Voluntary Support North Surrey
ANNUAL REPORT 2020/2021
Voluntary Support North Surrey (VSNS) is an independent charity that supports approximately 1,500 voluntary and community organisations within the North Surrey Boroughs of Spelthorne, Runnymede and Surrey Heath. The Charity has three offices located in Camberley, Chertsey and Staines. Indirectly we serve the needs of circa 300,000 Surrey residents.
Key Achievements
Youth Volunteering
Befriending Services
Vacination Centre Support
Fundraising
This annual report describes the work of the Charity including achievements in the reporting period: to ensure financial transparency the report also includes a statement of financial activities and an independently produced examiner's report.
www.voluntarysupport.org.uk
VSNS
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
Building on successes of supporting the residents with Covid vaccinations, VSNS received accolades and praise from Spelthorne Borough Council and Surrey's Lord Lieutenancy on behalf of the work of Voluntary Support North Surrey and local third sector organisations. We continued to support two Integrated Health Partnerships with the recruitment and management of volunteers. In Surrey Heartlands this resulted in 10,597 shifts and 42,388 volunteer hours and in Surrey Heath 5011 shifts equating to 20,044 volunteer hours.
Volunteering: charities have suffered from loss of volunteers during the pandemic and VSNS has focused efforts to help promote and recruit volunteers. We have hosted training on communication and social media messaging to boost the charities' skills and supported 12 organisations with website designs.
Volunteering figures for the year were once again enhanced by the public’s continued favourable response to the coronavirus pandemic. In total VSNS were directly responsible for the recruitment of circa 1500 volunteers across three Boroughs.
hours of volunteering 62,432
During the year, VSNS developed its targeted approach in the form of proactive work with selected organisations. This new approach was in reaction to increased pressures on certain voluntary groups post Covid. This led to the submission of a National Lottery bid to further strengthen work with charities.
Volunteer recruitment initiatives have been successful and our use of social media is helping us to widen our reach. We are concentrating our efforts on strengthening charity leadership and focusing on the training needs of trustees, good governance and sharing good practice.
Since our inception, VSNS has placed emphasis on working with businesses and through the year we have successfully enabled circa 55 organisations to engage with local charities. In this period 30 businesses sent teams of volunteers to 41 corporate volunteering events, a total of 450 volunteers took part in volunteering days.
1.Funding support
Capacity-building for voluntary sector groups represents the core business of VSNS and is achieved through a number of initiatives and projects.
VSNS offers excellent funding advice and training to new and existing organisations which has been successfully adapted and is now delivered both face to face and virtually as required.
We have had a number of successes in helping groups with their fundraising strategy and applications and in total supported 200 organisations with their fundraising. We are delighted local groups have successfully received considerable funds in the order of over £500,000 from a number of national trusts and grant givers. We contributed £18,000 from our two local funds in Runnymede and Surrey Heath. In addition, there are now two active funds in Spelthorne and we have a seat on the Spelthorne panel helping to support local groups with grant funds.
Received by local groups £500,000
2.Governance
VSNS provided training on charity law and governance as well as forums and networking events which are proven to be effective at encouraging and enabling voluntary sector organisations to support one another and build sustainable capacity at a local level.
Over the year the Charity supported trustees and boards from more than 1,000 organisations. One-to-one tailored charity training has been delivered and individuals and groups have been supported in making applications to the Charity Commission. We have been working with the Young Trustees Movement to identify ways of encouraging young people to become trustees and welcomed a young person to our own Board.
We will continue to put emphasis on recruiting young trustees.
3.Training
VSNS’s free training programme was developed and adapted to include more topics and for delivery using digital technologies. The training available includes: grant and trust application writing, digital fundraising and legacy fundraising, volunteer management, volunteering and the law, social media and charity law. We use feedback forms to regularly develop and improve the training and have documented the content so that the knowledge base is available to all employees and can be delivered by a number of individuals should the need arise.
4.Social Media and Website Support
VSNS believe that a digital presence is an essential part of successful fundraising and engaging supporters and volunteers. We have supported a dozen organisations with website and social media advice and designed and created WordPress websites free of charge on their behalf from a VSNS volunteer.
We have developed and delivered a couple of workshops on the subject of social media to assist the local organisations with the delivery of their messages to multiple and diverse audiences.
5.Resource Building
VSNS has enabled some local charities to have affordable premises and access to much needed resources thus supporting the delivery of their services locally. For example, the Charity directly hosts Cruse Bereavement Care, Chloe's and Sophie's Special Ears Fund and Camberley Care.
6.Third Sector Representation
VSNS is a voice for local voluntary groups in shaping local services with our statutory partners. Through our presence on local boards and committees we work to ensure that the voluntary groups are represented within the community. Boards that we sit on include Borough partnership groups, ICS steering committees, Place based alliances, and community task groups in the areas of deprivation. These relationships and partnerships have proven to be one of the reasons why the local response to the pandemic was so well and quickly executed in Surrey. Over the last year we have devoted much time to the creation of Voluntary Sector Health Alliances and we are members of the 11 strong leadership group in Surrey Heartlands.
7.Grant Making
Following a decision in 2010 to use VSNS reserves to establish community funds to be invested with the Community Foundation for Surrey, the Charity has been able to grant £251,000 to 110 projects. In the current financial year we have granted £18,000 to seven projects.
VSNS Governance
VSNS applied to the Charity Commission in 2019 and changed status becoming a CIO on December 11th of that year. The Board oversees the Charity, sets it's strategic direction, and works with the CEO and the team to deliver key outcomes. All Trustees sign, and are held accountable, to a code of conduct.
VSNS finances are managed in compliance with SORP 2005.
Time to Talk
Voluntary Support's befriending scheme in Surrey Heath has grown with circa 50 volunteers supporting those feeling alone or isolated with befriending services in their own homes. We support those of all ages that feel isolated, including individuals that are suffering from dementia or mental poor health.
There is a small waiting list of isolated people needing to be matched with suitable volunteers. This is an area where we work closely with other befriending schemes including Surrey Heath Age Concern, there are many individuals that would benefit from this scheme and others and this is a service that we hope to grow.
VSNS Challenges
The next year will be a challenging year across the third sector and at VSNS our efforts will be concentrating on a few areas for successful impact including;
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Enabling voluntary organisations to grow and develop in challenging times by providing more training and one to one support.
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Responding to the continued uncertainty around statutory funding driven by economic circumstances by keeping our business plan under regular review.
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Maintaining a reserve level of £100,000 to cover the cost of redundancy and possible lease terminations.
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Improving board diversity, training and inclusion.
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Time to Change, the need to engage young volunteers is an area where we can add value and share best practice.
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Time to Talk and befriending in general, we aim to grow and improve the befriending services within Surrey and ensure that there are well trained and supported volunteers.
Accounts
VOLUNTARY SUPPOR T NORTH SURREY Statement of Financlal Activiti•s Y••r Endtng 31st &l•f¢h 2021 Tfjtyl Y•t F¥1• ZJl,411 2YJ.418 234,816 Communlly Swic (A4W I.47• 7253 .474 IB5.7rrt 17.521 8.813 4n.97• u• 433J1 331 291.OTZ 334,>)3 36.714 JS.714 J26,rn 370,017 Fund• Fornw JX.7•S 8•lanc• Sho•t 31•t IA•rch 2021 Jim2020 TO Sw FL# T¢t•l Fw Cwr•rtA•••ts 6.991 Iso.c 287.6 IX).OC 150,C IA2,022 Cth at b4r •rd th hv 3S.714 iJ4n >•r -10.903 -17.871 -25.413 -2S.013 35.714 370.011 321.7•1 1.072 35714 J26.7X T1 FUTh 35,714 35,714 35 714 JY(t.(t17
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st M•rch 2021 r+ II•A+4I JL¢XVJ Mwth wlsty(C£ C¢G COIIWNITr PROJÉC75 SMCCG. IDtwt•d Lrf4<• SMCCG.TI* 19.fJXI i•.Dx) 474 165.7 OTMEP NCO ?Js) 91 7J41 613 439 15.187 TOTALirK J.079
Tgw JIW1 27,791 a•70 6.045 6256 1.on T4 TOT 14• GOVENNthtt cc AOM Epffrtt• 5.211 T• loT£tT 4x1 Xll 4.991 13.591 HMRC P14YE I MC s.sn 5&467 l?J71 Fw •43P TL Couniy CTr 16.SBI 714 TOTIL FIM 441 4M81B Jr>,M?
111737 &394 276.249 22.031
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