Dear ,

This newsletter marks the end of the 2020-21 academic year for CVSL.  Like everyone else, we have learned to adapt and flex, extending our online offer and coordinating our work and relationship-building via technology.  Despite these challenges, it has been an exciting year for CVSL, with new research projects and a growing learning community, including an online leadership learning club with participants from across Africa. Our new website brings these projects together to give you information and resources to start your own leadership learning club, reports from research projects, and our regular blog in which we share insights from our research and reflections that we hope will be of practical use in the sector.

CVSL’s online leadership courses have continued to attract thousands of learners from the sector, including many who have been furloughed during the pandemic. The courses are completely free to access and totally flexible to allow for study around your busy schedule.

You can find out more about CVSL’s work over the past 12 months below.

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CVSL’s Annual Conference 2021

Over 100 guests joined us for this year’s online conference to hear from our panel of inspiring speakers, including Professor Siv Vangen, Head of The Open University Business School, Gamiel Yafai, Founder, Diversity Marketplace and Maddy Desforges, CEO of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action. Find out more and watch the morning sessions again…

Exploring the development needs of BME leaders

A grant from the OU’s Rapid Response to COVID-19 funding stream has made it possible to explore the development needs of Black and Minority Ethnic leaders. A project led by Open University Visiting Fellow Dr Fidèle Mutwarasibo, based in CVSL, has received almost £10,000 to research the leadership capacities of Black and minority ethnic leaders in Milton Keynes. Find out more…

The value of small and local charities …. in a big crisis

CVSL was part of the research team, funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, which launched The Value of Small in a Big Crisis report. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, this built on and expands the findings of the original The Value of Small research in 2018. You can read the report and find out more…

The latest additions to the CVSL Blog

Making the most of digital – the UK is rich with learning opportunities  

In this blog, Tot Foster discusses how we can make the most of new digital learning opportunities and shares a range of helpful resources that can support us through digital adoption, adaptation and change. Read the blog.

Voluntary sector collaboration with the public sector: new ways of working?

This blog is written by Dr Daniel Haslam and is a key output from CVSL’s Annual Conference. He discusses the Theory of Collaborative Advantage which was discussed in one of the workshops. This session explored the many benefits of collaboration but also the numerous challenges it brings, with the discussion enhanced by personal insights from delegates via interactive polls. Read the blog.

You can read other blog publications on our new CVSL website.

Events to view again

On 8 June 2021, The Open University and Third Sector magazine organised an online event: ‘Doing more with less - how charities can rethink, reprioritise and recover, post-COVID’. The discussion explored what charities can do to survive and thrive in the long-term. The event is available to view again.

In December 2020, Dr Nik Winchester, Senior Lecturer in Management in the OU Business School, hosted a Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership webinar which looked at ethics in leadership. The session is available to view again.

Free courses

Have you ever wanted video content for your website or social media, or to show at an event?  Perhaps you've been put off by thinking you have to hire someone in? Now a new free course, produced by Tot Foster and Theodore Zamenopoulos from The Open University, will support you to make your own low-budget video content using your phone. Find out more…

‘Take your training online’ is a free new OU course designed for charities and NGOs. This course aims to help practitioners improve the online training many were forced to develop at speed because of the pandemic and will provide guidance and support on how to develop new resources in the future. Find out more…

Don’t forget to check out CVSL’s free courses on OpenLearn and online resources.

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