Supporting and championing York’s VCSE sector
York’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector is at the heart of everything we do. We support and champion our members and the wider VCSE sector by providing information, advice, training, networking opportunities and by representing the sector at a strategic level.
During 2022-23 we worked with York’s VCSE sector in the following ways to provide organisations with the latest information, learning and tools to support their work with local communities in York.
What we did in 2022-23…
Communications
4 Members’ Update newsletters were sent to our 302 Full Members and 27 York CVS Supporters to share the latest updates and resources to support their work.
12 Voluntary Voice newsletters were published and sent to over 1,300 people; sharing news, updates and resources to support, connect and champion York’s VCSE sector.
236 news articles, volunteering and job opportunities from York’s VCSE sector were featured in Voluntary Voice to showcase the sector’s work and to connect the sector with the work of other organisations.
70 blog posts were published on our website on behalf of York’s VCSE sector to shine a spotlight on their work.
217 local VCSE sector jobs were promoted through our free jobs board to help organisations reach a wider audience to recruit from.
72 people attended our specialist Cost of Living Crisis: Support in York event which brought the sector together with City of York Council, funders, health services and local businesses to share what activities, information and advice was available across the city to support our communities.
Funding and development
Throughout 2022-23 we provided one to one advice and guidance to over 332 local charitable organisations to support their development. Information and guidance was provided on a range of topics, from finding funding opportunities, looking at different legal structures to connecting with other groups, business planning and volunteer management.
We organised 18 information and training sessions for the sector which attracted 247 attendees from 179 VCSE organisations. The sessions covered a range of subjects including:
- Being the Best Trustee
- Putting Human Rights into Practice
- GDPR and Data Protection
- Hate Crime Awareness
- HMRC: VAT and Gift Aid
- Making Your Website Digitally Accessible
- Supporting Diversity
- Finance and Budgeting for Grant applications
We were able to provide this support to the sector thanks to funding from the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Representation
We represented the sector on 9 strategic boards, including the York Partnership, York Health and Wellbeing Board and the Children’s Adults Safeguarding Board, to ensure the sector has a voice in how local services are planned, developed and run in York.
With our members, we established the York VCSE Assembly to connect with the newly formed Integrated Care System, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, to position the sector as key partners in the planning and delivery of health and care in York. We held 8 meetings bringing 180 representatives from the VCSE sector together to ensure the sector is involved, contributes and benefits from the changes. Find out more about the York VCSE Assembly and join our next meeting here.
Working in partnership
Partnerships are vital to supporting our work and to making positive changes across our city. We work collaboratively with our members, with the wider VCSE sector and with strategic system partners including City of York Council, Primary Care Networks and Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.
Recognising the VCSE sector’s contribution during the pandemic
We worked with the Lord Mayor’s office on a programme to recognise and thank VCSE organisations for their contribution during the pandemic. 38 VCSE organisations were nominated and were awarded a Lord Mayor’s ‘Certificate of Thanks’. 12 organisations were also invited to the opening of the refurbished Guildhall in May 2022 to be presented with their certificates.
Thank you so much again for your time and each of the follow up emails. So incredibly useful and more opportunity to make a difference here which is ever welcome and exciting.
– Age UK York
Thank you very much for all your support! We looked through all the supporting resources and have submitted our proposal for a small grant.
– Sunflowers Kids Club
Thank you so much for your time and wisdom.
– Central Methodist Church