The FSI offers, without cost, an extensive programme of learning opportunities tailored to meet the specific needs of small charities. As part of this programme we would like to offer the following training opportunity for up to 14 delegates. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Efficient project management need not be an overwhelming process, this course provides an introduction to practical tools your charity can use to plan projects, set them up and keep them on track. The trainer is qualified as a PRINCE 2 Project Management Practitioner, a standard recognised internationally for its best practice and flexibility for use with projects of all sizes with all types of organisations.

Target Audience:

Individuals responsible for planning, implementing or managing projects from both a fundraising point of view and an operational standpoint.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Assess the ‘business case’ for your charity embarking on a new project
• Define roles and responsibilities for key members of the project team
• Use planning tools to break down a project into distinct activities
• Allocate sufficient time and resources to each activity
• Implement processes to ensure that projects are kept on track for funders

 Trainer: Shirley Viggars, Head of Learning & Business Development

Availability: 14 places which will be allocated on a first come first served basis to employees or volunteers from 100% not-for-profit organisations with a raised voluntary income of less than £1.5 million.

Date: This one-day course will take place on May 10^th .  Click on your preferred date to book online (this will link you to Eventbrite, our online booking system).

Time:  9.30am – 4.30pm

Venue: The FSI Office, Central London

Support: There are travel expenses available for those travelling from outside of London using the cheapest fares. Please contact The FSI for a travel expense claim form.

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Small charities can use this great opportunity to raise funds by calling on your celebrity supporters, patrons or anyone else you may know who can provide you with an appropriate auction item.

 The most effective eBay for Charity auctions involve:

• ‘Money can’t buy’, one-of-a-kind items/experience e.g. lunch with a celebrity patron
• Items/experiences with celebrity or star association e.g. signed football shirt
• Unique or extraordinary items/experiences e.g. one of Clapton’s guitars  

Click eBay Small Charity Week Auction Guide for the eBay auction guide for further details on acceptable items

We hope you get involved with Small Charity Week 2012. We want Fundraising Day to be the biggest yet! Please let us know if you think you have got something for the auction- we will add you to the list!

Items will need to be confirmed by May 2012.

eBay has 17 million visitors a month, what better way to raise awareness and funding for your charity! All you have to do is source the item.

If you have any questions about the auction please email events@thefsi.org  to find out more.

 We know that small charities are always looking at new ways to diversify their income and the use of fundraising methodologies – that is why we are working with partners like giveonthemobile® to get you the best deals we can.

 As part of their support of the FSI and small charities, giveonthemobile® are offering a 20% discount for FSI-registered charities on the first year’s £100 annual membership fee for those who sign up before the 31st March 2012.

 We are signing up ourselves and will be promoting mobile giving as a way of supporting the FSI to our donors and supporters.  We will keep you updated on how this goes and what works for us.

 giveonthemobile® enables charities to unlock the potential of mobile fundraising and increase donor engagement by allowing donors to make contributions using a quick and easy method on their mobile phones whilst dealing with the limitations of text services. The charity builds a long term and more mutually beneficial relationship with the donor through the interactivity of the platform.

 For more information and how to register please see the flyer attached.

 If you want to know whether mobile fundraising is for you, why not post a message on the FSI Community and see how other small charities have gone with this major emerging technology that has already changed the way in which we engage with our donors.

 Last June, an NFP/CAF survey revealed that 42% of charities now use mobile phones or text for fundraising. Charities are expecting 10% – 40% of their revenue to come through mobile phones soon. Now is a great time to be listed on giveonthemobile® to maximise donations and exposure for the charity.

 To take advantage of this offer send an email to info@polestardigitalmedia.com with subject ‘FSIOffer’ quoting ‘POD01’ to receive the simple registration documents and be listed today.

Please see information sheet for more details and how to sign up: Giveonthemobile information sheet  

Small Charity Week is set to return with more events, more ways to get involved and more opportunities to get the public behind your work. The UKs biggest celebration of small charities ever is about to get even bigger and we are already busily preparing. There are plenty of ways to get involved wherever you are and you can start today!

Right now there are three things we want you to do:
 

PUT THE DATES IN YOUR DIARY AND GET THINKING

Small Charity Week 2012 runs from Monday the 11^th of June through to Friday the 15^th.  The week will take the same form as it did in 2011 – Monday is I Love Small Charities Day, Tuesday is the Big Advice Day, Wednesday is Policy Day, Thursday is Fundraising Day and Friday is Celebration Day.

You can get involved in a myriad different ways from attending FSI events, running your own event or campaign, submitting an item for the online auction…
 

ORGANISE YOUR AUCTION ITEM

In the lead up to this year’s Small Charity Week we would like to run a mass eBay auction with all of you taking part to raise money for your amazing causes! Do you or one of your supporters have an amazing auction item… something really unique?  Does your charity have a celebrity patron who could auction off lunch with a fan to help your cause? Or perhaps you have an autographed collectable that could be fundraising gold… spread the word and see if your staff or supporters can help your charity.
 

TELL US WHAT PRODUCT YOU PREFER

Small Charity Week kicks off with I Love Small Charities Day – could there be a better start to the week? – and we want to produce merchandise that small charities can sell to raise funds whilst contributing to public awareness of Small Charity Week.  Below are some options – we’d love to know what you think will work best for small charities so please get in touch and let us know by following the link completing this very short survey!

Small Charity Week Merchandise Survey
 
Small Charity Week is all about you.  We want it to be even bigger and better than last year in every way, with more of you involved than ever before so please start thinking about how you can get involved in the small charity event of the year!

Location: Preston Masonic Hall, Ashlar House, Saul Street, Preston, PR1 2QU 
Date: 22nd & 23rd March, 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
Cost:  FREE (a deposit of £50 is required but will only be banked if a cancellation is made after 13th March)
 
Below are the courses that we are offering.  Please follow this link to go to our website for further information and to get booked on: 

Thursday, 22nd March – ALL DAY SESSIONS

* Developing Relationships with Companies
* Major Donors
* Trusts & Foundations
* Developing your Fundraising Strategy

Friday, 23rd March – ALL DAY SESSIONS

* Demonstrating your Impact
* Legacy Fundraising
* Managing Volunteers
* Marketing and Communications

Please note that all free places are allocated on a first come first serve basis to individuals from 100% Not-for-profit organisations with an annual raised voluntary income of less than £1.5 million.

Places fill up fast – book early to avoid missing out!

The FSI and Institute of Fundraising are working together to deliver free expert training sessions in cities nationwide.  Each Roadshow gives its delegates the opportunity to learn new fundraising and marketing and communication skills to run their charity effectively.  There is also plenty of time to network with other charities from the area and hopefully develop strategic links.

71% of small charities identified the lack of funding for training and development as the reason for skills gaps in their organisation.
Source: UK Small Charity Sector Skills Survey 2010/11, the FSI, June 2011

About the FSI
The FSI has, since 2007, grown to become to the UK’s largest provider of free capacity building services to the small charity sector, delivering capacity building skills to small charities through a year-round programme of training and conference learning.  These programmes now encompass all the disciplines of fundraising alongside the key back office skills to build sustainable charities ready to adapt to the demands of their beneficiaries and communities.  
www.thefsi.org

About the Institute of Fundraising
The Institute of Fundraising’s mission is to support fundraisers, through leadership, representation, standards setting and education, to deliver excellent fundraising.  Members are supported through training, networking, the dissemination of best practice and representation on issues that affect the fundraising environment.  The Institute of Fundraising is the largest individual representative body in the voluntary sector with more than 5000 individual members and 330 organisational members.
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk
 
Please contact fsi-intern2@thefsi.org if you have any questions.

  
The FSI Team

Our major research for this year will look at Small Charities and Localism, specifically the economic and social benefits of small charities on the UK.  This is your chance to have your say on localism and contribute to a broader understanding of the work of the small charity sector.

Please click on the link below and complete the survey – it should only take 5-10 minutes.  Please also forward this to colleagues at your own and other charities.

From everyone at the FSI, thank you in advance for your contribution to this important research.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J7XQWMF

The programme for the Workshop will cover the key back office skills identified as learning priorities in the FSI Small Charity Sector Skills Gap Survey. Across the day, delegates will have the opportunity to attend four different sessions on topics that are of most interest to them and their charity. We have an inspirational line-up of speakers covering topics including:
 

• Full Cost Accounting
• Small Charities and Local Government
• Governance
• Workforce Development
• Managing a part-time workforce
• Efficient Volunteers
• Social Return on Investment
• Design on a shoestring
• Strategic Marketing
• Leadership 

Places are limited to one delegate per charity and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To register for your free place please visit our online booking system here. If you have any questions about the Workshop please contact events@thefsi.org.

Venue: Legal & General Offices, Moorgate, London

When: 20th February 2011   
 

 The use of social media has exploded in recent years, and can be a valuable tool for small charities to communicate their good work.  Research suggests that an organisation’s social media activity can have significant impact on their brand reputation, whether positive or negative – bringing both opportunities and risks.

This course will help you understand how you can use social media to enhance and promote your valuable work.  We will look at how social media fits with your overall marketing and communications strategy.  We will also consider several case studies, providing both good and poor examples of how social media has been used by other charities.

This practical, hands-on course will also provide an opportunity for participants to work on their profiles for several social media platforms, such as Linked in, Facebook and Twitter.  We recommend that participants bring a laptop with wifi capability to ensure maximum benefit from the course.

Target Audience:  This course will benefit anyone in a marketing and communications role, who want to find out how they can best harness social media tools for their charity.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Recognise the importance of social media and where it fits in their overall marketing mix.
• Describe how social media differs from traditional media routes.
• Ensure that social media activity is consistent with their organisation and brand.
• Monitor their brand and what is being said about their small charity, tracking online activity.
• Identify and mitigate the risks associated with using social media.
• Use a range of social media tools to support their communications activity, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Trainer: Garreth Spillane, Head of Policy and Communications.

Availability: 14 places which will be allocated on a first come first served basis to employees or volunteers from 100% not-for-profit organisations with a raised voluntary income of less than £1.5 million.

Date: This one-day course will next be held on 29th of March 2012, 23rd of April 2012 and 22nd of June 2012. Click on the date to book online (this will link you to Eventbrite, our online booking system).

Time:  9.30am – 4.30pm

Venue: The FSI Office, Central London

Support: There are travel expenses available for those travelling from outside of London using the cheapest fares. Please contact The FSI for a travel expense claim form.

Location: Preston Masonic Hall, Ashlar House, Saul Street, Preston PR1 2QU
Date: 22nd & 23rd March, 2012
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost:  Free (a deposit of £50 is required but will only be banked if a cancellation is made after 13th March)
 
To view the course descriptions and book online please click on the links to the course.  Please be aware that you can only attend one session per day and that delegates from the same organisation may not attend the same course as each other. 

Thursday, 22nd March – ALL DAY SESSIONS

* Developing Relationships with Companies

* Major Donors

* Trusts & Foundations

* Developing your Fundraising Strategy
 

Friday, 23rd March – ALL DAY SESSIONS

* Demonstrating your Impact

* Legacy Fundraising

* Managing Volunteers

* Marketing & Communications 

Please note that all free places are allocated on a first come first serve basis to individuals from 100% not-for-profit organisations with an annual raised voluntary income of less than £1.5 million. Places at the previous Roadshows filled up very quickly so please book early to ensure you don’t miss out on your chance to attend.

Please contact Sophie, fsi-intern2@thefsi.org if you have any questions.