In a shallow effort to make myself seem more intelligent than I actually am I recently purchased a copy of ‘Geary’s Guide to the World’s Great Aphorists‘, a collection of quotes from some of history’s great minds. My plan is to learn some and utter them sagely from time to time while looking thoughtful. Foolproof. Anyway, it turns out that there is a quote for just about anything. So this week’s news is wrapped around some of them, because as playwright and author Dorothy Sayers (new to me) once said “a facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought”.
Enjoy the news, and have a great weekend.
“To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach.” Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Not quite as punchy as “I’ll be back”, but when the Terminator speaks it’s probably best to pay attention. To get your dose of training, head to Birmingham for two new workshops: Get Ahead in Sales on 19th April or Social Media Masterclass on 26th May. The first five bookings on each course get a discounted rate.
“Stop, collaborate and listen” Vanilla Ice.
Wise words from Mr Ice. If you are a charity or social enterprise that would benefit from corporate support and collaboration then check out Thirdbridge, a social enterprise dedicated to building and strengthening partnerships between the private and third sector. It’s free to use. (Also, come on our Working with Corporates workshop in March).
“I can turn on the radio right now and be inspired” Courtney Love
Indeed. And if you missed it live, you might like to catch up with Radio Four’s Moral Maze programme, which this week debated the commercialisation / non-commercialisation of charities.
“We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.” Voltaire
And with my surname I can only say that’s a good thing. We can also look to Scotland for a brand new digital media meetup for charities, taking place in Edinburgh on the 26th February. Promises to be a good event.
“To be, or not to be, that is the question.” William Shakespeare.
Wrong. What’s next For Big Society Capital?, that is the question. Keep up Bill.
“You have got to be doing something worthwhile so you can like it – because it is worthwhile.” Colonel Sanders.
Yep, that’s Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. If you want to help someone do something worthwhile then investigate the appropriately named ‘Worthwhile‘, a new scheme designed to place graduates into the ‘social impact sector’. Your organisation could host a socially motivated graduate.
“Finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world.” Thomas Moore.
Maybe you could discover your sole as part-time Operations Lead at The Restart Project. Founded by SSE Fellow Ugo Vallauri, Restart is a registered charity and social enterprise that helps people transform their relationship with electronics by teaching repair at community events, working with educators and makers, and speaking in public and online.
“I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is.” Paul Harvey.
Good news Paul, because the Coalfields Regeneration Trust are able to do just that (as long as your mouth is somewhere near a mining community). Grants of up to 10k are available in the Midlands, Kent, the North East, the North West and Yorkshire.
“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything”. Thomas Sowell.
It’s a strong assertion by US economist Sowell (thank you, Wikipedia) and one which I find difficult to oppose. Sadly some meetings are unavoidable but I do like this piece of advice: Do Yourself & Your Company a Favor: Cut Meetings in Half.
What’s on at SSE:
- Replication and Social Franchising, SSE London, starts 25th February
- Measuring Social Impact – Leeds, SSE Yorks + Humber, 8th March
- Sources of Funding for Charities and Social Enterprises, SSE London, 11th March
- YSC Sustainable Leadership, SSE Cornwall, 11th March + 22nd April
- Working with Corporates, SSE London, 23rd March
- Transition to Trading, SSE London, Starts 31st March
