EVOC

Do you have a background in charity finance, and want to play a key role in helping shape Edinburgh’s Third Sector?

Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) is a registered charity working in Edinburgh to further our strategic objectives:

• Consulting, supporting and representing the Sector
• Building the capacity of and developing the Sector
• Developing partnership approaches, principles and practice
• Providing improved services by supporting and developing our people
• Being a high quality, effective and developing organisation

We are seeking an experienced Accountant to join our Board of Directors this year. Candidates should ideally have a good knowledge of charity finance and an understanding of the Third Sector.

It is intended that the successful applicant will in due course assume the role of Treasurer when our current long serving Treasurer stands down in the course of this year. The Treasurer has responsibility for oversight of finance and resources, delegated appropriately to the Chief Executive, the Finance Manager and the staff team. As a member of the Board you will be involved in strategic planning, compliance with statutory financial requirements, and governance.  We hold four Board meetings per year and four Finance and Resource Committee meetings per year. The Treasurer is also the chair of the Finance and Resources Committee. The post is unpaid but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

For further information and to apply, please contact our Chief Executive, Ella Simpson ella.simpson@evoc.org.uk.

Please note, the deadline for applications is Friday 27th February 2015.

Start your new year with some new skills!

It’s that time of year again, where we all make resolutions to follow for the rest of the year. What could be a better resolution than learning some new skills?

We are delighted to announce EVOC’s 2015 training programme is now live, with a diverse and exciting training programme that hopefully meets your training needs. We have a wide range of courses which include old favourites, as well as some exciting new ones.

What’s more, book any two training courses in January 2015 and get the third free*! Simply add ‘JanSale2015′ in the discount code box in the booking form to take advantage of this great deal.

To make sure you are first to know about upcoming training and funding opportunities; please subscribe now to our monthly Training Updates Newsletter.  This is the best way to keep up-to-date with the latest training news.

Happy Training!

@evoc_julieanne

julieanne.hill@evoc.org.uk

*Please note, terms and conditions apply. Offer applicable to bookings made in January 2015 ONLY. Offer applies to any course that is held at EVOC until 31st March 2015. The least expensive of the three courses booked will be the free course offered.  Bookings can be three people for the same course, three different people for three different courses, but the three people must all be from the same organisation. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with funding/RCOP funding.

From January 2015 onwards, EVOT (Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Trust) will now be known as The Edinburgh & Lothian Trust Fund.

Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Trust (EVOT) has undergone a recent name change, due to confusions between the Trust Fund (EVOT) & the representative body for Third Sector organisations in Edinburgh (Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council – EVOC).

All applications will still be handled in the same way; only the name of the Trust is changing.

Should you have any further queries, please contact Janette Scappaticcio: janette.scappaticcio@evoc.org.uk or telephone 0131 555 9100.

An article has been posted by Greener Leith regarding plans for the Bonnington Offices in Ashley Place (where EVOC is currently based) to be replaced with 40 flats.

We would like to take this opportunity to clarify that EVOC is not planning to move for the foreseeable future, and we are very happy with our Landlords at Cornhill Building Services.

Edinburgh Third Sector Interface (TSI) partner, Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC), has submitted the TSI response to the Edinburgh Budget Consultation.

City of Edinburgh Council is currently consulting on their proposals for savings and investments for the annual budget 2015/16. 

The response comes in light of the suggested cuts that the Third Sector is facing – making up 15% of the local authority’s proposed budget reductions, whilst only accounting for only 8% of the Council’s total spend.

EVOC has been at the forefront of the debate, hosting a Budget Consultation thinkSpace at which 45 organisations attended, in late November at City Chambers with local Councillors, as well as CEC’s Head of Finance, to discuss the Council’s budget proposals for 2015/16.

The eight page report, entitled ‘The Year of Reckoning’, acknowledges the extent of the cuts and states quite simply, that the Council cannot, “keep doing what you’ve always done, and expect different results.”

With the hard facts of Edinburgh’s Third Sector laid bare – 15,000 people employed through Edinburgh’s Third Sector, generating over £2 Billion to the Edinburgh economy  – as well as case studies that reflect on the ‘Better Outcomes’ the Third Sector strives to achieve, the report shows the disproportionate impact that a fiscal approach would have on the people of Edinburgh who are living an unequal life.

Calls were also issued for Third Sector organisations to respond to the budget, and those seen by Edinburgh TSI partners have all echoed the forewarning of the disastrous consequences of such cuts – including increased crisis intervention, increased inequality and increased poverty – ultimately costing the city much more.

View the TSI Response – as well as other Third Sector organisation responses and resources – on EVOC’s dedicated Council Budget web pages.

Grant Applications

As previously advertised, 1^st April 2014 EVOT implemented a change in the way applications are submitted. To cut down on paperwork and streamline the administration processes of grant processing, we stopped accepting paper applications.

All applications are now only accepted electronically through the EVOC website. 

Please visit http://www.evoc.org.uk/grants/ for more information and to access an online application form.

EVOT Grant Receipts

From 1st January 2015, each week EVOT will select 1 – 2 agencies to randomly checked receipts for their clients receiving EVOT grants. Please ensure that all receipts are kept and in condition in the event of a spot check.

Further Information

Should you have any further queries regarding EVOT Applications or Grant Receipts, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We have already seen the madness that is Black Friday; people fighting and getting arrested in the name of ‘grabbing a bargain’!

We at EVOC have decided to take on the more civilised Cyber Monday. Stay warm and cosy at home, and make your training savings online!

Between Monday 1st December and Wednesday 3rd December 2014, you can SAVE 15% on booking any EVOC training course with the discount code ‘cybermonday‘.

We have limited places on our wide range of training courses so don’t hesitate to book and save your place!

Please note, terms and conditions apply. Code is valid from 1st dec to 3rd dec on any training course before 31st March 2015. Discount cannot be used on pre-existing bookings.

On behalf of everyone here at EVOC, we would like to thank everyone who attend our 2014 AGM & Conference, ‘Chasing Unicorns’. 

A special mention to our fantastic speakers:

• Lorna Edwards, NESTA 
• Joe Trodden, ICE Retail
• Jan-Bert van den Berg, Artlink Edinburgh

As well as our Workshop hosts:

• NHS Lothian Strategic Ten Year Plan – Libby Tait
• Business Continuity Taster Session –  Nicola Brown 
• Integrated Care Fund 2015/16 – Caroline Clark
• Compact 10 & Compact Voice – Denise Horn & Sarah Wade
• EVOC’s Forward Plan 2015 – 2018 – Ella Simpson & Ian Brooke

We will be adding more slides from our speakers shortly. Please keep an eye out here for further details.

• Intro, Keynote, Compact 10 & AGM Slides
• Joe Trodden’s Presentation
• 2014-11-11 H&SC Integration Workshop EVOC AGM 2
• 2014-11-11 H&SC Integration Workshop EVOC AGM 1
• 2014-11-11 NHS Lothian Workshop EVOC AGM