Officer Dave Thomas at davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.

easyfundraising is a simple way to generate additional income for your voluntary or community sector organisation/group.

The online fundraising platform enables people to support charities simply by shopping online. It does this by turning everyday online shopping into free donations for a nominated cause of the customer's choice.

Learn more in our free webinar

To help Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector groups find out more about easyfundraising and get their questions answered, NCVS has teamed up with Becky Coleman, Senior Partnerships Manager at easyfundraising, to run a free webinar on Zoom.

Up to £30,000 in funding, over three years, is available for local community groups to test new and existing ideas that achieve good outcomes for expectant parents and children (aged 0-4 years).

The money is being offered through the Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) Ideas Fund and is available to local voluntary and community sector organisations working in one of the SSBC wards - Aspley, Bulwell, Hyson Green and Arboretum and St Ann's.

The Rank Foundation has reopened applications for Pebble Grants which provide funding of between £250 and £4,000 to small registered charities and recognised churches, which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £150,000.

Grants are available for UK registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), and other registered UK not-for-profit organisations to spend on capital projects through the Open Grants Programme from The Clothworkers' Foundation.

Wednesday 8 September 2021, 10am-11am

This one-hour online session aims to share some ideas about how best to deal with the inevitable disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts that arise from time to time among a team of volunteers.

This session will be helpful for those who are new to working with volunteers or those who want to improve or gain new ideas for their group's volunteer management processes, making it a useful refresher for more experienced leaders.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 22 September 2021, 10am-11am

Have you wondered why few people are interested in the volunteer opportunities your organisation is recruiting to? Or why you aren't attracting people with the interests and skills you're really looking for?

The way that we describe our volunteer roles can be the difference between no volunteers and a team filled with enthusiastic people. This session will combine some tips from the worlds of journalism and advertising with a lifetime's experience from the NCVS Volunteer Centre.

Cost: £10 per participant

Thursday 9 September 2021, 10am-11am

This free online briefing contributes to safeguarding knowledge and awareness. Join us for an overview of sexual safety within the context of local and national developments and the publication of the Sexual Safety Collaborative standards and guidance.

The briefing will be presented by Julie McGarry, Associate Professor at University of Nottingham and Research Lead for Sexual Safety at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Sexual safety refers to the respect and maintenance of an individual’s physical (including sexual) and psychological boundaries. This briefing will be of particular relevance to those within health and social care voluntary and community sector services, although the briefing will be of interest to a wider audience and is open to all.

Free to attend.

Tuesday 14 September 2021, 10am-11am

Join us via Zoom to meet Sue Heyes, Severn Trent Community Fund Officer for the Nottinghamshire area, as she takes you through the fund criteria and answers any queries you may have.

NCVS is hosting this 'Meet the Funder' event to help you assess if Severn Trent Community Fund could support your group / organisation, and how to apply to the fund. Join Sue Heyes from Severn Trent and Pauline Dorey, NCVS Group Development Officer, to learn how to make the best of this funding opportunity.

Free to attend.

The Practice Development Unit (PDU) aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues).

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

The Practice Development Unit (PDU) is seeking contributors from specialist organisations to work together in developing new e-learning resources exploring gender responsive and culturally sensitive approaches in working with people facing Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (SMD).

The work has been commissioned by Nottingham City Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), to raise awareness of the importance of understanding gender, culture and ethnic differences in experiences of SMD.

There is a small pot of funding available to support the successful applicants in this work.

Closing date: Friday 10 September 2021

Tuesday 21 September 2021, 10am-11.30am

Online via Zoom

A free online event exploring how the process of prison release can be improved to give the best chance for people experiencing multiple disadvantage to effectively transition and re-settle into the community.

Tuesday 28 September 2021, 10am-11.30am

Online via Zoom

A free online event exploring the role of small community and faith based organisations in supporting people facing multiple disadvantage. This event will reflect on the distinctive features of small community and faith based charities and what makes their responses effective in developing trusting relationships of support with vulnerable communities.

A Nottingham food bank which helped thousands of people during the pandemic is extending its services to include a free community launderette.

In what is believed to be a first for the city, the Mesopotamia charity is creating the facility at its shop in Basford, with financial support through social impact company Castle Cavendish.

The charity recognised that the increased focus on hygiene during the Covid crisis had left many people in a vulnerable position, struggling to afford to use a launderette and not having the means to wash clothes and bedding in their own homes.