performance hub magazine

issue #6 summer 07

Get creative
Fostering a creative culture p. 5
Make the most of complaints p. 12
 

The Performance Hub works to help third

HUBS
sector organisations* (TSOs) achieve more.

(*charities, voluntary organisations, Performance Hub

community groups and social enterprises) |020 7520 2540
Infoline: 0800 652 5787
Our vision is of high performing TSOs "info@performancehub.org.uk
having a positive impact upon the lives www.performancehub.org.uk
of millions.
Finance Hub
Our overall aim is for improved third |020 7832 3016
sector performance, and performance to be "financehub@cafonline.org
an integral part of the third sector’s agenda. www.financehub.org.uk

Four specific aims contribute to this Governance Hub

overall aim: |020 7520 2514
"governance.hub@ncvo-vol.org.uk
• To increase TSOs’ awareness of the www.governancehub.org.uk
benefits of focusing on performance and
improve their ability to use performance ICT Hub
tools and approaches. |020 7520 2509
• To increase and improve the performance "ictresources@icthub.org.uk
support offered to frontline organisations www.icthub.org.uk
by local, sub-regional, regional and national
infrastructure of all types Volunteering Hub
• To develop a more relevant, more effective |0121 633 5534
and more accessible knowledge base "volunteeringhub@volunteeringengland.org
about third sector performance. www.volunteeringengland.org.uk/aboutus/volunteeringhub
• To strengthen the two way relationship
between funders and TSOs on Workforce Hub
performance issues. |020 7520 2490
"workforce@ukworkforcehub.org.uk
For more information see our website at www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk
www.performancehub.org.uk

The Performance Hub is a partnership. Charities

Evaluation Services (CES) is the accountable
Achieve More
body. CES and the National Council for
Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) are joint lead Editor: Julie Pottinger |020 7520 2587 "editor@performancehub.org.uk
partners. CES is a company limited by guarantee. Distribution: Kate Damiral |020 7520 2540 "subscribe@performancehub.org.uk
Registered in England and Wales no. 2510318.
Design and production: Public Life |07843 058485 "mike@publiclife.co.uk
Registered office: 4 Coldbath Square, London,
EC1R 5HL. Registered charity no. 803602. Contributors: Kate Damiral, Linda Joy Mitchell, Richard Piper, Diana Quay, Jackie Sully
Editorial board: Richard Piper, Tim Wilson
The Performance Hub is funded by
Copyright: While the Hub makes every effort to ensure the information in this newsletter is accurate,
Capacitybuilders through the ChangeUp
we accept no responsibility for any errors or issues that may arise from its use. © NCVO 2007.
programme.
 

performance hub magazine

WELCOME
And now for something a little different.
Rather than focus on a particular
approach to performance improvement,
in this issue of Achieve More we’re
exploring the theme of creativity.

Each article takes a fresh look at our

day to day working lives and offers a
few suggestions for how to release the
untapped potential and creative flair
within our organisations. From how to
embed a creative ethos, to making the
most of our conversations and using art
to express your vision, we hope you’ll
be enthused to try something new.

We’re even doing a little experimentation

ourselves, with a light-hearted fictional tale
reflecting some common concerns and
frustrations about writing that business
plan, and finding help along the way.

What do you think?

"editor@performancehub.org.uk
Next issue: Marketing (out Sept 2007)

Kate Damiral
Acting Communications Officer

IN THIS ISSUE

News in brief 4

Fostering a creative culture 5

Beyond brainstorms 8

Express your vision 10

How to... deal with complaints 12

Creative advice 14
 
NEWS IN BRIEF

New tools Hub services

Measuring quality in
public service provision
The Office for National Statistics is working with the
University of Kent, NCVO and others to develop
effective but user-friendly methods to measure and
assess the quality of public services. In particular, the
project aims to find ways to evaluate the added value of
public services provided by the third sector. A tool will
be developed for commissioning authorities to directly
compare the performance of public services delivered
by third sector, public and private providers. It will be
designed to reduce the administrative burden on service
providers by concentrating on essential services only.
Performance Hub
widens its topic areas
In 2007-2008, the Hub will be offering guidance on
three additional areas: getting ready to focus on
performance; market research into user needs and
communicating success; and operational planning.
Download the Performance Hub business plan 2007-
2008: www.performancehub.org.uk/businessplan0708

NCVO will be establishing a network of third

sector organisations to feed into the process.

For more details, contact Oliver Reichardt,

Research Officer at NCVO, |020 7520 2548,
"oliver.reichardt@ncvo-vol.org.uk

Compact scorecard
The Compact scorecard has been developed to help
charities and local authorities assess how well they
work together. The new tool helps the two sectors to
improve their relationship by measuring their progress
in several key areas. It contains 12 questions covering
performance in governance, communication and training.

Download the scorecard:

www.compactvoice.org.uk/C2B/document_tree/
ViewACategory.asp?CategoryID=23

Supporter engagement
Virtual ideas tree
Macmillan Cancer Support has developed an online ideas
tree to ask supporters what they think cancer care should
be like in ten years’ time. Visitors can post ideas onto the
branches as well as view and rate existing contributions.
A participant at a Hub training session
View the tree: www.futurecancercare.org.uk
 
FOSTERING CREATIVITY

Fostering a
creative culture
Jackie Sully investigates the benefits of thinking outside the box

What is creativity? A creative organisation is open to change and is happy

Creativity is a hard word to pin down. A creative thinker
is a must in any forward looking team; but who wants
to work with someone who is creative with the truth?
Perhaps the word ‘creative’ captures the wider qualities
of being ‘flexible’, ‘imaginative’, and ‘unconventional’?
to try new or different ways of working and providing
services. To reach its potential, it needs to be mature
enough to acknowledge, and even embrace mistakes and
failures, accepting them as one of the keys to learning and
improvement.
 
FOSTERING CREATIVITY
“A creative
organisation
is comfortable
with its own
potential”
Why creativity matters
New ideas can lead to better services
Getting the creative juices flowing can produce exciting
possibilities which could help you do what you do even
better. It can also lead to more effective working so you
can achieve more, without necessarily doing more.
Getting into shape
Considering alternative approaches and doing a bit of
experimentation can help keep your organisation fit for the
future. Being flexible, open to change and willing to learn
from experience is invaluable for all organisations, and gets
you ready to face whatever’s round the next corner or
further down the road.
A creative team is a happier team
Making sure that individuals in your organisation are
encouraged to be creative and have the space to champion
their own ideas is a great motivator and an effective way
to keep team members engaged. Sharing the responsibility
for exploring new ideas also makes it all less of a burden
and can strengthen team identity along the way.
Creativity is good news
Being known as a creative organisation is a great
advert for an outfit comfortable with its own potential.
Everyone likes to be associated with projects which have
a reputation for innovative and high quality services.
They take pride in contributing to success, and are likely
to champion your cause and defend it in tough times.
“Discover what
talents you really
have in-house”
Getting creative
So how do you get your team into this creative state? It’s
never just one single task or action and it’s as much about
attitude as anything else.
It’s important to make sure that everyone in the organisation,
including its supporters, understands why the organisation
exists and what it is trying to achieve. Starting a ‘can do’ culture
is a challenge. It’s about promoting solutions. Encouraging
staff and volunteers to think about things that can and will be
achieved relatively easily (quick wins) is a good place to begin,
and small successes can lead to big ones. Dreams have to start
somewhere and once the spark’s lit, people can get really fired
up by being part of a forward thinking organisation.
Stakeholders
Involving external stakeholders and inviting them to contribute
suggestions and ideas is a great way to demonstrate a culture
of openness and an ability to think outside the box.
Leadership
Leadership is essential in creating a confident organisation
and it’s important to make sure that the ‘top team’ (whether
trustees, staff or volunteers), generate an environment that
promotes openness, confidence and trust. This enables people
to exchange views and creative ideas without worries about
stepping out of line or leaving themselves open to blame.
Risk taking
Being creative also requires an element of risk taking, as do
all new services or working practices, and this requires a
strong and confident board.
Space for innovation
Managers need to make sure that room for innovation in
service delivery isn’t stifled by over-tight performance
indicators1. Creativity becomes much more difficult if you
only focus on your planned outputs2 and outcomes3. And
you might not notice or think to investigate the unexpected
developments or outcomes that occur.
Investment
Encouraging creativity can be both time consuming and
challenging, particularly if you are introducing completely
new approaches into your team’s working life. Things
definitely won’t happen overnight and there may be plenty
of nervous moments. But the end result is usually well
worth the investment of time and energy. And of course,
the process of embedding a creative attitude into your
organisational culture is never really complete because the
creative possibilities themselves are endless.
 

“The end result is usually

well worth the investment
of time and energy”

Jackie’s top tips for

fostering creativity
1. Induction
Never underestimate the importance of induction, for
everyone. Spend time on what the organisation does and
what it’s trying to achieve. Talk about the organisation’s
‘unwritten’ rules – “the way we do things round here”. These
often go unmentioned but have a huge bearing on the culture
of an organisation.

2. Breadth
Allow people (new and not) to spend time in different parts
of the organisation to give them a better feel for what you
are aiming to achieve.

3. Language
Carefully consider the language you use. For example,
‘planning’ and ‘training’ can seem off-putting to some people
if they have had negative experience of these activities
in the past. Try to avoid clichés and management speak
and use more fun ways to describe things if you can.

4. Managing risk
Make sure that the board is a partner in creativity and also
has a clear understanding of its role and responsibilities, not
to restrict the creativity, but to make sure that governance
and risk management are not being compromised or
overlooked.
5. Sharing
Share information, news and challenges as widely
as you can. Give everyone the opportunity to offer
comments and ideas. Remember that beyond your team
there are external advocates and champions who can
bring a useful outside perspective often for free!
6. Hidden talents
Discover what talents you really have in-house. A skills
audit across the whole organisation, including talents not
directly work-related, could reveal some wonderful surprises.
Putting them to good use can be a fantastic boost for
the person involved – and your organisation wins too.
Learn more
1 Performance indicator: well-defined and specific
pieces of information that tell you if your planned
outputs and outcomes are actually happening.
2 Output: an activity, service or product you provide.
3 Outcome: a change, benefit, learning
or other effect your organisation brings
about as a result of its outputs.
See Achieve More, issue 4, autumn 06 for more
on outputs and outcomes, available free from
the Infoline |0800 652 5787 or as a pdf:
www.performancehub.org.uk/achievemore4
 
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS
Beyond
Brainstorms
“That’ll never work round here.The committee
just won’t stand for it.” Another idea squashed
before we know if it was destined to be a weed
or a flower.
We don’t mean our words to have a crushing effect, but
these sorts of negative casual remarks in meetings or
informal chats, can stop us from doing things differently.
Our conversations are so much more than an exchange
of information; they shape how we see the world, how
we behave and what we accept as possible. Because the
words we use are so powerful, we need to pay attention to
them, and the spirit with which we use them. Many of our
conversations could benefit from a healthy dose of creativity.
Creative conversations open up new opportunities, inspiring
us to find better ways of doing things. By their very nature
they are chaotic and produce lots of possibilities only some
of which will ever have real potential. But we have to get
better at giving new ideas a chance to thrive in the first place.
Anxiety
Creativity is all about change, which always involves some risk.
Change can sometimes make us feel anxious and nervous, but
it’s important to stretch ourselves and imagine the unknown.
Controlling our own personal reactions to change and risk is
an important step to having more creative interactions with
other people.You might worry whether people will join in,
but if you start slowly, perhaps by stepping outside of your
comfort zone for just one meeting, you will almost certainly
reap some rewards. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Be more informal
Reduce the formality of some of your meetings. Some truly
inspirational conversations stop dead the minute an agenda
hits the table. Reduce the number of agenda items by half
to give some space to the discussions you don’t usually have
time for.
Linda Joy Mitchell suggests
some ways to make our
conversations more creative
Be more personal
Encourage people to speak from their hearts rather than
saying the things they know might be most ‘polite’ or ‘politic’.
Have open discussions about the organisation’s culture,
values and beliefs. Ask what matters, then ask why it matters.
Nurture ideas
Ban killer phrases like ‘yes but’. Insist on ‘yes and’ instead.
Appoint a ‘watchperson’ to challenge anyone who cuts short
an idea. Use a red flag or a party popper to highlight killer
comments with humour.
Play more
Build creative games and exercises into meetings.You could
use a standard dictionary in your brainstorm sessions. When
discussions get stuck, randomly select a word from the
dictionary and try to relate the discussion to that word. For
example, how does service delivery relate to zebras?
Change your perspective
Try to look at things in another way. Reverse the problem,
change its scale or size, add or take something away. Look at
it through another person’s eyes, for example a service user.
Be more positive
Choose to only focus on the positive and the exciting for
at least part of the meeting. Many of us spend far too much
time analysing (and bemoaning) our problems and failures,
and far too little identifying positive achievements. Encourage
people to tell stories about the best things they have done
and what happened as a result.
“We have to get better
at giving new ideas
a chance to thrive
in the first place”
 

“Change your perspective. Try

to look at things another way”
I magine
‘Vision the future’ by asking people to imagine a time when
everything they wanted to happen was happening. What
would it be like, how would it feel?
Try to feed your creative conversations and ideas into
concrete decisions and action plans. Not all your ideas will
take off, but remember to keep everyone who was involved
in the initial discussion informed about your progress. Use
an external facilitator if you need a hand to get started,
or talk to other organisations about how they do it.
Listen
Finally, to have really effective creative conversations you
also need to listen really well. Remember to be aware
of your own emotional response to ideas. Others might
also have a creative point and it might just be your own
reaction that is getting in the way of that eureka moment.
Learn more
Here are Linda’s recommendations:
Breakthrough Thinking for Non Profit
Organizations: Creative Strategies for
Extraordinary Results, Bernard
Ross and Clare Segal
“A good read on creativity and
performance improvement.”
Six Thinking Hats, Edward De Bono
“A fun introduction to different meeting
styles and thinking methods.”
www.performancehub.org.uk/publications
 10
PERFORMANCE GALLERY

Express your vision

Participants at the Performance Hub ‘Creating
Success’ conference (Dec 06) produced drawings,
sculptures and poems to capture something they
wanted to take away from the day – perhaps a
thought about their organisation’s culture, some
learning from the workshops, or a vision for
the future.
A few of the artworks are shown here and we’ve asked their
creators to tell us a little bit about what inspired them. As
these examples show, releasing your inner artist can help
tease out and sum up a key issue for your organisation.
As well as capturing important ideas for your own sake,
images can be a powerful way to share your thoughts with
others. Explaining your artwork out loud can be a great
way to start off a creative conversation (see p. 8 for more
pointers). Imagine the discussions these pieces will have
inspired!
Why not grab that pencil and paper and have a go? Or take
a tub of play dough along to your next away day or trustees
meeting. Who knows what exciting ideas might emerge?

David Cash, Director of the

Sheppard Trust, a sheltered housing
provider, explains how one of
the conference presentations
really resonated with him. “The
speaker challenged the blandness
of consensus management, the
reluctance to be different and
to question the way things have
always been. Managers sometimes
need to be creative and innovative.
Creativity, the speaker suggested,
was the seeds of a new idea;
innovation was making it happen.”
Thinking about his role as a senior
manager prompted David to draw
this gardener watering seeds.

David Cash
 11

Margaret Ajibode from the

Hackney Women’s Forum, an umbrella
network of around 40 local women’s
groups, says about her drawing, “What
I was trying to show is that the
Forum has the potential to become
a flagship organisation through the
creative ideas and support from its
members and other stakeholders.”

“I drew this pot of ideas with a flag

flying above it to represent how
we need to develop our structure
by embracing new ideas so that we
become an efficient and effective
service provider, leading the way for
our members. The question marks are
the challenge for us to stay open to
new potential, and the strings leading
to the flag are the links between ideas
and our aims and objectives.” Margaret Ajibode

“Images can be a powerful

way to share your thoughts”
Amanda Wheatley of the Carers
Association, Southern Staffordshire
says “I chose to create a closed
chain in play dough made up of
individual links to demonstrate how
each role within the organisation
where I work is linked.”
“The trustees, administration staff,
outreach workers, learning and
leisure team and carers young and
old, all need to work hand in hand
with each other to achieve the best
outcomes. Each link in the chain
is valuable, enabling a successful,
reliable service to be provided.”

Amanda Wheatley
 12
COMPLAINTS

How to...

Make the most

of complaints
Afraid of criticism and complaints? It seems powerful learning experience. The creative act of stepping
many organisations are. When the Charity into someone else’s shoes can reveal problem areas
Commission carried out recent research it you’ve previously missed or forgotten. It can reveal some
discovered only a third of 300 charities surveyed exciting ideas for making your services even better.
had any formal system for handling complaints.

This means that many are unlikely to be prepared for “Stepping into
dealing with problems and could be missing out on valuable
opportunities. someone else’s
Taking time to think through a complaint can be a great shoes can reveal
way to inject some creativity into your organisation.
Although negative feedback about your projects can problem areas you’ve
sometimes be upsetting and de-motivating, reflecting
on what’s been said about your organisation can be a previously missed”
Adapted with permission from a Charity Complaints Forum article ‘Complaints Procedure Management – a quick and low cost way to Quality Services in the charity sector’.

A simple but structured complaints process means you
can encourage feedback and dialogue in a positive way
and challenge misunderstandings. It can also give you an
excellent source of data for monitoring and measuring
your organisation’s performance, for defining quality and
for improving the way you do things. Complaints are free
feedback. And if the person who complains feels listened
to and is treated well, it can actually enhance your
organisation’s reputation.
“Complaints are
free feedback”
Getting started
Setting up a complaints procedure needs commitment from
senior management, followed by basic training for staff and
volunteers so that your approach will be consistent and
reliable.
It’s a good idea to define what will be covered by the
procedure so staff know when a response is required.
Complaints, compliments, comments and other feedback all
need action. These all provide valuable information about the
way your service is working and are well worth gathering.
You could set out a plan of action for handling feedback,
showing target timescales for resolving complaints and
how problems will be escalated if necessary. Think about
whether there needs to be a clear first point of contact
for complaints and how progress will be tracked and the
outcome recorded. Complaints aren’t just made in writing,
so consider how to record negative phone calls or face to
face conversations. For example, you could provide simple
record sheets by each phone or at reception, for staff to
note down key information.
Managing expectations
It is good practice to advertise your procedure so that people
feel confident they will get a good hearing and a fair outcome.
You may want to outline your process on your website, at
reception and in key publications.
A speedy resolution is always best. But if delay can’t be
avoided, make sure the person making the complaint is
kept informed on progress. It’s a good idea to check the
details of the complaint at the outset and to confirm what
the desired outcome would be from the complainant’s
13
point of view so that there are no misunderstandings.
If the complaint is well founded, a fair response is
normally a letter of apology, detailing what action will
be taken to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
Ensure your staff and/or volunteers realise they should
listen calmly, sensitively and fully to complaints and
resist the common tempatation to become defensive.
If any of your team are the subject of complaints,
make sure they too are listened to equally – and are
included in the process of resolving the issues.
Make it clear that no abuse, violence or intimidation will
be tolerated (whether verbal or physical) and that these
sorts of behaviour will not be handled through the formal
complaints procedure.
Creating solutions
Responding in a timely and helpful way is only the first
step. Use the complaint to learn about problems and
implement solutions, so that things improve. Discuss
issues arising from complaints regularly at your staff
meetings. An open acknowledgement of problem areas
will often help to defuse tensions, encourage everyone to
develop creative answers and avoid apportioning blame.
Consider undertaking a review of all feedback received,
say every six or twelve months. This can also help you spot
bigger trends or patterns in the complaints or feedback.
Provide these summaries to your trustees, and ask for their
comments.
Learn more
The Charity Complaints Forum (CCF)
provides support and information, highlighting
best practice and helping charities share
new ideas and methodologies.
CCF Facilitator Jane Mason
"janem@girlguiding.org.uk
‘Cause for Complaint? How charities manage
complaints about their services’
Charity Commission research report RS11
|0845 300 0218
www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/
publications/pdfs/rs11text.pdf
 14
STORY TIME

Creative advice
The tall tale of the project co-ordinator, the development worker and
the business plan or how my CVS helped my organisation get creative

I had a funding deadline a few weeks away and the funder

wanted a business plan included with the application. I
needed something ready to present to my trustees the
following week!

I must admit, I’d always been confused about what a business

plan actually was and what it should look like, and with the
clock ticking, I felt I didn’t really have the time to find out just
then. But a friend suggested I ask the local CVS (council for
voluntary service) for a standard business plan that I could
slot my own information into. So I rang the CVS and spoke
to Selima, a development worker, who said she could offer
me a half hour slot.

When I arrived, Selima was initially reassuring about the

tight deadline, but when I asked if I could have a business
plan template she said “No”, which made me start to worry
about getting the application to my funder in time.

Selima told me I wasn’t the first person to ask for a template:

“Sometimes people ask for a copy of someone else’s plan to
work from, but you have to create your own business plan”.

Selima could see I needed some advice to help me meet my

deadline. She suggested I start to think about what a business
plan was for, and how it could help my charity, not just my
funder. But I still wasn’t confident I could write a good plan
by myself and was concerned about how much time it might
take. It was getting late and I left, feeling a bit frustrated.

But over breakfast the next morning I decided to go and see

Selima again.
“What I
This time we had a longer chat. We talked about the purpose
of business planning: setting out the case for a project, the
needed
needs we plan to address, what we will actually achieve and
by when, and how much it will cost.
was not
We discussed the project’s aims, and listed the things that
what I was
might derail the project and what we could do to keep it
on track.
demanding”
 15

“Selima helped us Selima demystified the jargon and asked me some tough
questions about the project’s outcomes – what was going

put a bit of creative to change as a result of our work – and she gave useful
suggestions for how to describe these in the business plan.

sparkle into the She did give me some key headings for a business plan, but

application” I saw that there was no set way of producing one: it should
be our plan, not a standard document to be rattled out just
to get funding. It could be any shape or size, and didn’t even
have to be just a paper document. Selima also suggested that
I should get my trustees and other people from the project
involved in putting the plan together.

The board and I wrote the document together, using some

of Selima’s headings. The experience really made us think
about where the organisation was heading. We included with
the plan some home video footage of the highlights from our
community days and we even added a poem that Don, who’s
now moved on from the project, wrote for us as a thank you.

All this effort paid off. We got the money and also some
great feedback from the funder, who said how much they
liked our application.

Creating our business plan in a group, especially against

the clock, brought the project team together in a big way.
Selima had helped us become more confident about business
planning, which meant we were able to put a bit of creative
sparkle into the funding application.

Selima also helped me personally to appreciate how

important it is for a busy manager like me, to give enough
time to meaningful planning. I was glad she had challenged
me, and dared to show me that what I needed was not what
I was demanding.

I regularly use the skills I learned in that first session, and

since then I’ve done some training on planning with the CVS.
The help I’ve been given has had lasting impact and that
project has been a great success!

Learn more
The Getting Support section of the Hub’s
website provides an overview of support
available at local, regional and national levels:
www.performancehub.org.uk/gettingsupport
 Future Focus 1:
What will our
funding be like
in five years’ time?

p third
anges
ese
FREE
s of
inside th
is issue
possible

essful

al
ormation
head.

Future Focus 1
What will our funding be
like in five years’ time?

Introducing the first in a series of guides to

help third sector organisations think about
likely changes in their external environment
and how these changes could affect them.

All organisations can become more

successful by spending some time improving
their understanding of the likely future
external pressures they will face and using
this information to help make strategic
choices and plan ahead.This guide aims to
help you do this.

Also available as a pdf:

www.performancehub.org.uk/futurefocus1
Do you want to achieve more? performance hub magazine
issue #6 summer 07
Sign up to the Active Network today to receive:
• this free quarterly magazine in future Future Focus 1:
• the Performance Hub’s free monthly email bulletin,
covering news, resources, events and training opportunitites.
What will our
funding be like
Yes, we want to achieve more About your organisation
in five years’ time?
I want to join the Performance Hub active How would you describe your
network. Your details: organisation?
Future
(Please tick all categories that apply)
Name
Focus 1
Charity or voluntary W ha t w ill
organisation
Job title
our funding
be like in five
Community organisation
Organisation Social enterprise years’ time
?

Organisation for black/minority

FREE
Address
ethnic communities
This is the first in a series of guides to help third
Faith organisation sector organisations think about likely changes
Organisation serving a rural
in their areaenvironment and how these
external
changes could affect them. A good analysis of
Local/sub-regionaltheinfrastructure
inside th
is issue
future does take time, but it’s not impossible
Postcode organisation (eg CVS)
and shouldn’t be seen as a luxury.
Regional infrastructure organisation
All organisations can become more successful
Email by spending someorganisation
National umbrella/infrastructure time improving their
understanding of the likely future external
Specialist infrastructure organisation
pressures they will face and using this information
Phone
Statutory funder to help make strategic choices and plan ahead.
This guide aims to help you do this.
Privacy statement Other funder
CES, NAVCA and NCVO, the Hub’s delivery partners, will use this information to:
Consultant
Future Focus 1
• monitor interest in the Performance Hub
• notify you of performance related news, events, resources and services. Other (please specify)
Your details will not be shared with third parties and you can choose to stop receiv-
ing information at any time.
What will our funding be
like in five years’ time?

Get creative
Introducing the first in a series of guides to
Yes, we want to achieve more About your organisation
help third sector organisations think about
I want to join the Performance Hub active How would you describe your
organisation? likely changes in their external environment
network. Your details:
(Please tick all categories that apply) and how these changes could affect them.
Name

Job title Charity or voluntary organisation

Community organisation
All organisations can become more
successful by spending some time improving
Fostering a creative culture p. 5
Organisation Social enterprise
Address
Organisation for black/minority
ethnic communities
their understanding of the likely future
external pressures they will face and using Make the most of complaints p. 12
Faith organisation this information to help make strategic
Organisation serving a rural area
Local/sub-regional infrastructure
choices and plan ahead.This guide aims to
Postcode organisation (eg CVS) help you do this.
Regional infrastructure organisation
Email National umbrella/infrastructure organisation
Also available as a pdf:
Specialist infrastructure organisation
Phone
Statutory funder www.performancehub.org.uk/futurefocus1
Privacy statement Other funder
CES, NAVCA and NCVO, the Hub’s delivery partners, will use this information to:
• monitor interest in the Performance Hub
Consultant
• notify you of performance related news, events, resources and services. Other (please specify)
Your details will not be shared with third parties and you can choose to stop receiv-
ing information at any time.
  15
The Performance Hub works to help third
sector organisations* (TSOs) achieve more.
(*charities, voluntary organisations,
community groups and social enterprises)
Our vision is of high performing TSOs
having a positive impact upon the lives
of millions.
Our overall aim is for improved third
sector performance, and performance to be
an integral part of the third sector’s agenda.
Four specific aims contribute to this
overall aim:
• To increase TSOs’ awareness of the
benefits of focusing on performance and
improve their ability to use performance
tools and approaches.
• To increase and improve the performance
support offered to frontline organisations
by local, sub-regional, regional and national
infrastructure of all types
• To develop a more relevant, more effective
and more accessible knowledge base
about third sector performance.
• To strengthen the two way relationship
between funders and TSOs on
performance issues.
For more information see our website at
www.performancehub.org.uk
The Performance Hub is a partnership. Charities
Evaluation Services (CES) is the accountable
body. CES and the National Council for
Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) are joint lead
partners. CES is a company limited by guarantee.
Registered in England and Wales no. 2510318.
Registered office: 4 Coldbath Square, London,
EC1R 5HL. Registered charity no. 803602.
The Performance Hub is funded by
Capacitybuilders through the ChangeUp
programme.
“Selima helped us Selima demystified the jargon and asked me some tough
questions about the project’s outcomes – what was going
put a bit of creative to change as a result of our work – and she gave useful
Do you want to
achieve more?
suggestions for how to describe these in the business plan.
sparkle into the She did give me some key headings for a business plan, but
application” I saw that there was no set way of producing one: it should
be our plan, not a standard document to be rattled out just
to get funding. It could be any shape or size, and didn’t even
HUBS
have to be just a paper document. Selima also suggested that
I should get my trustees and other people from the project
Performance Hub involved in putting the plan together.
|020 7520 2540
Infoline: 0800 652 5787 The board and I wrote the document together, using some
"info@performancehub.org.uk of Selima’s headings. The experience really made us think
www.performancehub.org.uk about where the organisation was heading. We included with
the plan some home video footage of the highlights from our
Finance Hub community days and we even added a poem that Don, who’s
|020 7832 3016 now moved on from the project, wrote for us as a thank you.
"financehub@cafonline.org
www.financehub.org.uk All this effort paid off. We got the money and also some Kate Damiral
great feedback from the funder, who said how much they Performance Hub
liked our application.
Governance Hub
|020 7520 2514
FREEPOST WC4530
"governance.hub@ncvo-vol.org.uk Creating our business plan in a group, especially against Regent’s Wharf
www.governancehub.org.uk the clock, brought the project team together in a big way. 8 All Saints Street
ICT Hub
Selima had helped us become more confident about business
planning, which meant we were able to put a bit of creative
London N1 9RL
|020 7520 2509 sparkle into the funding application.
"ictresources@icthub.org.uk
www.icthub.org.uk Selima also helped me personally to appreciate how
important it is for a busy manager like me, to give enough
Volunteering Hub time to meaningful planning. I was glad she had challenged
|0121 633 5534 me, and dared to show me that what I needed was not what
"volunteeringhub@volunteeringengland.org I was demanding.
www.volunteeringengland.org.uk/aboutus/volunteeringhub
I regularly use the skills I learned in that first session, and
Workforce Hub since then I’ve done some training on planning with the CVS.
|020 7520 2490 The help I’ve been given has had lasting impact and that
"workforce@ukworkforcehub.org.uk project has been a great success!
www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk
Kate Damiral
Performance Hub
Achieve More FREEPOST WC4530
Editor: Julie Pottinger |020 7520 2587 "editor@performancehub.org.uk Learn more Regent’s Wharf
Distribution: Kate Damiral |020 7520 2540 "subscribe@performancehub.org.uk 8 All Saints Street
Design and production: Public Life |07843 058485 "mike@publiclife.co.uk
Contributors: Kate Damiral, Linda Joy Mitchell, Richard Piper, Diana Quay, Jackie Sully
The Getting Support section of the Hub’s
website provides an overview of support
London N1 9RL
Editorial board: Richard Piper, Tim Wilson available at local, regional and national levels:
Copyright: While the Hub makes every effort to ensure the information in this newsletter is accurate, www.performancehub.org.uk/gettingsupport
we accept no responsibility for any errors or issues that may arise from its use. © NCVO 2007.