ACVO’s Communications Support Project began in August 2004 and has gone from strength to strength. The team work on a number of projects which aim to promote communication within the third sector;
Preparation of a weekly E-Bulletin – to highlight latest local and national news, consultations, funding opportunities, jobs and events
Maintenance of the ACVO Communications Website– which includes up-to-date publications on ‘Training Currently Available’, venues for events in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray as well as the latest strategies, action plans, consultations etc for Grampian
A web development service - the project offers webpages within the ACVO Communications website for groups and organisations
The ACVO website - a gateway to a wealth of information regarding the sector
An online Events Diary – highlighting local and national events
An online Funding Database – highlighting the most up-to-date funding opportunities with searchable database
A Latest Jobs section on the ACVO Communications website highlighting latest vacancies in the Grampian Region in the public and third sector
ACVO E-Bulletin
The ACVO E-Bulletin is sent to over 2,000 subscribers from the public and voluntary sector. However, we are aware that the E-Bulletin is also sent to a wider audience as members/organisations also circulate it to their own mailing lists. The mailing list began as Aberdeen City based, however we are now receiving a large amount of new subscriptions from all over Grampian and Scotland.The E-Bulletin is the first port of call for anyone, in the public and voluntary sector, wishing to advertise their events for free and is regularly used to raise awareness of local and national news items and consultations. The ACVO Communications website has been used by some organisations as the main mechanism for collating consultation responses.
An Evaluation of the Project took place in March 2007. The results were extremely positive, with 92% of respondents stating that they always read the e-bulletin and 83% stating that they always learn something new from the content.
ACVO is commissioned by the Health and Homelessness Action Group (HAHAG), using a grant from the Aberdeen Homelessness Strategy, to map services relating to Health & Homelessness in Aberdeen City. The focus of the project is to research, compile and maintain an online directory. The online directory officially launched on 9th October 2007 at www.healthandhomeless.org.
The directory brings together comprehensive and up-to-date information on services available in the City which benefit the homeless, those in danger of becoming homeless and all associated health issues.Detailed information on over 125 services is listed. The site is fully searchable, alowing professionals to find the information they need as quickly as possible. The project also includes the development of a Health and Homelessness network; bringing together professionals from the voluntary sector, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council.
ACVO developed a funding database which provides information, on all funding opportunities relevant to the sector. The database launched in July 2007. Access the Funding Database.
ACVO's Communications team offer a service designing and developing webpages, websites and/or information leaflets for small voluntary organisations who wish to raise awareness and promote their services. This has proved extremely popular, and is of great benefit to smaller organisations who could not otherwise access skilled professional help. Click here for examples of webpages hosted by ACVO.
If you would like more information on communication within the sector, please contact Michelle Duff or phone (01224) 686055.
