To support you in your role as a Cranfield Trust volunteer, we are pleased to share extensive links to information on our website and also other useful information. You may also find this Glossary /common terminology helpful when first starting out.
Fundraising
Cranfield Trust does not offer specialist fundraising advice and support, because Cranfield Trust volunteers are primarily from the commercial sector, but many of our activities feed into and support fundraising or income development, please see the following sections:
Strong financial information
Well-articulated future plans
Demonstrating impact
Development of a social enterprise
Cranfield Trust website including resources on charity accounting and tendering
Institute of Fundraising provides training, resources, membership, consultancy
NCVO has information on funding and fundraising
Charity Excellence Framework has a large database of funders
Funding Central is a database of funders - free to charities with an income under £100,000
Strategy development and business planning
Cranfield Trust consultancy supports over 100 charities with business planning projects each year
Cranfield Trust website has useful resources on business planning
Our wide range of webinars cover business planning
Pilotlight offers different programmes of support on strategy development and strategic issues
Mentoring for CEO and leadership support
Cranfield Trust offers training for mentors and has an very active mentoring programme for charity leaders and managers https://
Kilfinan Group provides senior managers as mentors for charity Chief Executives
Financial management
Cranfield Trust management consultancy
Cranfield Trust finance webinars
Cranfield Trust information resources on financial topics
Charity Finance Group provides good practice in financial management
Good Finance provides advice on social investment
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (volunteering programme)
Charterpath also places accountants as volunteers
Governance
Cranfield Trust consultancy management consultancy and governance
We also run regular masterclasses on governance and effective board working and you can also view recordings of previous webinars
ICAEW offers free, online trustee training
Reach Volunteering has a large trustee placement activity and also offers guidance on the trustee recruitment process
The following organisations also provide useful guidance and advice on getting volunteers:
Trustees Unlimited also provides useful information how to find a trustee
Do IT - for recruitment of trustees
Media Trust - for someone with marketing experience
Women on Boards
Data, impact and evaluation
Cranfield Trust management consultancy and resources on impact and evaluation
Pro Bono Economicssupports charities with help on data, evaluation and impact through support from volunteer economists
DataKind brings teams of volunteers to work with charities on data science
Marketing and Communications
Cranfield Trust management consultancy and marketing and PR resources
Media Trust provides communications and digital support for charities, provided by volunteers from the media industry
Pimp My Cause provides marketing support from volunteers with marketing expertise
Charity Comms is a membership organisation and shares good practice in communications
HR
ACAS provides free employment advice for employees and employers
RootsHR CIC is an HR service specifically for Social Sector employers
NCVO members can access free HR, employment, and health & safety advice through the Croner Business Support Helpline. They also have their Knowhow main advice and support website, which includes a range of HR resources and template policies
Cranfield Trust management consultancy on organisation development and change management
Law Works provides advice on employment law issues
Go to Trust Law to see information on the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s pro bono legal programme, connecting social enterprises with law firms and corporate legal teams to provide free assistance
IT and Digital
Charity IT Association (CITA) brings together volunteers with IT expertise and charities
Digital Candle offers one hour of free digital advice
Charity Digital helps charities to save money on software purchases
Superhighways offers advice, training and IT support for small charities and community organisations (NB London only)
CAST support charities to embed digital in their services
Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT) offers pro bono support on IT issues
Setting up a charity
For information and advice in this area, please take a look at:
Charity Commission and Charity Set-Up (Run by NCVO as the Small Charities Coalition is now closed)
Property
Ethical Property Foundation offers free help, training and affordable consultancy on property matters
Research
Operational Research Society are good for data analysis, options appraisal
You can also try local universities and/or Reach