It was our Christmas party last night, but this is being written (well in advance, you can’t catch me out like last week) on Thursday afternoon so who knows what even happened? I’m sure it was all very civilised and filled with polite conversation and educated debate. Probably.
Photo Credit: Gee Willi
Here is this week’s news…
- We’ve launched our 2014 training survey. If you work for a social enterprise, charity or public sector organisation this is your chance to help us design the workshops that we deliver over the next 12 months; you could also win a place on one of them (and the odds are currently better than winning the lottery). If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, please spare us just 10 minutes to complete it!
—–Caution. Do not read past this line if you haven’t filled in the survey!—
- We’re recruiting – for a PA and Office Manager at SSE HQ in London. It’s a job which is busy but also a lot of fun. Deadline for applications is the 21st December.
- Also hiring is SSE Fellow Sally-Anne Donaldson, who is looking for a Business and Operation Manager, as well as a Design Intern, for her organisation Creative Homes, which is committed to improving the wellbeing of families in creative way. Details on their website.
- It’s the last opportunity to back Harry Specter’s crowdfunding campaign, which closes today. The rewards are chocolate based, so ideal for Christmas.
- Also on a Christmas tip, I absolutely love this: Buy Wrapping Paper, Feed the Homeless on Christmas Day.
- Congratulations to SSE Scale Up student (and recent Trading for Sustainability participant) Michelle King and her organisation Little Miracles, which has just won a public vote for £50k funding to provide free and low cost holidays to the families of children with disabilities, additional needs or life limiting conditions.
- Once you’ve spent 10 minutes filling in our survey (go on, do it and then I can stop banging on about it), you might like to spend just 10 minutes filling in a grant application to Fund My Venture’s 10 minute fund. £100 grants to social organisations across England.
- The European Network for Corporate Social Responsibility and Disability are offering a prize of 11,000 euros to the winner of its 2nd European Award for Social Entrepreneurship and Disability. Open to you if you ‘are a social entrepreneur and your project is focused on the field of disability’ or if ‘you are an entrepreneur with a disability with an innovative project.’
- The limit to investments eligible for social investment tax relief was increased this week as part of the autumn statement. Organisations may receive up to £5m of SITR-eligible investments in any one year, and up to £15m in the organisation’s lifetime.
- If your organisation sells digital services to consumers in the EU, it’s worth keeping an eye on upcoming EU VAT reforms. (Thank you to Pat Reynolds for drawing to my attention)
- A good article on the Guardian about how heroic leaders will leave us disappointed. (This related article by Liam Black is also worth a read)
- If you want to learn how to Write Successful Bids, come along to our workshop on January 20th. Spaces are going fast – treat yourself to an early Christmas present!
Have a good week, and make sure that you fill in the survey!
