Giving Tuesday is a day to celebrate charities and encourage generosity in all its forms. The movement - which turns 10 this year, and is celebrated across 60 countries - provides the perfect opportunity for charities to engage with new and existing supporters, raise awareness and shout loud about their fundraising campaigns, services and positive impact, as well as celebrating all those who make it possible, including wonderful volunteers. Taking place on the Tuesday following Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is dubbed as the charity sectors' answer to Black Friday. This year, we celebrate it on November 29th. The impact of the movement has been notably successful at encouraging charitable giving, with 2020's campaign responsible for the highest number of donations ever made in a 24 hour period! Alongside this, 1.5 million people said they'd be more likely to do something for charity as a result of Giving Tuesday. For more fun facts and figures about Giving Tuesday's outstanding impact, check out Engaging Networks article here. 3SG encourages all local third sector organisations to get involved in this global movement. But firstly, we recommend checking out Charity Digital x Salesforce's podcast to learn a bit more about Giving Tuesday if you're not sure where to start. So, how should your charity get involved, and how can you prepare to cut through the noise of the day? Charity Digital shared a few key suggestions, which we have summarised below to help guide you. - Charities should ensure a clear message and call to action, with simple and super easy ways to donate. - Spread your fundraising message far and wide, across all your social media platforms and communications. Remember to keep your marketing message and style (such as colour scheme and fonts) consistent across all platforms, as well as using the hashtag #GivingTuesday. - Create and schedule your posts ahead of time if possible. If you need a helping hand, check out this Giving Tuesday social media strategy guide. - Boost engagement with a video, be strategic with your hashtags and remember to keep things authentic when engaging with your audience. - Consider doubling up with a local business; corporate-charity partnerships benefit both sides, offering increased visibility and reach, with a favourable local image. Giving Tuesday even has some interesting case studies available to read for ideas and inspiration. You can also check out previous successful campaigns here. For small charities, taking part in a large-scale, international campaign can seem daunting and out of reach, but Giving Tuesday need not be reserved only for the big fish. Giving Tuesday values the profound impact of smaller charities and encourages everyone to benefit from the movement, whilst appreciating that many will already have their resources stretched. Giving Tuesday has therefore put together a 'small wins' cheat sheet to help smaller charities achieve the fundraising boosts they deserve. On top of this, we've collated a few handy resources below to support your Giving Tuesday activities. - Donor box have some great campaign ideas to help your creative juices flow. Click here to find out. - Engaging Network's also have a comprehensive Giving Tuesday checklist available to download. - Signing up as an official partner of Giving Tuesday allows you to stay up to date, and benefit from free resources and toolkits to power your campaigns. They even have free webinars to support charities in making the most out of Giving Tuesday. You can find out more here. - Salesforce are also offering weekly newsletters in the run up to Giving Tuesday, packed with tips and advice for harnessing the movement to the best of your charity's ability. Sign up here. Whether you're a charity, business or individual, be sure to celebrate the day of generosity, contribute however you can, and encourage people to do good.

If your organisation helps support those at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis, you can apply to the 'Aviva Cost of Living Boost' £2 million fund. Eligible organisations and projects can benefit from match funding on every individual donation up to £250, made via Crowdfunder before January 1st. So if your organisation receives a £50 donation, Aviva will donate £50 too, up to a maximum of £50,000 per organisation. Click to apply: Click the get started button and complete the financial wellbeing funding application. Create your campaign: Once you're approved, put together your Crowdfunder campaign and get your fundraising to the start line. Start doubling your money: Then go live and share the word as Aviva will match your supporter donations pound for pound. Up to £50,000 towards your cause. Check your organisations eligibility and apply today.

Are you looking to upskill and develop your team? Could your employees or volunteers benefit from some staff training? Free Courses in England is a government-funded scheme offering free, online training courses to organisations of all sizes, and it's worth checking out. Organisations prioritising the development and progression of their staff are more productive, innovative, and more likely to attract and retain their employees. However, third sector organisations in particular - with stretched resources and restricted funding pots - can find themselves struggling to find the time or money to invest in mutually-beneficial staff training. Taking advantage of the Free Courses in England scheme can allow third sector organisations to offer learning and development opportunities to their staff, and enhance their in-house skill sets. Courses are delivered online by market-leading training providers, offering nationally recognised qualifications in a wide range of subjects across Mental Health, Business, Digital Skills and Health & Social Care. There are currently 63 training courses available. Find out more here.

Since 2014, the B&NES Local Authority has a duty to signpost adults needing support or care, to the advice and information they require. Live Well B&NES was created in response to this, and involves a collaboration between three pre-existing resources prior to Live Well B&NES creation in 2021. To mark the 1 year anniversary, Live Well B&NES has published their first year report. Until August 2021, information was provided via three separate web-based resources: one large Database bathnes, Wellbeing Options and Rainbow Resource. These were managed in-house but the websites hosted externally. Work began last year to create a new website, hosted in-house and providing everything in a single place: Live Well B&NES (hosted by B&NES Council) was launched in phases between May and September 2021. Live Well B&NES is aimed at three groups: - SEND (Rainbow Resource) is aimed at families with a child or young person with a disability or special education need. - Children & Families offers families with young children information about parenting support, registered childcare, activities, clubs and groups. - Adults requiring care and support to live independently (and their carers/families) are supported. Information from pre-birth to old age is provided through Live Well B&NES. B&NES has witnessed dramatic increases in the number of elderly people and SEND children over recent years, necessitating the important provision of services such as Live Well B&NES; since 2016 there has been a 128% increase in the number of SEND children with Education Health and Care plans (EHCP) and the number of over-65's has increased by 17.5% since 2011. Anxiety levels, referrals to mental health services, and the prevalence of dementia have also been increasing in B&NES. Highlights from the first year of Live Well B&NES have included the launch of the new website, including a dedicated cost-of-living section, specific resources pages organised per condition, and an adult care self-assessment tool. The new social media accounts for Live Well B&NES have also been doing well, with the Facebook page attracting 2,808 followers, and the website amassing a total of 237,975 site visitors. Live Well B&NES is not a static, unchanging web resource; it aims to continue developing and growing, based on user feedback. The team have many ideas for the future, including the creation of a 'Warm Spaces' directory, 'Lunch & Learn' sessions for colleagues, and developing a PA Finder resource for Live Well Adults. There is a wealth of information, support and resources available via the Live Well B&NES programme, and we encourage all third sector groups, and the communities and individuals they work with, to find out more. You can also share your news, activities and events with them for promotion, and self-register on the Live Well site. Be sure to follow the Live Well B&NES Facebook page to keep up-to-date. To see the full first year report, click here. Visit the Live Well B&NES website here. On a related note, Live Well B&NES is hosting a SEND Local Offer drop-in event on Friday 4th November, from 10am to midday at Keynsham Community Space (above Keynsham library). This event is for parent carers and anyone supporting a young person or child with a disability or special education need. Refreshments will be provided. No registration required.

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) is calling on charities, councils and community groups small and large across its four regions, to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to support people who need extra help this winter. NGED has partnered with Localgiving to offer a package of support under the Community Matters Fund - Fuel Poverty Plus, available to charitable organisations tackling fuel poverty within their communities. In addition to the delivery of grants worth a total of £2.5 million, a range of energy saving advice and resources is included. The fund is open to non-profit groups of all sizes, operating within either South Wales, the South West, or East and West Midlands. Check your eligibility here. The programme is now live and accepting applications until midnight on Monday, October 31st 2022. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by Tuesday, 15th November 2022. All projects must be completed and the funding must be spent by 31st March 2023. Find out more here.

Bath Half returned to the sunny streets of the city this past weekend, after a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 7,000 runners took part in the 40th anniversary race, celebrating sport and raising money for many local charities; a huge congratulations to them all! The premium sporting event attracts huge national attention annually, and public entries typically sell out 6 months before race day. With this in mind, the organisers are already gearing up for Bath Half 2023, and encouraging entries from official charity partners. Bath Half is a fantastic fundraising event for charities to get involved in, with the average runner in 2019 raising £508 each - a total of £2.3 million! As the new marketing partners for Bath Half 2023, Realbuzz Group are responsible for handling next year’s charity entries for the race, helping charities recruit runners, managing entries and offering exposure through website display marketing. Realbuzz Group also offer training and support plans for fundraising managers at participating charities and their runners. There is also a new charity applications page which will filter directly to Realbuzz. Discover the programme details for Bath Half 2023 here, and get your charity signed up for this amazing local event.

Service Recipes for non-profits consist of first hand experiences and stories from organisations who have successfully used digital technology to improve or deliver a service. This initiative, launched by the Catalyst, enables charities and organisations to work together and share knowledge on common services and practices. Practical guides made for charities, by charities. By signing up to this new support offer for charities, your organisation can access practical support and free 1-1 advice on implementing service recipes. You can tailor your search of recipes of interest, and receive a monthly summary of new recipes. There are currently 82 recipes shared by 65 organisations. Previous contributors include Citizens Advice, Samaritans, and Barnardos. Find out more here. Sign up here If your charitable organisation is interested in related news and opportunities within digital, we recommend you sign up to The Catalyst newsletter here.

Deloitte has collaborated with CAST to deliver the Deloitte Digital Connect programme, which aims to help charities scale their impact by supporting charity digital leaders to build capacity and capability within their organisation. In light of the pandemic, and increase in external challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, digital solutions are becoming a stronger priority for charities. The programme has therefore been developed in direct response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the third sector, and utilises Deloitte's expertise and skills to develop a peer community to support UK charities. Deloitte aspires to connect a new cohort of charities with expertise, advice, and a network to support their digital development. This is Deloitte's second edition of the programme, which first ran successfully with a pilot of 35 charities in January 2022. Applications are now open for the November 2022 series, which will run until April 2023. The pilot scheme included delivering and sharing over 350 digital resources, as well as mentoring, masterclasses, workshops, support sessions, group coaching calls and monthly newsletters. Up to 25 places are available for the 2022/2023 programme. Applications are open to UK charities and social enterprises of all sizes and incomes, until October 17th at 12pm. Organisations' primary purpose, or the purpose of the programmes they deliver, must focus on either education, employment and / or climate action, to be eligible. For more information on eligibility criteria, go to the Deloitte webpage here. Small grants of up to £5k are available to support the participation of charities with incomes of under £1million. The first stage of the three stage programme involves charities receiving support to identify specific needs and develop a project roadmap. Deloitte are hosting a Q&A zoom session on Wednesday 12th October, which anyone interested in applying for the programme can join. Register here. Alternatively, you can email your queries to deloittedigitalconnect@deloitte.co.uk. Find out more here If your charitable organisation is interested in related news and opportunities within digital, we recommend you sign up to The Catalyst newsletter here.

Local projects cutting carbon or tackling fuel poverty while improving our local environment can now apply to the Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) Fund grant programme. This popular grant programme is back for a tenth year, thanks to funding from BWCE as part of the work it does in supporting local communities. Applications for grants of up to £5,000 are invited before the 4 November 2022 deadline. Award-winning BWCE was set up in 2010 to own and develop renewable energy projects and has since become one of the largest community-owned energy companies in the UK. As a Community Benefit Society it gives surplus income to the BWCE Fund, which has asked Quartet Community Foundation to administer the BWCE Fund grant funding programme, giving grants to community groups and local environmental organisations. Earlier this year 11 B&NES projects received £31,706 in funding to lower carbon emissions and address fuel poverty. These grants supported: Energy efficiency in community buildings through helping to replace boiler systems with sustainable alternatives (First Steps and Freshford Memorial Hall), installation of an air source heat pump in a new community café (Bath City Farm) and additional building insulation (Percy Community Centre) Sustainable food growing through a sustainable water supply system (Corston Community Orchard), a food garden (B&NES Carers Centre) and a solar powered barn (Middle Ground Growers) Environmental educational through building support for climate action in local families and schools (FACE), helping younger children to repair, reduce and reuse (Bath Share & Repair) and running repair-and-reuse cafe community events (Trowbridge Environmental Community Group) Domestic energy efficiency through household energy surveys (Zero Carbon Compton) Sophie Hooper Lea, Chair of Trustees for BWCE Fund, said: “We are in the midst of a climate crisis and a cost of living crisis, and we need to do everything we can to address them both. The BWCE Fund offers grants to local projects that make a tangible difference to our local communities by reducing carbon emissions or tackling fuel poverty. The funds are provided by BWCE, a member owned social enterprise that provides clean, renewable, community energy .” Thanks to BWCE, since 2015, the fund has awarded 82 grants worth almost £250,000 through this grant programme”. Quartet Community Foundation’s Philanthropy Manager, Angela Emms said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BWCE Fund. As the impact of the cost of living crisis is increasing, this grant programme has the double benefit of supporting projects which reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. Carbon reduction does not just relate to energy projects; it might include local food, sustainable transport or waste reduction or indeed any activity that reduces carbon emissions. This year we would particularly welcome applications relating to fuel poverty/affordable warmth, ensuring that everyone can access and afford energy this winter.” Case study – A sustainable water supply for a new Community Orchard Earlier this year Corston Community Orchard in received £1,880 through the Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) grant programme. The grant helped them establish a rainwater harvesting, storage and distribution system to ensure there is a sustainable and sufficient water supply so that the newly planted trees and hedging can thrive. Katharine Evans, Secretary of Corston Community Orchard: “In January 2022 a team of more than 100 volunteers, came together to plant 81 fruit and nut trees. The 69 fruit trees are a mix of apples, pears, crab apples, cherries and plums, and the 12 hazels a mix of filberts and cobnuts. All have been suitably protected against the local deer population – roe deer and muntjac! Volunteers also planted 300 native copse trees and 220 metres of native hedging. The project was initiated by a small group of local people who wanted to do something positive for the environment and their community. In autumn 2020 we approached the Deputy Land Steward for the Duchy of Cornwall, the major landowner in the village, and were offered a 3.8 acre field that had housed horses. The field without the horses, quickly turned into a wildlife rich space with 7 species of bats recorded by the Avon Bat Group and more than 60 plant species identified by Bath Natural History Society botanists. We are building up a group of committed local volunteers who regularly help with hacking back burdock and other fun activities! We held our first community event over the Platinum Jubilee weekend. More than 100 local people enjoyed live music and cider. We are really excited to watch the orchard develop and become an increasingly important place for people to socialise, work, learn and enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of nature. We very much welcome contact from other community groups, so we can network and learn from each other. We are very grateful for the support we have received from the Bath and West Community Energy Fund.” Find out more and apply before 4 November Groups are invited to apply to the BWCE Fund grant programme before 9am on Friday 4 November 2021. Interested projects need to apply through the Quartet Community Foundation website: https://quartetcf.org.uk/grants/bath-west-community-energy-grant/ Full details of the grants awarded in previous years can be found on BWCE’s website www.bwce.coop/communityfund/

A report titled 'After The Storm - Charity Horizons' consolidates the findings of over 80 reports and data sources and predicts post-pandemic trends and forecasts for the charity sector. After the Storm – Charity Horizons is by Leesa Harwood from By the Waves Charity Consulting, and has been peer reviewed by Karl Wilding and Tim Willett. Examining the charity sector as it emerges from the pandemic, it is a comprehensive look at the main findings from the various reports and data sources available, highlighting the key facts, figures and trends, and what they mean for individual organisations. Areas covered include economic and resourcing trends, income generation data, governance, and risk insight. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been hundreds of reports looking into the impacts of the changing climate as well as emerging trends, however for many charity leaders whose time is more precious than ever, it is simply not feasible to read through them all. As a result, Harwood carried out this report, saying: “Whilst there is nothing new in this report, it aims to consolidate and compare findings from over 80 data sources about the current state of the charity sector, and future trends affecting its sustainability and viability. By pulling together some of the most credible, insightful publications and projections I hope to make it easier for you to identify areas of consensus and emerging trends. I’ll also highlight any notable outlier opinions or forecasts.” The full report can be downloaded for free from the By the Waves site.

Bath Spa have been delighted with the success of their internship schemes since their original conception in 2020. Last academic year they launched the Third Sector Internship programme where students had the chance to develop key skills, experience and employability whilst directly supporting the growth of charities, social enterprise or a CIC. This year they will once again be offering you the opportunity to advertise an internship, between 80-120 hours to help support your organisation. This internship could be supporting your organistions growth or you may have a specific project in mind. Although these internships are not required to be paid at national minimum wage, we are able to offer the successful student an Employability Award of £1,000 to go towards their work with you. This Award will be paid directly to the student. Interested? Here’s how to get involved: If you would like to get involved with Bath Spa Works: Internships - Third Sector Internships, please complete this Employer Proposal form (click here for form) with an outline of your internship details. This form will be submitted to the Placements Team to review and approve if deemed appropriate so please be as clear as possible as this will help us shortlist. We will be in touch with next steps and further details if/when your proposal has been approved.

Over the next few months, Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council, the NHS, Third Sector Organisations, Voluntary Groups and all partners of the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) are working together to develop a new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for B&NES. An important step in this process is hearing from residents, health professionals, Council staff, volunteers and third sector employees who live and work in Bath and North East Somerset via a survey that is now live on the Council website. This work is being done to put in place the right components to make sure more people living in Bath and North East Somerset are able to live healthy and well for as long as possible. We would really like to hear what is important to you and or the people you work with to keep healthy and well. The survey is short and should take less than 10 minutes to complete: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/joint-health-and-wellbeing-strategy-consultation For information about the survey in alternative formats, or if you have any questions, please contact the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Team by emailing us at healthandwellbeingstrategy@bathnes.gov.uk. The survey closes on Monday October 31st, 2022.

Are you a #VCFSE organisation, interested in working with your local health and care system? Would you like to better understand the #NHS as a marketplace? The West of England AHSN has a free online training video available below for VCFSE organisations, where the Deputy Director of Innovation and Growth, Alex Leach, attempts to demystify some of the complexities of the health and care sector and detail the support available to VCFSE organisations when thinking about working with NHS organisations. Feedback: "This was a very comprehensive seminar which really helped me to understand the complex NHS procurement minefield and how best to navigate through it." - Neil Baker, CEO Independent Living Centre, Semington.

As organisations try to return to a normal working practice in Bath and North East Somerset, the question of office space becomes increasingly important. For CEO's and trustees, having a dedicated office space is essential for maintaining a professional image and ensuring that meetings can be conducted in a quiet and confidential environment. However, office space can be costly, and many charities are finding it difficult to justify the expense. As a result, many CEO's and trustees are sharing office space or working from home. While this arrangement can save money in the short term, it can also create problems with privacy and communication. In order to foster a thriving third sector, it is essential that adequate office space is available for them. The first step is work out the amount of space needed. To give you an idea on how much office space you really need, this article provides a handy guide: https://www.freeofficefinder.com/article/how-much-office-space-do-you-really-need. If you are a charity, community group or social enterprise looking for office space in Bath and North East Somerset, then please do contact us by emailing contact@3sg.org.uk as we are currently lobbying for more space to be made available for organisations. Also, don't forget if your organisation is a 3SG member, then you can check out our BaNES Community Venue Directory by visiting our resources page. You'll need to make sure you're logged in or if you don't have a profile then you can create one here: https://www.3sg.org.uk/newuser

A new government scheme will see energy prices for non-domestic energy customers such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations cut – protecting them from rising energy costs The government will work with suppliers to reduce wholesale energy costs – and the significant rises in bills that businesses have seen. This support is in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee for households, with further measures today to strengthen support for families across the United Kingdom, including those in rentals or park homes. Through a new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households. It will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial 6 month period for all non-domestic energy users. The savings will be first seen in October bills, which are typically received in November. As with the Energy Price Guarantee for households, customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme to access the support. Support (in the form of a p/kWh discount) will automatically be applied to bills. To administer support, the government has set a Supported Wholesale Price – expected to be £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas, less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter – which is a discounted price per unit of gas and electricity. This is equivalent to the wholesale element of the Energy Price Guarantee for households. It includes the removal of green levies paid by non-domestic customers who receive support under the scheme. The level of price reduction for each business will vary depending on their contract type and circumstances: non-domestic customers on existing fixed price contracts will be eligible for support as long as the contract was agreed on or after 1 April 2022. Provided that the wholesale element of the price the customer is paying is above the Government Supported Price, their per unit energy costs will automatically be reduced by the relevant p/kWh for the duration of the Scheme. Customers entering new fixed price contracts after 1 October will receive support on the same basis those on default, deemed or variable tariffs will receive a per-unit discount on energy costs, up to a maximum of the difference between the Supported Price and the average expected wholesale price over the period of the Scheme. The amount of this Maximum Discount is likely to be around £405/MWh for electricity and £115/MWh for gas, subject to wholesale market developments. Non-domestic customers on default or variable tariffs will therefore pay reduced bills, but these will still change over time and may still be subject to price increases. This is why the government is working with suppliers to ensure all their customers in England, Scotland and Wales are given the opportunity to switch to a fixed contract/tariff for the duration of the scheme if they wish, underpinned by the government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme support To view the full outline, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses

The public consultation on the English portion of dormant assets funding has officially commenced. This will determine how nearly £740m worth of new money for good causes is to be spent. The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)* is making a submission to the consultation on the Dormant Assets Fund – on how money from this fund should be used in the future. The consultation is seeking views on continuing existing streams: youth, financial inclusion and social investment wholesalers; the inclusion of community wealth funds as new stream [that would provide long-term endowment funding for social infrastructure]; and new streams that could be funded. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-english-portion-of-dormant-assets-funding/consultation-on-the-english-portion-of-dormant-assets-funding Please contact jill.hopkinson@navca.org.uk if you would like to share your views. *NAVCA is a national membership body specifically for local sector support and development organisations such as 3SG (also known as local infrastructure) in England.

Charity Digital as always has brought out a super helpful guide on 'How to create the perfect digital strategy' through judging current capabilities through a skills audit, conducting user research, establishing goals, and writing and editing. They have produced a helpful 1-hour webinar on this topic which you can watch below. Alternatively, head to their news article here where you can read a step-by-step breakdown of the process you need to undertake in order to write and implement a digital strategy. The key steps are: What is a digital strategy? What are the benefits of a digital strategy? Understand your starting position Keep track of digital trends Define user needs Establish your goals Actually write the strategy Review, revise, re-write

Localgiving have put together a useful article to help charities write effective copy in just six essential steps. There's no need for long fancy words or a degree in English Literature to produce insightful copy for your charity, instead, considering the below tips when planning your content will be sure to help you hit the mark. 1) Know Your Audience The first tip to get the ball rolling is perhaps one of the most important questions you must ask yourself before you put (virtual) pen to paper...'Who are you writing for and why?' Think about your demographic, your target audience, and what motivates them to engage with your content? Keeping your copy in line with the needs, wants and interests of your target audience will ensure your copy stays relevant and tangent-free, and that your readers stay engaged with your charity. 2) Engage and Incorporate Real Life Stories The power of relatability and emotional engagement cannot be underestimated, so make sure to find opportunities to tie in real life examples and harness the power of human stories. A memorable and simple story that suitably encapsulates your charity and its aims can do wonders for bringing a piece of copy to life. Including quotes from those in the story is also greatly helpful for bringing trust and credibility to your message. By incorporating real life stories into your charity's copy, you will have a much stronger impact on your readers. 3) Take Care When Choosing Statistics Don't be tempted to throw in all the statistics you have into your copy, be selective and confident in their meaning first. Too many statistics can be overwhelming, but when used wisely, they showcase a deep understanding of the issues raised and the impact of your charity's work. 4) Keep it Short and Simple When you're passionate about the cause, it's all too easy to get ahead of yourself and pour both your heart and all your knowledge into your writing. But this can be off-putting for readers, and you can lose their attention with lengthy pieces. Be selective and concise and include only the necessary information. 5) Your Headline Matters Just as you put thought and effort into writing effective charity copy, so should you think wisely about your headline. This is the first thing your readers will see, and it has to be eye-catching enough to draw them in in the first place. Localgiving recommends that your starting point should be to follow the ‘4 R’s’: Urgent, Unique, Useful, and Ultra-specific. 6) Think About When To Add Your Call-to-Action Planning the structure of your copy is important and will naturally change depending on the context and topic; there is no one-size-fits-all! You may want to instil a sense of urgency by positioning your call to action at the very start of the article, or you may need to build a strong argument for your cause first. Either way, it's vital to think about when in the text it will be most effective, and thus when your reader will be most receptive and engaged to act. Try to make your call to action as specific and persuasive as possible, so your readers are motivated to rise to the call, rather than lost in an overly-descriptive chunk of writing. To read Localgiving's six tips in more detail, click here.

Nominations have opened for people to champion individuals, businesses or organisations who deserve recognition for their positive contribution to Bath and North East Somerset. Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched its 2022 Community Awards and is encouraging residents to start nominating. This year there are seven categories and the winners will be invited to a special event hosted by the Chair of the Council, Councillor Shaun Stephenson-McGall, where a tree will be planted at a special ceremony this autumn in recognition of their achievements. Nominations are now open in the following categories: The Peter Duppa-Miller Award - named in honour of Peter Duppa Miller who sadly passed away in 2015. Peter was an extremely committed person who dedicated much of his life to serving his community and was an advocate for the rural communities and parishes across the area. This year we are recognising parish and town councillors who go above and beyond to support their community. The Awards will recognise a Parish Councillor and Town Councillor and the contribution made by councillors in their local communities. Category 2 - The Beryl Dixon Community Leader of the Year - recognising a paid employee or volunteer of a charity who has shown outstanding leadership. This Award has been named in honour of Beryl Dixon MBE, who sadly passed away in 2017. Beryl was an advocate for the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Communities and promoted equality in all the groups and services she championed. She laid the foundation for BME groups in Bath and across the South West. Category 3 - Charity of the Year - this award will recognise an organisation with charitable purposes that supports residents and the community of Bath and North East Somerset. Category 4 - Volunteer and Young Volunteer of the Year - these awards recognise volunteers who have shown the most outstanding contribution to the community. Category 5 - Volunteer Team and Young Volunteer Team of the Year - these awards will recognise a volunteer team which has made an outstanding positive contribution to the community. Category 6 - Carer and Young Carer of the Year - recognising an individual or couple, including special guardians, who have supported or cared for a family member or friend. This is an opportunity to highlight and reward individuals who support and care for children and adults every day across Bath and North East Somerset and go the extra mile. Category 7 - Green Business Leader of the Year - this award will recognise a business that has shown leadership in helping to tackling the climate emergency and has contributed to our aim of achieving carbon neutrality across Bath and North East Somerset by 2030 and supported their customers to lead lower carbon lives. You can nominate by using this online form link or downloading the word document from their website. If you need assistance with your application, please contact Mark Hayward 01225 396975 mark_hayward@bathnes.gov.uk. The closing date for nominations is 5pm, Thursday 29 September 2022 with the award ceremony planned for early November.

The GSK IMPACT Awards provide funding, training and development for charities doing excellent work to improve people’s health and wellbeing. The awards are funded by GSK and managed in partnership with The King's Fund. They are open to registered charities that are at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income of between £120,000 and £3 million. This year the GSK IMPACT Awards have moved to a two-stage application process. Deadline for Stage 1 applications is 5pm on Thursday 1 September 2022 > View the guidelines and access the application.