News: January 2010
Donate, Don't Waste
Northern Ireland Conference SPECIAL OFFER
Annual Awards 2010
FREE Tax Advice Service for members
QMA deadline extension
V-Day
Also...
- Lobbying update
- Key dates and meetings
- FREE E-Learning modules for members - update
- Kick start your New Year donations: D-Day, Donate Don't Dump
- Setting Up and Running Charity Shops SALE
- Surveys: Volunteer Development Agency NI and BRC costs of collection
- Advertisements
Donate, Don't Waste
We are fully prepared for the Donate, Don't Waste campaign, launching 22 February.
Campaign artwork is available in the Members' Area and many members have already downloaded and organised posters for their shops.
You can also download the press release, which you are welcome to adapt and use.
The Association, aided by a number of members, will arrange for the press release to go to national and regional press – so there is no need for you to send a release to the nationals/regionals separately. However, you may wish to use the release to alert local press and radio stations, but please do not send these before the national launch on 22 February.
Go to the Donate, Don't Waste campaign web page.
Northern Ireland Conference SPECIAL OFFER
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'First delegates' attend the Northern Ireland Charity Retail Conference for JUST £65!* (*one offer per organisation) BOOK NOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE! Download the brochure below or book online.  
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Calling all charities with shops in Northern Ireland! Get £10 off the ‘First delegate’ rate for the first 20 bookings we receive.*
This is your chance to attend the only charity retail event aimed at the sector in Northern Ireland. With the title Building Future Success, the Conference is aimed at area and shop managers and senior volunteers, who will be able to benefit from four groups of focus sessions, covering 13 topics, all of which can make the essential difference between success and failure.
The Conference, sponsored by Cookstown Textile Recyclers, will be an excellent opportunity for members with shops in Northern Ireland to network, build local contacts and learn about how best charity shops can come out of the recession strongly.
BURSARIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE for:
- Charity members of the Association
- with 3 shops or less, and
- are based in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.
Provided by the Association, and sponsored by Cookstown Textile Recyclers, the bursary scheme is for Shop and Area Managers, and Senior Volunteers who would like to attend the Conference, but who may need financial assistance to cover their fees. There are 2 bursaries to be awarded this year, each covering fees for one delegate.
For more information and for Terms and Conditions please read the Bursary Scheme application form.
Lobbying and policy update
Music licensing - update and thanks
Many thanks to all of you who completed our mini-questionnaire last month, about music in shops. The information you provided has already proved useful in our approaches to Government about their proposals to remove charity exemptions from licensing by PPL.
We are continuing to work to stop this and have received a substantial number of supportive replies to the briefing paper we sent to MPs and Peers in December. Tellingly, we have support from all main parties in both Houses, and we have followed these up. We hope to enlist a number of MPs and Peers to press our case directly on the floor of each House. Separately, a number of Parliamentary questions about music licensing have been tabled by MPs. We are also continuing to work with NCVO in our campaign against proposed charges. And, over Christmas, we worked with Telegraph journalists on a very supportive article, which appeared on 2 January. See:
On 12 January, we met the charities Minister, Angela Smith, along with a number of other charity and voluntary bodies to voice our concerns. We have also met senior officials from the Intellectual Property Office, and with the collecting society, PPL, to press our case. We have also written to the Chairman of the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) to alert them to our concerns that the Government did not follow its own guidance on policy making, when it looked at music licensing. Had they done so, a new licensing regime might not be on the cards. BRE may challenge the Government on these issues.
A number of voluntary bodies have been negotiating fees with PPL, as if amendments to music licensing law are a done deal. They are not, and we are continuing to try have these regulations stopped.
The implications of the regulations go much wider than only a charity’s shops. They will hit other charity premises which play music, and add to the costs of charity events and promotions. To that extent, they should be of concern to all the senior management team in a charity.Key dates and meetings
Please see the Events page for a full list of 2010's meeting dates.
Members' Meeting, 3 February, Birmingham: Focus - music licensing
There is still time to book your place at the Birmingham Members' Meeting, to take place on 3 February at the Birmingham and Midland Institute. This is an afternoon meeting, starting with lunch at 12 noon and finishing with networking over teas and coffees from 3.30pm onwards. It is free to attend. The main focus of the day will be music licensing and we will also update you on our latest consumer research (on importance of charity shops in raising awareness for the charity’s cause) and other Association news.
Environment Group Meeting, 4 March, London
This is a reminder that the next Environment Group meeting will take place at the Association's offices on 4 March. The agenda, including the guest speaker, will be available closer to the date. Topics that will be discussed are as follows.
- We will be updating on ongoing issues such as the progress of the Donate, Don't Waste and Waste policy in England. We will also be introducing some of the Annual Conference’s focus sessions that are focused on environmental issues, and a new award that recognises charities that have gone the extra mile to be greener or promote greener behaviour.
- A charity member will give feedback on the shop refit trial carried out by Wates (guest speaker of the last meeting that suggested the possibility of reusing shop fittings from big high street retailers in charity shops).
- There will be an open discussion about recycling credits.
- The findings of the latest nfpSynergy survey, commissioned by the Association, will be discussed. Topics covered are environmental issues and charity shops and the importance of shops in raising awareness and support for charity cause.
This meeting is free and open to all members of the Association.
National Charities Networking Lunch, 24 March, London
National Charity Members, please put this date in your diary. The next bi-annual networking lunch will be held at our offices on Wednesday 24 March. This informal networking event will start at 12 noon and usually ends at about 2pm. A buffet lunch is provided. Please email any burning issues for discussion to Warren Alexander.
Property Group, held 3 December, London
In December, we held our bi-annual Property Group meeting at the Association’s offices. Our guest-speaker was Kevin Priestland, of the Valuation Office Agency, who discussed the Ratings Revaluation 2010. Other topics covered include rent reductions, re-lamping, and ways to save on costs.
The minutes are now available in the Members' Area.
Annual Awards 2010
Take part in the Annual Awards 2010! These are the ONLY awards made specifically for charity retailing and they aim to recognise, celebrate and motivate charity retail performance. The Awards entry brochure will be sent to members at the beginning of April but we wanted to encourage you to start thinking about it and get your regional and shop managers involved at an early stage. You will have just over a month to send us your entries so the sooner you start thinking about it the better.
As in previous years, the awards will include: the Highest Net Profit and the Highest Average Volunteer Contribution per shop per week. After the success of 2009, we will be repeating the Most Supportive Supplier to the sector and Innovation award. The latter will be expanded to include a sustainability component this year. Some of the usual qualitative awards will also be made this year:
- Shop Team of the Year
- Young Volunteer of the Year
- Most Valuable Item donated
- Most Unusual Item donated
- WOW! Factor Awards (best shop window and best interior)
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW…
- Get your shop teams ready to take photos of those GREAT WINDOW DISPLAYS and LOVELY INTERIORS, or BIZARRE DONATIONS. We have seen some very interesting press releases about unusual donations this year.
- Get them to think about a YOUNG PERSON that is GOING THE EXTRA MILE to help you raise funds for your cause.
- Think about a SHOP TEAM that has been AMAZING through these difficult times and deserves to be rewarded.
Please email Cristina if you would like more information about this or call her on 020 7255 4471. We look forward to hearing from you.
FREE E-Learning modules for members - update
Our plan to convert our workshops into e-learning continues to tick along nicely: we are now at the testing stage for the Health & Safety and Security courses, and both are looking pretty good.
Look out for an official launch soon! Here’s a taster of how it will look…
Free Tax Advice Service for members of the Association of Charity Shops
Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP (HCW) is the lead provider of audit and related services to the not for profit sector. They are providing members of the Association of Charity Shops with a FREE tax advice service.
Specifically this helpline service covers:
- General financial questions
- Tax matters
- Governance
- Risk management
- Performance management
- Strategy
Members will have access to this service once they have renewed membership for the 2010/11 membership year. Membership renewal forms will be sent out mid-February.
New members who have joined us since 1 January 2010 will have access from 15 February, and instructions on how to access the service will be sent to you by this date.
Kick start your New Year donations – Hold a ‘D-Day: Donate, Don’t Dump’ event!
Holding a D-Day: Donate, Don’t Dump event can help boost your donations and is a great way to build relationships with local businesses and get some good quality donations.
To help you promote your D-Day event we have t-shirts for staff and volunteers to wear and posters to download from our website. Visit www.ddaydonate.charityshops.org.uk/ for details on how to hold your D-Day event. T-shirts available while stocks last.
Download a t-shirt order form here.
Setting Up and Running Charity Shops SALE!
For those wishing to learn more about starting a successful charity shop, we have published a comprehensive book on that very subject: John Tough’s Guide to Setting Up & Running Charity Shops. It has proved valuable to people who are setting up a shop for the first time, and also for those who wish to understand more about their charity’s retail side, be they area managers or board members or trustees.
We have reduced the price of the book for members from £50 to £29.50, and for non-members from £75 to £49.50.
Click here for more information and to order.
Quarterly Market Analysis Survey – deadline extension to 5 February
This is just a quick note to say that, even though the deadline to send your figures for the QMA and Shops Rents, Leases and Property Costs was 29 January, we could still use your figures if you send them by 5 February.
We would like to encourage members to take part, especially those that operate in only one region or run specialist shops, as we are doing a regional analysis and a section on specialist shops this quarter.
Surveys are available to download in the Members' Area.
BRC Retail Sales Monitor - December 2009
| DECEMBER SALES: "STRONGER THAN WE DARED HOPE" | |
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UK retail sales values rose 4.2% on a like-for-like basis from December 2008, when sales had dropped 3.3%, due to turmoil in financial markets hitting consumer confidence. On a total basis, sales rose 6.0% against a 1.4% decline in December 2008. |
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Food sales growth picked up to its strongest since June, partly reflecting higher food price inflation. Wintry weather gave a good boost to clothing and footwear. Homewares sales showed further gains but against larger declines a year ago. Furniture slowed but health and beauty picked up, helped by Christmas gifting. |
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Non-food non-store sales (internet, mail-order and phone sales) in December were 26.5% higher than a year ago compared with 16.9% in November. Some benefited from shoppers buying online when snow prevented them getting out. |
Mary, Queen of Shops - V-Day campaign
The final episode in Mary Portas' forthcoming 'Queen of Shops' series will see her return to the charity sector.
The main thrust of this programme will be in attracting volunteers to shops: the intention is to make it easier for people to see what volunteering is really like, by running drop-in open-days, to give a taste.
The programme will be broadcast in late Spring, and we will be co-ordinating a volunteering promotion in conjunction with it, with attention-grabbing artwork available to display in your shops.
Volunteer Development Agency - Northern Ireland Survey
The VDA in Northern Ireland is running a project that aims to increase the involvement of older people as volunteers in Northern Ireland. As part of the project VDA are working in partnership with the University of Ulster to carry out a research study to investigate the impact of volunteering on the self rated health of people aged 60+. You may wish to participate in this.
Many research studies indicate that volunteering is indeed good for your health but limited local research exists. Ideally VDA would like every newly recruited volunteer (between March and September 2010) aged 60+ in Northern Ireland to become a participant in the study. Each participant will be given an initial questionnaire (supplied by us) by their recruiting organisation at their volunteer induction or training stage. They will then return their completed survey to us and VDA will then contact the individual directly three more times over an 18 month period. The burden on volunteer involving organisations who agree to assist with the study is not onerous.
For details please get in touch with Billy Eagleson at VDA (NI) on 028 9081 8320, billy@volunteering-ni.org.
British Retail Consortium costs of collection survey
The BRC have asked us to ask you to complete their Annual Cost of Collection Survey for 2009. This survey is about the costs to the retail sector of collecting and banking payments.
The last survey covered more than 50% of retail turnover (£139 billion of combined turnover from 16,000+ outlets). The BRC is keen to significantly increase the % covered. All participants who complete the confidential survey together with their Trade Association will receive the final comprehensive report detailing the survey results together with a market expert's view on the implications for retail. The BRC is keen to encourage participation by a broad base of retailers to add significantly to the overall value of the survey results.
This simple template has been produced for completion.
If you have any queries please email costofcollection@brc.org.uk or call Holly Armitage on 020 7854 8985. The timetable for return of the survey is 24 February.Advertisements
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ADVERTISEMENT - SHOP TO LET
DESCRIPTION: Excellent opportunity to gain representation in the prosperous, West Sussex town of East Grinstead. The retail unit is prominently located on the London Road and consists of a ground floor, lock up shop with ancillary accommodation. Flexible terms available.
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Our newsletter (the Bulletin) is mailed on a monthly basis to approximately 400 charity retail contacts. If you are interested in advertising any vacancies or properties in the Bulletin, please contact Michelle on 020 7255 4473 or email michelle@charityshops.org.uk.