Strategy without Tears Workshop
22 October, 2013
The
workshop ‘Strategy without Tears’ was organized by Faith in Community Dundee at
Central Baptist Church. Its aim was to give faith community members an insight
into effective but simple planning processes derived from business models,
which would eventually assist in the identification of priorities and the
successful delivery of these priorities.
A total of 16 people attended the event, with participants from
Regeneration Areas like Menzeishill, Douglas, Mid Craigie, Kirkton and
Downfield.
The
trainer for the workshop was Brian Porteous. Brian emphasized that a good
strategy has to be really simple,
highlighting the importance of unpacking any strategic planning into relevant
and workable forms. He spoke about the fundamentals of developing strategies
and having a better understanding of vision
(Where we want to get to), goals
(What we need to deliver) and action (What
we are going to do). Action Plan must be S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant and time-bound) so that one can check on progress, Brian
added.
The
participants were encouraged to look beyond ‘now’ and visualize where they want
to be in five years’ time in terms of their goals and vision. Brian underscored
the value of working collaboratively with members of a church or group to
achieve synergies, growth and ownership of the vision. Effective engagement can
ideally be achieved when wide involvement is sought before decisions are taken
and where discussions are made ‘early and often’, he mentioned.
The
photos of the event are available online on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.702457159784154.1073741828.548872068475998&type=3
Fit for Funding Workshop
6 November, 2013
Fit
for Funding is an interactive training designed to equip people with the skills
necessary to put together good applications for funding. It’s aimed at people
who have an interest in fundraising or for securing long-term stability for a
project or piece of work. Based on the model developed by the Transformation
Team in Glasgow, Faith in Community Dundee organized this training on November
6, 2013 at Kirkton Community Centre.
The first session emphasized effective planning and
communication as key requisites to any successful fundraising. A group may have
a real and convincing issue and a really good idea to tackle it – but they will
not get funded if they are not well planned and can convince funders that
they’re worth investing in. The participants were also provided with a Project Planning Checklist – a handy
summary of information they may need to provide to the funders and demonstrate
that they know how to run their organization.
The second session looked at planning for
fundraising – identifying sources of funding, ways of raising funds,
considering ethical issues and writing a funding plan. The participants explored what ethical considerations
might be needed to consider before planning any fundraising for e.g. accepting
funds from proceeds of gambling, alcohol sales or production and so forth. The
last session dwelled on exploring what makes an application successful. Developing and
maintaining productive relationships with funders was highlighted.
The
photos of the event are available online on our Facebook page:
Understanding your Community Workshop
21 November, 2013
A
workshop was organized in collaboration with the Transformation Team (part of
Faith in Community Scotland) on November 21, 2013. The workshop was aimed at
helping faith groups and other organizations understand their neighbourhood and
community better.
The
first session ‘Getting to know your community’ emphasized becoming aware of the
existing facilities; as well as weaknesses and strengths within a local
community. This session highlighted: the importance of doing community research
, accessing right sources of information, understanding the ‘Asset-based’
approach and doing a mapping exercise to discover how local people view their
community.
The second session ‘Making sense of
statistics’ used different websites to gather statistical information and its
usefulness in knowing local areas better, as well as strengthening any funding
applications. This session highlighted: ways in which profiles and statistics
can be used, use of Data Zones and Intermediate Geography areas (using Google
earth) and use of various websites to access information.
The
last session elaborated on the different methods for gathering information, use
of the appropriate methods and design of questionnaires to carry out research
in the community. This session highlighted: attitudes and ways of gathering
information, top 10 tips for questionnaire design and carrying out the survey.
It also underscored the importance of health and safety issues while doing
surveys in the community.
A
practical guide to community-led action research developed by the Scottish
Community Development Centre is available online:
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