VONNE is launching a Thrive Hub to build and support connections between North East VCSE organisations and trusted experts offering practical and tailored paid-for services to strengthen the work of our sector.
Our approach
Working with a small group of trusted individuals (our ‘associates’), with long track records of working in and with the VCSE sector, the Thrive Hub is part of the broader eco system of support for the sector.
We aim to:
- build strength, skills and understanding in organisations.
- ensure that skills and knowledge stay within organisations.
- enable people to take informed decisions by asking the right questions.
Our associates
We can offer tailored, flexible support with:
- Action Learning
- Coaching
- Collaboration
- Communications and marketing
- Data – understanding and using
- Digital adoption
- Financial planning
- Governance
- Leadership and management
- Organisational reviews and design
- Recruitment support
- Strategic planning
Carrie Brookes is a freelance Communications Consultant for charities with over 18 years’ experience of communications in the voluntary sector. She works with a wide range of charities on long-term contracts and one-off projects to help deliver their communication functions.
Her work has involved:
- Creating communication and marketing strategies for organisations
- Email marketing
- Writing and editing content including case studies, newsletters, marketing materials
- Digital development and strategy
- Developing and managing client’s websites
- Training staff including blogging, style guides, writing for the web and creating ebulletins
- Managing social media accounts, including advising on strategy and content creation
Robert Laycock and Stephanie Cole are co-founders and co-directors of Yes We Can Community CIC. Yes We Can develops social leadership in the north east. We work with social leaders to be better leaders, managers, trustees, networkers, collaborators, facilitators, coaches and mentors. We offer training, workshops, coaching, mentoring, action learning, facilitation and more.
Since 1993 Robert has worked and volunteered across public, arts, cultural, voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors. He is co-founder of Yes We Can, North East Together network for social change leadership, and North East Coaching Collective coaching for social change. He has held four non-executive positions, three as chair, North Tyneside Art Studio, Marden High School, Beacon Films, and Comfrey Project.
Since 1996 Stephanie has worked and volunteered across voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors. She is co-founder of Yes We Can and North East Coaching Collective, and co-lead North East Together. Stephanie is also vice-chair and trustee at Scotswood Garden and led work at meanwhile spaces Broadacre House and Good Space as trustee and chair.
Tom Watson runs The Good Ship. The Good Ship is here to help people and organisations achieve their purpose. We help organisations with a range of support in areas including digital, data strategy and leadership development.
Tom has over a decade of experience in the social sector, within charities, social enterprise and community business. He now works with organisations on a variety of projects which has included being a Development Partner for Lloyds Bank Foundation Infrastructure Programme, a digital lead supporting community businesses with digital through the Power to Change Powering Up Programme, leading the Data Collective work on civil society data, designing the Lloyds Bank Foundation Organisational Resilience programme, and supporting countless small and medium organisations. Tom also curates Good-data.co.uk which is a free site with resources on data.
Tom is a charity trustee, a school governor and an award-winning social entrepreneur.
You can read Toms tweets here and his writing here.
When not working Tom is generally running or eating pizza. Or maybe both.
Costs and process
VONNE’s Thrive Hub helps you find an expert with experience of working with and in the VCSE sector to contract for paid services.
Costs vary depending on area of support and will be discussed and agreed with you in advance of working together.
If you are interested in finding out more please contact Carol.Botten@vonne.org.uk / Georgia.Goncalves@vonne.org.uk for an initial conversation and we will then put you in touch with one of our Hub Associates to have a more detailed conversation about your needs, budget and timescales and how you might work together to deliver change and impact for your organisation.
Thrive Hub has been kindly supported by Virgin Money Foundation.