“Risk assessments must always be long and complex” is the second commonly held view to be demolished in a ‘Myth of the month’ series from the Health and Safety Executive, with links to examples, the ‘5 steps’ and sensible principles.

See http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm.

Mumsnet, the community web site for mothers, has settled its long-running libel dispute with author Gina Ford out of court. It is now looking for official government guidance on how quickly such a site should remove users’ comments to avoid liability.

Speaking to Out-law.com, Mumsnet founder explained the dilemma: “How expeditious is expeditiously? We settled because there were some comments left up there for longer than 24 hours – though not much longer than 24 hours.” http://www.out-law.com/page-8040.

The ICT Hub booklet ‘How to Cost and Fund ICT’ will help you identify and budget for total cost of ownership of computer technology.

Download the pdf (a fairly large 1.24MB).

Leadership in a Non-Profit Organisation
Wednesday 30 January 2008, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

Leadership in nonprofits can be tough! Because nonprofits are strongly cause related, many staff have high commitment, strong views and want to participate in decision making. How do you gain the benefit of this participation without slowing down decision making unacceptably? How do you take urgent decisions fast without losing staff enthusiasm? How do you persuade Trustees who feel acutely the legal responsibility for final decision making, to accept staff inputs? Shami Chakrabarti, elected by her peers as 2006’s most admired CEO (Third Sector magazine) will talk about her views on these and other leadership issues

For more information about the Charity Talks series please visit our website: http://www.centreforcharityeffectiveness.org
Or email: centreforcharityeffectiveness@city.ac.uk

How to Redesign a Service to Meet Contemporary Need – A Foundation Adapts its Grants Programme
Wednesday 21 November 2007, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

City Parochial Foundation distributes approximately £10 million each year. Over the past two years it has reconfigured its grant programme after a pro-active investigation into the needs and wishes of its grant recipients and their beneficiaries - setting these against the traditional strengths of CPF and its mission. These techniques of service re-design have wide application in our sector.
For more information about the Charity Talks series please visit our website: http://www.centreforcharityeffectiveness.org
Or email: centreforcharityeffectiveness@city.ac.uk

When to Collaborate and When to Compete?
Wednesday 10 October 2007, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

Government and other funders are increasingly urging more collaboration while increasing their demands for competitive bidding. While collaboration is an appropriate charity value, it can be time consuming and complicate delivery and campaigning. Moreover collaborative and competitive routes can have substantially different resource implications. Concern Universal has wide experience of collaboration and developing effective partnerships. As a medium sized international charity, collaboration has been a means to compete in the market place with the giants of the sector. Hear the lessons learned. Hear how they fit into the wider decision making priorities that charities face.
For more information about the Charity Talks series please visit our website: http://www.centreforcharityeffectiveness.org
Or email: centreforcharityeffectiveness@city.ac.uk

Rejuvenating a Local Charity – Expanding without Dependency
Wednesday 11 July 2007, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

This talk is offered in response to requests for a presentation from a smaller locally based charity and the story is an exciting one. Income of West Berkshire Mencap has tripled in the last four years through a mix of fee and voluntary money, combined with a diversification of activity, and a social entrepreneurial approach. Hear how this has been achieved and read across to your own charity, local or national.
For more information about the Charity Talks series please visit our website: www.centreforcharityeffectiveness.org
Or email: centreforcharityeffectiveness@city.ac.uk

Defending and Developing Your Mission
Wednesday 6 June 2007, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

The heart of your charity is in its mission. How do you tread the fine line between mission development and mission drift? Is the development of your mission a valid response to lessons learned in the work, or is it a drift caused by external pressures and seductive opportunities of greater income and publicity? Medecins Sans Frontieres is renowned across the world for its passionate commitment to its mission. How do they do this and at what price? Jean-Michel Piedagnel, elected by his peers as 2005’s most admired CEO (Third Sector magazine), will reflect on his experience of these issues in MSF.

For more information about the Charity Talks series please visit our website: www.centreforcharityeffectiveness.org
Or email: mailto:centreforcharityeffectiveness@city.ac.uk

The Cabinet Office and Charity Commission have jointly produced ‘Charities Act 2006 – what trustees need to know’, a concise guide to this major shake up of charity law aimed primarily at charities with an income below £500,000.

It can be downloaded in pdf format or order a hard copy by phoning 0845 015 0010 and quote URN 07/Z2 plus the publication title. Press release.

Future Focus is a new series of introductory pocket guides from the Performance Hub to help organisations understand important trends that may affect them in the future and to plan ahead. The first guide, ‘Future Focus 1: what will our funding be like in five years’ time?’, explores how third sector funding is changing.

Download in pdf format, 824kb, from http://www.performancehub.org.uk/displaypagedoc.asp?id=3793.

The Community Sector Coalition, an umbrella organisation which champions the unique contribution that the community sector makes to society, has a new web site at http://www.communitysectorcoalition.org.uk.

Its strategic plan for the next 3 years has also recently been published and is available there (in pdf format, 1.42MB).

The National Research Centre on Charitable Giving and Philanthropy, which has an agreed £2 million budget, is to recruit an independent chair. The launch timetable has been put back six months with the tender process to set it up running until the end of the year.

Read Professional Fundraising news item at http://www.professionalfundraising.co.uk/news/96/may2007/centreedited.asp.