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to have their say, this course can help you get
results. Marketing is an effective way to get your
message out there and inspire people to take
action. More than just advertising, marketing
is about understanding your ‘audience’ and
communicating benefits that are meaningful to
them.
You will learn how to market your group so that
more people know what it is about. You will see
how to write posters, leaflets and newsletters
that get results and you can have a go at
setting up or improving Facebook and Twitter
accounts to raise your profile. Everyone who
attends will learn from best practice from similar
organisations, get to grips with marketing
theory, and choose from a range of free or low-
cost marketing techniques that will work for you
in your own community. You will leave with a
plan of action and a marketing calendar tailored
for your own organisation.
Saving Energy, Cash and Carbon for your
Local Community
15-16 October 2015
Trainers: Action for Sustainable Living
Many people in our communities don’t always
have the option of moving to a more energy
efficient home, and research shows that those
with the least access to the internet are on some
of the worst energy deals around. So how can
we help people in our local communities to save
energy and reduce fuel bills?
Action for Sustainable Living is an award
winning Manchester-based charity that supports
people to live more sustainable lives. Through
their Energy Academy Programme they support
tenants in a variety of housing types to reduce
energy use and bills through changing the way
energy is used in the home.
The course gives practical guidance on:
• How you can use heating systems, hot water,
appliances, lighting and cooking methods to
reduce energy use dramatically in the home.
• The course also highlights an ethical,
independent approach to energy switching
and highlights how best to support those in
your community as they seek the best deal.
You will look at the barriers to changing
behaviours, and how you can motivate and
support people in your local area to change
energy behaviours. The course will also begin to
discuss setting up your own energy awareness
project, communicating complex information
to vulnerable tenants and recruiting and
supporting volunteers.
The course is fun, practical and aims to inspire
participants to take a wealth of information and
skills back to your communities to help reduce
energy usage and bills.
Effective Fundraising Strategies
19-21 October 2015
Trainers: Make it Happen
There are thousands of tenants and community
groups out there looking for funding - so it’s
pretty competitive. But, there are thousands of
organisations and individuals out there who may
be willing to fund your project or activity. So, if
you are clear about what you need funding for
and can grab their attention, you will stand a
good chance of getting what you ask for.
You will learn how to increase your chances of
making successful funding applications by:
• Exploring what needs to be included in your
funding strategy
• Demonstrating the need for your project
• Becoming aware of the range of funding
sources available
• Clarifying the selling points in your own
funding applications
• Identifying strengths and weaknesses in
funding applications
• Increasing your confidence and fundraising skills
This course is accredited via Open College
Network at Level 2
.
Sustaining Your Community Cafe
2-3 November 2015
Trainers: Daryl Moore and Jono Turtle
We have designed this for participants who
have been running or who have just started
running a community cafe. This workshop will
encourage participants to think out of the box
in developing positive strategies to combat
funding decline and ensure that their community
business is future proofed.
The aim of the course:
Participants will examine a variety of anti
austerity actions they can initiate to ensure
that funding cuts are not detrimental to their
community cafe business.
By the end of the course participants will:
• Learn from each other about what has worked
for them
• Have devised a comprehensive action plan to
take away and use within the business
• Examine what profit means to the values of
the organisation
• Ensure that the menu produced is cost effective
• Ensure that stock control is effective and
impacts on the profit line
• Look at what marketing messages you are
giving out
• Examine supply chains and ensure that these
are beneficial
• Look at developing strategies that will
encourage more sales and more customers