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I can't believe we are in November already! I started my Advice Worker Part-Time role with The GIO Project in August. I am really enjoying learning and working with voluntary organisations and charities. I have attended most of the training that The GIO Project have delivered over the past couple of months, including: Business Planning Training, Marketing Training, Wordpress Training and more. I am looking forward to the new year with new training dates, a new office (we move in December) and meeting lots of new people.

The Gio Project Team

I had a real light bulb moment yesterday...

The Gio project held a workshop last week at Merci to find out what effects third sector organisations are feeling due to the downturn and what support they might need to get them through this difficult time.  Watch out for the photos on Flickr as soon as I manage to download them. Some of the key points raised were that organisations found it difficult to say that there had been an increase in demand due to the recession as demand was already too great to cope with in the f

It was announced today that the Volunteer Brokerage Scheme section of the government's £42.5 million support package has shrunk by £2 million. This means that the overall amount of targetted funding to help third sector organisations through the recession is just £40.5 million.

Have a look at the Third Sector Review's article about it:

http://thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/897963/2m-less-promised-Governments-third-sector-action-plan/ 

My first blog! Exciting.

Have you heard about the new recession-busting support package that the government has put together to help voluntary and community organisations through the economic downturn?

As an outcomes champ, I am currently running training on using an outcomes approach with Kairen Smith from Bolton CVS.  Yesterday was the first session that took place in Bolton.  Four organisations attended and really seemed to take something useful from the training.  An outcomes approach is so much more than just a tool to try and get more funding.  I do feel however that outcomes are taking over my life and I am starting to dream about them lol!

Wordpress Assistance   Wordpress Workshop

On the 4th March (yesterday) we held a Wordpress web design workshop in partnership with MDDA.  It was a great event and the MDDA staff provided the voluntary orgs with great information starting at the basics and including lots of useful hints and tips. By the end of the day most organisations had created some sort of web presence.

2009: fireworksThe VAM office would like to wish everyone the best for 2009 and we look forward to working with many of you over the coming months.  After a well deserved holiday we are all happy to be back and working hard.

Why blog?  

 Hmmmm....there really are lots of reasons to blog particularly for non-profit organisations but there are equally a large number of issues to think about before you do. 

The obvious reasons why you should be blogging are to help engage people with your group and to disseminate information.  Essential considerations before you start blogging include who will be writing the blog, what software will you use and what type of content will you be putting in the blog.

twitter screen: Screen shot of the twitter websiteYou may have noticed that VAM have recently become fully fledged members of the twitter community.  You can find more out about the benefits of twitter in our resources section or by clicking here.

I'd like to say thanks to all those who have passed on their appreciation that 'VAM is back'. And also thanks for the compliments about our newly designed & developed website.  From the feedback we have received so far you seem to like it.  Please feel free to drop me a line (hannaht@vamanchester.org.uk) if you do have any comments or suggestions and I'll see if I can implement them.   

If you missed the Gio Project Launch here is a little sample of the events that took place.  It was on the 30th October 2008 at the Zion Centre. 

I must add a big thank you to Drum Roots, MaD Theatre Company & Full Circle Arts for their colourful & vibrant performances. 

After lots of organising a a little bit of stressing the Gio Project launch was a great success! 

Click on the image below to see the rest of the photographs from the event!

Claire A & Claire D: Claire A & Claire D putting up picutes 

Rob Arnold: Rob Arnold - VAM Director

So much to do and so little time!  

Both Claire's have been out of the office a lot recently visiting groups, making contacts, eating cake and generally familiarising themselves with Manchester's voluntary sector. I've mainly been bunkered down in the office teaching myself how to upload content onto our website using drupal and finishing off the design for VAM News.