Action Planning

Listed Places of Worship Scheme VAT refund survey If you care for a listed place of worship, we encourage you to complete a new Government supported survey about the VAT refund scheme, which refunds VAT spent on repairs and alterations to listed places of worship. The scheme has been running for many years but it has been guaranteed only until March 2026, and a cap has been introduced from April 2025. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has commissioned Harlow Consulting to evaluate the scheme, with a survey for places of worship to complete. This is a chance to influence the DCMS towards contining the scheme beyond March 2026. Go to the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eMMhzVmi It takes 15-20 minutes to complete and the deadline is Tuesday 25th March. To help you plan your answers, Historic Religious Buildings Alliance have extracted the questions into a pdf, which you can download here: https://lnkd.in/efiQXDNA

Congratulations to ACEVO for another excellent event this week. Laura Treneer and Anja Batista Sonksen had a fantastic day representing Action Planning at #ACEVOFest, despite our exhibitor stand not turning up. Our improvised stand drew a lot of attention, proving the allure of the unorthodox, so much so that some of our fellow exhibitors wondered if we'd kept it deliberately lo-fi to encourage conversations. Whatever, it worked! As Jane Ide OBE HonDUniv, CEO of ACEVO, said, "This is what consultants do: come in to a challenge and create a different solution…" We had some great discussions with many of the charity CEOs on their most pressing issues, and funding was top of their list. And from the powerful 'Leading through challenge' panel discussion, these were our key takeaways: - Act fast, get help in, take action, put people first - Ask: How resilient is our income? - Advice: Take action earlier - Give up perfectionism and get a shield of help (coaching and professional help) - Put out ideas and get everyone to tear it up and put it back together again This is what we do as consultants. Get in touch to chat about how we can help your charity excel. #charity #nonprofit #notforprofit #thirdsector

What happens when your stand doesn't turn up for a big event? You improvise. Here's Anja Batista Sonksen with our spur-of-the moment solution at #ACEVOFest. Turns out that no stand can be a most excellent conversation starter 🙌. Who knows – it might catch on! (Chocolate helps too.)

There are just a handful of tickets left to our Faith and Fundraising Conference on 26th March. If you're planning to come but haven't got round to booking yet, we advise you to do it now to avoid disappointment. It's quick and easy. https://lnkd.in/eicEV9rh #faithandfundraising25

As part of our sponsorship of ACEVOFest2025, ACEVO’s annual conference for charity leaders (March 4-5), we're running one-to-one online advice surgeries on: Improving your governance arrangements Developing your strategic plan Diversifying your fundraising income Building your marketing activity The recruitment or HR challenges you face Your performance and impact measurement Book your slot here https://lnkd.in/eFPRcnHZ or through the Action Planning page on the ACEVOFest app. Book your place at ACEVOFest here: https://lnkd.in/gkHwxByc #ACEVOFest

Grant funding is a crucial income stream for many charities, but competition is tough. What if you could get inside the minds of funders for five minutes and hone your approach to bid writing accordingly? The answer: You can – thanks to this week’s Top Tips for Charities from Sean Tully and Action Planning – ‘How to hone your grant fundraising strategy – 5 lessons from the funders’. ✅ Strong, visible leadership ✅ Understanding other players and the potential for collaboration ✅ Wider themes such as ED&I and climate change They’re just some of the things funders are looking for evidence and awareness of in winning bids. 👉 Read Sean’s insights in full – and share them with your fundraising colleagues and peers here: https://bit.ly/3QkfnCS Have a great week! #charity #charities #nonprofit #thirdsector #fundraising #grantfunding #finance #CharityFinance #bidwriting #CharityIntelligence

We recently finished a piece of work for ShareAction, a charity with a mission to harness the power of the financial system to tackle big environmental and social challenges through responsible investment. Our role? To deliver a range of workshops that would enable and equip their managers to be able to effectively manage their teams in pressurised situations. Why us? They liked our flexible “pick and mix” module approach to training. Read the case study: https://lnkd.in/e5hEnwGF #charity #nonprofit #hr #training

Action Planning celebrated with Stewardship yesterday the launch of their Generosity Report for 2025, exploring #Christian giving in the UK. This is just one of the findings on what regular church attenders give to: - 93% give to their church - 82% give to Christian charities - 71% give to secular charities - 51% give to Christian workers The research showed that the more committed someone is to their Christian faith, the more likely they are to give, both to secular and Christian charities. Read the report in full here: https://lnkd.in/eDEh4DH3 And come to our Faith and Fundraising event with Stewardship on 26th March to find out more! #generosityreport #faithandfundraising25

The Faith and Fundraising conference is an opportunity for Christian church and charity leaders to come together in person for training, inspiration and insight from those who understand both the church and fundraising. Join Action Planning, Yeomans and event sponsor Stewardship on March 26th in London, to ask questions to a panel of funders and grant-making trusts, to learn from new research, to get equipped through seminars and stories and to network over food and an exclusive drinks reception. Tickets are selling fast, so head to https://lnkd.in/erWXbVrf to find out more. #faithandfundraising25

Having had time to digest the new Employment Rights Bill, Action Planning’s HR lead, Tracy Madgwick, picks out the most important actions charity leaders need to take in order to remain compliant. #employmentrights #hr #charity