Annual Review 2013/14

ACOSVO provides a great opportunity to meet like-minded peers on my doorstep

Membership is about me as an

individual rather than the organisation I

work for

Good networking opportunities in the sector where I have worked for 8 years

Charities can always learn better practice from each other...and sharing

ideas goes a long way

ACOSVO increasingly offers good value for money

ACOSVO is a unique, member-led forum for Chief Officers and Senior Staff in the third sector in Scotland.

We promote excellence in leadership and management and are member-led in our management through our Board and in practice through on-going dialogue with our members.

We have an exclusive focus on current and emerging leaders within the third sector, offering an environment where leaders can network and connect with other leaders to learn from experiences and share good practice.

Our growing community of members come from a wide range of organisations and for them we provide professional development and peer networking opportunities through a range of events such as discussion dinners, master-classes, round tables and conferences. The topics of our events range from strategic leadership to good governance to communication and employee engagement - our themes reflecting what our members feed back to us.

We also offer a range of services that include: peer mentoring, a cross-sector Leadership Exchange Programme plus a wide range of exclusive member benefits.

ACOSVO’s membership has grown year-on-year for 10 years and is now at 320 members (March 2014).

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Message from the Chair

Ian McLaughlan

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Against a back drop of continuing austerity and significant change, it is essential that ACOSVO continues this growth, connecting and developing ever more Chief Officers and Senior Staff whilst shaping the future of our Third Sector. As members I encourage you to play your part by attending the events you have asked for, giving feedback in the Annual Survey and post-event evaluations, particularly if they have not met your high expectations. But above all, if you are enjoying what ACOSVO does, tell your peers and introduce them and their networks to the very significant benefits of ACOSVO membership.

ACOSVO membership remains as relevant today as it ever has been

As leaders of third sector organisations, we are fortunate to have roles with real purpose and impact which give us great pleasure and satisfaction. That said, we are only too aware that in such positions it is easy to feel isolated and alone, particularly when times are hard or when difficult decisions have to be made. Therefore, I feel passionately about the vital role ACOSVO plays in supporting Scotland’s third sector leaders.

New members highlight the need for networking and peer support in a confidential space, a platform from which to share expertise and knowledge, space to reflect on good practice and learn from others, and of the need to be inspired by other leaders.

Existing members stress ACOSVO membership provides opportunities to build networks and connect, gain support and advice, as well as providing leadership development and learning opportunities.

It is therefore apparent that ACOSVO membership remains as relevant today as it ever has been.

Over the past 12 months, I am delighted that ACOSVO has grown internally and externally, made significant strides towards excellence in delivery and continued to increase member satisfaction, whilst further enhancing its reputation across the Sector.

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ACOSVO capacity expand still further, enabling us to take forwardmany more exciting initiatives. Key among these will be the ability to build on emerging issues and opportunities within the membership, translating these into events – dinners, round tables and seminars that will give you the opportunity to debate the main issues with key players and policy makers across the sectors.

After 10 years as Chief Executive, I am very proud to see ACOSVO growing and connecting increasing numbers of third sector leaders, and becoming an essential tool through which to harness leadership development, peer support and good practice sharing. I am confident ACOSVO will be here for you when you need us. I look forward with great enthusiasm to the next stage of our journey.

I am very proud to see ACOSVO growing, and connecting increasing numbers of

third sector leaders

Message from the Chief Executive

Pat Armstrong

The foresight of the Board, hard work of the staff and support from many partners have combined to ensure ACOSVO continues to achieve what you, the members want – support for an increasingly successful third sector.

Over the year I am delighted to report increased membership and event attendance, improved satisfaction and increased quality of events, whilst maintaining value for money. Highlights have included our ‘Dare to Dream, Work to Win’ Annual Conference and inaugural Members Day, which judging by your attendance and post event comments will become a popular fixture in the ACOSVO event programme. With support from the Scottish Government, after running a successful pilot scheme we have formally rolled out the Leadership Exchange Programme, where sector leaders can gain an insight into the different cultures, languages and opportunities of your counterpoints in the public sector. After working through the ‘skills for growth’ programme, I am delighted ACOSVO has gained IIP accreditation - being immersed in this process has driven significant change, internally and externally, and has been an essential part of ACOSVO’s journey toward delivering excellence in leadership and management.

Looking ahead, I am very hopeful that additional support will see

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Scottish Leaders Dinners

Scottish Leaders Dinners are kindly supported by RBS and have been held in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Themes have included: ‘Public Services, Communities and Constitutional Change’; ‘Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief!’; ‘Authentic Leadership - Amplifying Your Voice’; ‘10 Steps for Charities and the Indy Ref.’

These dinners continue to be extremely popular.

ACOSVO Through the YearIn 2013/2014 ACOSVO....

Continued to increase membership year on year – welcoming an additional 53 members

Delivered 56 events helping 1014 leaders network and gain new skills

Had 84% of events rated as ‘excellent’ or ’very good’ by delegates

Facilitated 12 Leadership Exchange opportunities for 24 third sector and public sector leaders

Improved ACOSVO processes through gaining Investors in People level 1 accreditation

Introduced an on-line event management process to improve member event booking process

Offered 6 Regional Network events across Scotland which focused on supporting leaders in their local areas

Master-Classes

We have continued our successful master-class series of events, also kindly supported by RBS. This year’s theme looked at ‘Strategic Leadership.’

Topics included:

Strategic Thinking Strategic PlanningStrategic ActionStrategic Management

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Mentoring

Our popular mentoring service using trained, volunteer mentors continues. All the mentors are leaders of third sector organisations with a range of skills, interests and experience. Members use this free service to develop their skills in many areas, or to provide a focused opportunity to reflect on and plan for particular areas of organisational development.

BIG Lottery Project ‘Working in Partnership’

BIG Lottery support has enabled ACOSVO to review and analyse inter-sector partnerships to determine what information, advice, evidence and support is available and where it is stored.

The research highlighted that the majority of third sector organisations surveyed were already working in partnership in some form and required tools, models and resources to guide through collaborative working.

Leadership Exchanges

After a successful pilot programme, the ACOSVO Leadership Exchange Programme has been formally rolled out. This Programme is co-ordinated in partnership with Workforce Scotland, a Scottish Leaders Forum initiative. It seeks to pair leaders across sectors with the aim of improving leadership capacity.

An Exchange gives participants a different perspective on their leadership style and enables them to make essential connections in another sector.

Scottish Leaders ForumWorkforce Scotland

Regional Networks

The current economic climate provides an opportunity to help develop Scottish third sector leaders at local level. This 3 year project, currently at the end of year 1, provides funding to increase ACOSVO capacity to specifically target leadership support of community based organisations through the creation of ‘local’ Regional Networks. This support is targeted toward all Third sector leaders, whether ACOSVO member or not, through 8 Regional Networks: Highlands & Islands, North East, Forth Valley, Tayside, Edinburgh, Glasgow, South West and the Borders.

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Iain Forbes Scottish Mentoring Network

Sandy Farquharson The Marie Trust

Jane-Claire Judson (from 10/10/13) Diabetes UK Scotland

Meg Wright (from 31/10/13) Glasgow Council on Alcohol

Petra Biberbach (from 31/10/13) Planning Aid Scotland

Martin Sime (until 24/9/13) SCVO

Russell Hampton (until 31/10/13)TCV Scotland

Interns

Samo Varsik Lien Schoofs Kevin Hamilton

Andy DeyOperations and

Development Manager

Isla McCurrachOffice and

Finance Manager

Hannah Smith, Marketing and

Communications Officer

Board Members

Ian Findlay Paths for All Partnership

Steven Marwick Evaluation Support Scotland

Louise MacdonaldYoung Scot

Ian McLaughlan (Chair) Youth Scotland Jayne Stuart (Vice Chair) WEA Scotland John Wilkes Scottish Refugee Council

ACOSVO Staff

Volunteers

Winna Cooper Jody Rae Caroline Christie

Will CraigieLeadership Exchange

Co-ordinator

Pat Armstrong, Chief Executive

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Staff costs £142,702Project costs (not including staff) £8,418Events costs £20,028Admin/project costs £16,994Governance costs £2,723

Total £190,865

£142,702

£8,418

£20,028

£16,994

£2,723

Expenditure

£190,865

Financial Statement

Income

Grants £120,500Project income £31,809Events and conference £25,420Membership income £23,190Interest £542

Total £201,461

£201,461

£120,500

£31,809

£25,420

£23,190

£542

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Thanks to our Strategic Partners

ACOSVOThorn House5 Rose StreetEdinburghEH2 2PR

Charity No. SC030547 Company No. 211359

T: 0131 243 2755E: office@acosvo.org.ukW: www.acosvo.org.ukTwitter: @acosvoLinkedin Company Page: www.linkedin.com/company/acosvoLinkedin ACOSVO Members Group: bit.ly/linkedinacosvomembers

Thanks to our Funders