2024 - the road fortunately travelled

2024: the road fortunately travelled

2024 has been a year of change for me. I ended a four year period in charge of Catalyst in Stockton with a brilliant leaving do in the sun in July. That job was one of the best I’ve had and I worked with a lot of great people - if you were one of them, thank you! There was talk at the time of moving into retirement.

I then took the summer off, well about four weeks, and then moved into the world of governance. I’m now a Trustee of Refugee Futures and Stockton and District Advice and Information Service, Chair of Red Balloons, and a Director of Middlesbrough Mela CIC. What links all of them is that they exist to reduce inequalities. All of them rely heavily on volunteers, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the passion, commitment and amazing good humour that those people present to the world - and the integrity and dedication of the paid staff in those organisations. It’s humbling, inspirational, and to me the received message is that we are going to make the world a better place. Let’s do it!

I’ve also set my business up this year. Go to www.joncarlingconsultancy.com to find out more. I’m working about half-time and I’m delighted with the clients I’ve got. In the world of education I’ve worked for Tees Valley Collaborative Trust and Endeavour Academies Trust. In the sporting field I’m supporting Norton Sports Charity and Norton Sports and Leisure CIC. To help address poverty I’ve worked with the Hope Foundation and Furbd in Middlesbrough and Open Jar Well Being CIC in Stockton. The work has been around business development, budgeting, recruitment and there’s a common theme for all of them about identifying and bidding for funding to help them meet the community-oriented objectives they have set themselves. Thank you for the work you have given me - it’s much appreciated and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with you.

I've had fabulous free support from the folk at Triage and Like-Us to get the business off the ground - thank you! Also to Orange Box who run Tees Valley Expertise  , on which I carry the grand title of 'Expert'.

I’m also on the HealthWatch Board and the Police Joint Audit Committee - in both cases, they have a kind of watchdog role, working on behalf of the public to hold services to account.

I've learned that the term ‘retirement’ is open to interpretation. If you want to spend your time watching Loose Women and the like, you can. If you want to work, you can. If you want to try and use your skills and lived experience to support great causes you can do that too. If you want a portfolio that includes all of the above, you can do that too. That seems to be the path I’ve taken and it’s great.

 

Enjoy the festive period and have a great 2025! 

How to write a funding bid

I’ve been in business for a few months now and I’m pleased to say people are asking me to do work for them. Thank you!

It’s no great surprise, given that most of my clients are folk in the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, that the key thing people are asking me about is funding. 

Here are a few tips:

  • You can get amazing advice about the sources of funding that are available to you from your local infrastructure organisation. There’s a full list of them on the VONNE website . My old employer Catalyst, for example, has a grantfinder search tool on its website and they also offer 1:1 meetings to help you find your way through it
  • You have a good idea. Great. But remember funders are interested in what your beneficiaries want, so cast your bid as an answer to an evidenced local need, not a top-down idea
  • Most applications are submitted on-line, using the funder’s web portal. It will ask you some clear questions. Now, when you do a job application, you make sure that you show how closely you meet the criteria in the person specification, right? It’s the same with the funding portal - align your responses with with the funder’s criteria
  • Many funders will be happy to talk to you before you put the application in. Use this opportunity to find out what they’re looking for, how much you can realistically bid for, how far into the future your funding can last for, and to ask any other questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the naive questions - or you won’t know the answers! And speak to them, don't just email
  • Find out who else is working in the same area as you, delivering related services. A joint-bid can really attract a funder, who will be keen for their money to serve as many beneficiaries as possible, and for it to be used efficiently

Bidding for money is competitive, and none us get everything we bid for. Meeting the funder’s objectives is a great start!

I'm in business and it's great!

This week I've set up my own business and it feels great!

On Monday I registered with Companies House, checked what insurance I need, and how to register with the Information Commissioner. I put the final touches to my website, and met Steph from Triage - a Business Support Advisor. She was really helpful. I've also taken advice from my mate Paul who runs GDPR Assist , a successful business support consultancy. And that's it, I'm up and running.

I'm talking to a number of clients and there seems to be work to write bids for VCSE partners. I've done a lot of that for Catalyst and brought a fair bit of money into Stockton. I'm also talking to someone about producing a long-term strategy for their VCSE organisation, and to another one about enabling an existing project to continue after the current funding runs out. I'm in discussion about being an advisor to VCSE partners and others under a Government-funded support scheme. So there does seem to be scope for the business to take off, grow legs, and be a going concern.

Today's job is to produce a marketing plan, and this blog is part of it. Yesterday someone said to me that they found it really hard to identify someone to evaluate one of their projects. I would have been interested in that work, and I will be interested in other projects like it, and I have the experience to do a decent job, I modestly suggest. My challenge now is to make sure potential clients know that I'm out here, and available for work of this sort. I'd be really grateful for your advice about how to get myself known.

I'm at www.joncarlingconsultancy.com if you fancy a chat.

23 August 2024

Why I'm doing this

I find it very hard to believe, but after 38 years in the world of work I'm retiring in 4 weeks! I've been in the North East since 1999 and I'm completely at home here. I live in Teesside. My mother and her family came from South Tyneside. The North East is in my DNA.

I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do with my time. I want to make a difference. Some people have very kindly asked me if I want to be a trustee of their charity, and I will take some of them up.

I also want to walk extensively, probably starting with the Cleveland Way this summer. The Pennine Way remains a lifetime ambition, so that might be next year. I'm also a keen cyclist and I want to do more long-distance bike riding - bikepacking too, with the small tent on the rack on the back of the bike.

Back to making a difference. I've worked with some of the most deprived communities in the North East. I've seen the long-term consequences of closure of the mining idustry on the communities of the former Durham coalfield. I've seen families facing tough choices in urban Middlesbrough. And most recently I've worked with some brilliant charities in Stockton, really supporting local communities.

I don't want to turn my back on this work because it's really important. I can write bids, do research, produce strategies, engage with communities. There's more on my homepage. If you think I can help you make a difference to the communities you work with, please contact me on: joncarlingconsultancy@gmail.com 

23 June 2024