0333 321 3021

FacebookYouTubeFlickrTwitter

Blog

23 Oct 2014 - 12:25 by michelle.foster

Wikipedia defines Open data as ‘…the idea that certain data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control.’

So in plain English we have published data which you can use for whatever you like!

We’ve very pleased to be releasing our data on groups on our database, volunteers that are registered with us and grants awarded through our Reducing Social Isolation grants programme.

What can you find?
You can find the number of groups registered on our...

Shared Topic Areas

22 Aug 2014 - 15:00 by Mike Wild

Four weeks to go and the Spirit of Manchester Festival is building up nicely.

Below is a Google Map of all the venues and events in the Spirit of Manchester Festival. It's my hope that over the next few weeks, we'll see more and more markers on this map. Wouldn't it be great if we could cover the city? If you're a local voluntary sector group and you've not yet got involved, there's still time. Just go to our festival webpage www....

11 Aug 2014 - 13:57 by miriam.belfield

 Out of the many reasons I applied for an internship, probably the one I dwelt on most was the fear of being unprepared for the real world come summer 2015 when I graduate. As I scrolled through available opportunities nothing appeared to spring out at me and I had almost become resigned to the fact that I would return home for the summer in search of any sort of employment that would tide me over till September. That was when I discovered the Spirit of Manchester Internship, a new initiative that was looking for someone to organise a Festival to celebrate the voluntary work that goes on...

31 Jul 2014 - 13:40 by Mike Wild

One of the things I love most about working in the voluntary sector is that if you have a really good idea you can generally find a way to make it happen. It might take a while – things like our State of the Sector and Civil Economy work were on my wishlist for years before we were finally able to publish the finished work. But sometimes you can be taken by surprise at how fast you can go from the idea to it actually happening.

Back in January...

19 Jun 2014 - 10:26 by Mike Wild

In the last few weeks, we’ve seen announcements of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service and the Birthday Honours. Of course I always check these to see if any local people or groups have won recognition for their work and it’s been great to see Manchester well represented. Here’s a quick list

Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2014

Abraham Moss Warriors
https://localgiving.com/charity/...

Shared Topic Areas

4 Jun 2014 - 13:18 by Mike Wild

I’ve just come back from being on the BBC Breakfast sofa talking about volunteering. As is always the case with these things, it’s all very rushed and last minute and it’s over in a flash. Actually that’s one of good things in a sense because it gives you less time to panic! It was a great opportunity to fly the flag for volunteering in the middle of Volunteers Week and to talk about the sheer wealth of volunteering which happens in Manchester, as one exampleof the amazing work of volunteers across the whole country.

I talked about the 94,000 volunteers who give their time in...

7 May 2014 - 13:55 by Nigel Rose

In part 1 of this article I sketched out some issues to consider when taking into account evidence of past performance in decision-making about funding. In part 2, I attempt to provide some answers.

It would be easier if there was a simple right way to approach the problem - a set of rules about what to do - but commissioning of services is usually fairly messy. It is an attempt to reconcile and balance competing sets of views and priorities using available evidence in a critical and...

23 Apr 2014 - 19:35 by Mike Wild

I've not added anything to my blog for ages - lots of ideas but no time to write them up properly! Anyway, I'm delighted to be posting this guest blog by Katy Goldstraw, Manchester Met Student. Katy is currently working on a PhD thesis on the impact of austerity on the voluntary sector and is working with Macc to talk to local groups and share her findings. You can access her research here http://bearingwitnessadultsocialcarevcsmanchester.wordpress.com/

Mike

 

I will be using sustainable...

Shared Topic Areas

14 Apr 2014 - 14:45 by Nigel Rose

There are two common complaints I hear from voluntary sector organisations about procurement (grants and contracts) from public bodies.

The first is:

"Why isn't good performance rewarded and recognised?"

"We've done a good job, we've exceeded out targets and/or delivered more than we said we would yet this doesn't seem to make any difference when it comes to the next round of funding!"

The second complaint is the other side of the coin.

"Why isn't poor performance punished?"

"We (and everyone else) knows a certain...

Shared Topic Areas

27 Jan 2014 - 15:12 by Mike Wild

Before Christmas, Mike Wild (Chief Executive of Macc) and Nigel Rose (Macc’s Strategic Lead on Commissioning) met with Geoff Little (Deputy Chief Executive of Manchester City Council) and Carol Culley (Assistant Chief Executive, Finance and Performance).  We wanted to discuss the impact not just of the next wave of public sector cuts but the prolonged effects of recession. We also wanted to explore the Council’s views on how the voluntary and community sector can rise to meet the challenges faced by the communities in Manchester.

What follows is not a report of our...

Pages