Focus group discussion – £25 high street voucher

Posted on by OCVA

Focus group discussion – £25 high street voucher

What?

A focus group discussion to hear the public’s views on the future of medicine

We would like you/your group to take part in a focus group discussion about recent advances in medicine, in particular the development of personalised medicine and tailoring treatments to the individual patient.

New types of technology, such as whole genome sequencing, means that all of our genetic information can now be read very quickly and we can now find out if we are susceptible to certain diseases, e.g. common cancers. In the future, this information may lead to personalised treatments based on our individual biology.

Who?

We want to hear what a wide range of people think about this – we are interested in hearing from groups or individuals of any ethnic background, any age, any health status.

You do NOT need any prior knowledge of medicine or genetics to take part!

Where?

We are hosting groups in locations around Oxford and London. If you think that your group would like to take part, we can come and visit you at a time and location of your choosing. If you are an individual, please get in touch to find out if there is a group convenient for you.

Is there a payment available?

Yes! We will compensate you with a £25 high street voucher for a discussion lasting no more than 90 minutes. You can also claim your travel expenses, too.

Contact?

Please contact Elizabeth Holdsworth (Research Fellow at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) on Elizabeth.holdsworth@lshtm.ac.uk or 020 7958 8347 for more information.

Please take part in our annual sector surveys and add your voice

Posted on by OCVA

Our annual sector surveys are used to compile two essential reports, and you can add your voice.

We’re asking all Oxfordshire non-profits to participate in a quick (circa 3 minute) survey so that we can communicate the health of our sector to all concerned in an annual report. (Deadline Friday 29th April.)

Take Sector Survey now

We’re also inviting all OCVA Members to tell us how our member services are doing. This goes in our Members report and is used to shape and improve member services. (Circa 4 minutes. If you are a Member and are happy to complete both surveys it is much appreciated.) (Deadline Friday 29th April.)

Take Members Survey

Receive free essential sector reports and add your voice

Posted on by OCVA

Our annual sector surveys are used to compile two essential reports, and you can add your voice.

We’re asking all Oxfordshire non-profits to participate in a quick (circa 3 minute) survey so that we can communicate the health of our sector to all concerned in an annual report. (Deadline Friday 29th April.)

Take Sector Survey now

We’re also inviting all OCVA Members to tell us how our member services are doing. This goes in our Members report and is used to shape and improve member services. (Circa 4 minutes. If you are a Member and are happy to complete both surveys it is much appreciated.) (Deadline Friday 29th April.)

Take Members Survey

25% of Oxfordshire’s Non-profits may miss out

Posted on by OCVA

Up to 25% of Oxfordshire’s Non-profit and Voluntary groups may miss out on increased exposure to the public and local funders, recent findings suggest.

As it prepares to make history by becoming the first organisation to openly publish thorough local data on the Non-profit sector in the New Year, OCVA has identified that as much as half of the sector may miss out on the benefits this could bring.

OCVA is releasing all the data it can about Oxfordshire’s Non-profit sector – sharing its knowledge freely and openly with the public in a website download in early 2016. Preparation work for publication is already underway, and early indications suggest that over 1,000 groups may miss out on this opportunity.

The publication will mean any member of the public can find out as much as they wish about the sector, who works where, what the needs are. Moreover, OCVA’s medium-term ambition is to share the data in a formatted way with local funders and thus help improve the funding landscape and the visibility of the sector to those concerned free of charge.

To encourage greater participation and at the same time uphold rigorous data protection standards OCVA will be writing to as many of the groups affected that it is able to in January, inviting them to have their information shared and explaining the benefits in more detail.

OCVA’s 600+ Members, groups who were in its historical online directory, or groups who participated in its census this year are least likely to need to be contacted regarding this matter.

Source: Trevor Barton

NEW NETWORK: Barriers to Housing Services in Oxfordshire

Posted on by OCVA

Dear valued colleague,yammer

We and Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) are setting up a new network for anyone interested in tackling barriers to housing services in Oxfordshire.

To begin with this network will just be online.

Moving forward this network is likely to have several uses. But the initial usefulness is to help OCF with some research they are undertaking.

The questions OCF are asking are already posted to the online network. You’ll see them once you have joined and can respond easily to them there.

Sign Up

Once you have signed up, your request needs to be manually approve
d. This may take a working day or two; it won’t be instant.

Thank you. I hope this assists you in your own work moving forward.

Season’s Greetings,

Trevor Barton
Systems & Support Manager at OCVA

Funders Need to Change Game, Key Report Says

Posted on by OCVA

Lloyds Bank Foundation has published key research showing that the top three non-financial support areas charities need moving forward are in the:

  1. coordinating of funders,
  2. support with commissioning, and
  3. changes to the commissioning process

Opportunities to work with other charities also scored high.

The Lloyds report also concludes that “funders need to ensure that they also support small and medium charities in the most effective way. This means:

  • focusing support on small and medium sized charities
  • providing core, long term funding
  • further strengthening charities by building their capacity and capability through
    both funding and ‘grants plus’ support
  • supporting charities to trial new approaches to established problems
  • pushing for structural change that facilitates an environment which enables
    charities to thrive and not just survive.”

“Funders putting fewer restrictions on funding – they all want
to fund things which are ‘new’ and ‘innovative,’ but what
about things which are already proven to be successful?”

Right now, we would like to hear from you if you are a local funder so that you can update or add to the details we list about you.