Between 15th – 31st March, easyfundraising are donating £100 each day to good causes in their online Egg Hunt. Every day, the egg will be hiding in a new spot on the easyfundraising website. Just crack the clues to find the egg for a chance to win £100 donation for your organisation each day and give them an entry to win a further £5,000 donation too. Read more
This week Birmingham City Council revealed that £300 million of cuts will be made to Council services in order to balance its 2024/2025 budget. BVSC CEO Brian Carr has assured the sector that BVSC is continuing to facilitate conversations with the Council to explore ways to navigate the challenges and minimise the impacts on our city's residents and community groups. Read more
More than 80 good causes have already signed up to the new Birmingham Community Lottery. Organisations ranging from youth initiatives, mental health charities and arts projects to community parks and friends groups have taken up the offer to give their fundraising a boost. It’s not too late for other causes to get involved as there’s no limit to how many can join. Read more
As part of our activity to help Birmingham enact the Vision for Volunteering, we have put together a variety of free resources, guides, top tips and templates. These resources will support you to attract, recruit and involve volunteers in ways that celebrate difference, enable collaboration and show appreciation to your volunteers for their incredible efforts. Read more
On 18th March we will be running the next event supporting embedding of the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector into Birmingham and Solihull’s Integrated Care System (ICS). The session will focus on the Launch of Fairer Futures Fund: City-wide Small Grants. This quarter's meeting is not split into localities but covers the whole of Birmingham. Read more
Voluntary organisations in our area have just received a share of £1.6m in easyfundraising donations, meaning they can update their facilities, buy new equipment, and improve their services. Through easyfundraising, 8,000 online retailers including Sainsbury’s, eBay, Amazon, M&S, Just Eat and Argos will donate money to your organisation. To find out more and receive funds in easyfundraising’s next #donationday in May. Read more
As of 15th February 2024, there are over 375 cases of confirmed and probable cases of measles across Birmingham. The majority of cases are unvaccinated, and most are children aged 10 or under. The most affected cases live in the areas of highest deprivation in Birmingham. All ethnicities are affected. Please note that the porcine free vaccine, Priorix, is available for those who do not accept pork products. Read more
Join us at our Engage for Funding Forum webinars in the run up to Easter when we'll have a fantastic line-up of topics and speakers. Join our mailing list and you'll receive regularly updates about forthcoming activities. Hope to see you soon! Read more
BVSC is delighted to welcome three new trustees to its board following an open recruitment process in December. Joining the Trustee Board are Junaid Akhtar, Ajit Singh Ubhi of Nishkam Civic Association and Andy Cave of Healthwatch Birmingham & Solihull. Read more
Birmingham City Council have issued a joint letter from the Leader and the Chief Executive to the city's Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise Sector. Read more
• Race Equality Week takes place from 5 – 11 February 2024 • 2024 Theme is #ListenActChange – because we all need to focus on action, change and impact, and not just words • Birmingham Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector Mini Race Impact Summit highlighted race inequality within the sector and the need for action – the Summit’s Draft Position Paper includes a Draft Action Plan to support this. Read more
Nominations for the 12th Community Inspiration Awards 2024 are now open. The annual Community Inspiration Awards is organised by the Community Foundation, to recognise outstanding contributions made by staff from public sector organisations, charities, businesses and members of the community, whose efforts have made a positive difference in the community. With 15 award categories to choose from, you can nominate somebody who you think deserves an award. Read more
Brum Bites Back! is the new campaign from the Food Justice Network (FJN). We want everyone in Birmingham to have access to food, and we’re asking citizens and businesses to help us in that aim, and bite back at food insecurity. Read more
On 25th May 2022 (second anniversary of the racist murder of George Floyd) BRIG hosted the first Birmingham Race Impact Summit and launched the development of a City wide “Birmingham 10 Year Race Equality Delivery Plan”. Read more
• Increase the diversity of your organisation’s board by signing up to the Three Year Board Challenge • Come along to the launch of the Challenge during Race Equality Week on 7 February, 5pm – 6pm • Join us in tackling race equality across Birmingham City! Read more
Book a call with an easyfundraising specialist for a chance to win a 100 pounds donation. They’ll answer questions, show you how the free platforms works and get you started. Register your organisation with easyfundraising + follow the steps to arrange a free call. Read more
Birmingham City Council issued a Section 114 notice on 5 September 2023 due to financial challenges. The notice was issued because the City Council cannot balance its 2024/ 2025 budget. Section 114 bans all Council spending apart from essential spend, protecting: vulnerable people, statutory services and pre-existing commitments. What does Section 114 mean for Birmingham’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector? Read more
More than 50 local good causes have already signed up with the Birmingham Community Lottery. From 28 February players will be invited to buy tickets in readiness for the first live draw on 30 March. There's no limit to the number of causes that can get involved and there's still time to sign up and be part of the launch. Read more
Support is available to households in Birmingham using funding from the Department for Work and Pension's Household Support Fund. Read more
As a society we spend an increasing amount of time shopping. We often hear about the negative impacts on the environment of overconsumption, but not the positive impacts that working with retailers can also have with regards to environmental issues. At the next Environment & Energy Network meeting we'll be joined by Annette Holman from Neighbourly Lab to explore how we can engage with local shops and supermarkets to support the environment and build further social connection in our communities. Read more
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Did you know that hundreds of travel companies including TUI, Booking.com, Lastminute.com, Haven Holidays, Expedia, Thomas Cook and Hotels.com will all donate money to your organisation when you and your supporters book with them? Read more
"As some in our sector are winding down for the Christmas break, and others are getting ready for a particular busy time of the year, I’m sure most of us will be reflecting on the year just gone and wondering about what lies ahead in 2024." Read more
In January BVSC will be running the next series of place-based events supporting the embedding of the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector into Birmingham and Solihull’s Integrated Care System (ICS). Read more