by Jennie Jeffrey (Senior Development, Organisational Development and Support)
Anyone involved in running a charity knows it’s not an easy job.
From building your services, to recruiting and managing trustees, to producing budgets and accounts, to finding funding, and everything in between – the challenges can seem endless. Of course, it’s exciting, rewarding, fulfilling and hugely important too, but rarely straightforward.
Small charities in particular often struggle with gaps in the knowledge or skills they have access to within their Board, volunteers, and (in some cases) staff team. Which is why it’s so important to know where to find the additional support that you might not have in-house. EVOC, as part of Edinburgh’s Third Sector Interface (TSI), is here to help Edinburgh’s charities across a wide range of areas including governance, fundraising, change management and much more.
Because we know how challenging grant fundraising can be for small charities, we’ve also just launched an application review service for EVOC members – so that you can benefit from an external pair of eyes looking at your application before it goes to a funder. Have a look at our webpage to find out more about the kinds of support we offer and how you can access it.
Of course, sometimes what you need is to feel connected and understood by others facing similar challenges to your own. Which is why EVOC also runs a range of Forums connecting charities working in similar areas to each other. Find out more about our Forums and Networks here.
We know running a small charity can be tough – not to mention lonely – at times, so please do get in touch with us if you think we might be able to help. We have expertise across a range of areas, and if we can’t help, we’ll try our best to find someone who can.
Finally, we are looking at ways we can provide more and better support to our sector in Edinburgh. If you have any feedback, thoughts or ideas, please complete this short survey.
Other Organisations Offering Support
We’ll always do our best to help you ourselves, but there are plenty of other organisations offering different kinds of support (please note that, like EVOC, all provide support for free, but some also have paid-for services). Here are a few of them:
Volunteer Edinburgh – supports with recruitment, training and management of volunteers (part of Edinburgh’s Third Sector Interface, alongside EVOC)
Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network – provides advice, training and support to all kinds of social enterprises (part of Edinburgh’s Third Sector interface, alongside EVOC)
Community Benefit Gateway – in-kind support via NHS suppliers
Glasgow CVS – offers service including HR and payroll to charities across Scotland
SCVO – Scotland’s national membership organisation for voluntary sector organisations
Law Works – Edinburgh School of Law free legal advice clinic
Pro Bono Economics – provides services relating to data, statistics and economics to charities
Media Trust – supports charities with comms and digital skills through training and volunteer placement
Cranfield Trust – offers pro bono support, including management consultancy and mentoring, to social welfare charities
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