A further delivery of the above qualification will be taking place in Boston, starting in mid February. The course will be delivered over eight weekly sessions by Tina Clark, Training Officer at Lincolnshire CVS and Ruth will again be undertaking the assessment for this award.

The course is accredited through the OCN (Open College Network) and delivered in partnership with Boston College. It is free to voluntary organisations (staff, volunteers and trustees). It covers all aspects of voluntary sector management including funding, governance, personal development, finance, customer service, project planning, charity and employment law and personnel management.

For further details please contact Tina Clark by email: tina.c@southlincolnshirecvs.org.uk or ring her on (01205) 365580.

Ruth recently delivered a half day taster session at Boston College Management Centre, to give participants an understanding of the workings of the voluntary sector. The course was run in partnership with Boston College and South Lincolnshire CVS and was attended by staff and volunteers from local voluntary organisations.

The course also acted as an introduction to the Open College Network (OCN) Level 2 voluntary sector management qualification which is due to be delivered in the new year.

Ruth is currently working as a volunteer mentor as part of the Institute of Fundraising Mentoring Project, which is being piloted in the London region. The aim of the project is to provide ongoing development support to fundraisers through a structured mentoring scheme. This includes offering regular face to face meetings as well as opportunities for additional communication via email, phone or skype, over a 12 month period.

The RUS Handbook was produced by Lincolnshire County Council as a practical toolkit to running a voluntary or community group. It was written by a selection of external consultants - Ruth was the author of the Running Your Group chapter.

Copies of the RUS Handbook can be downloaded from the ASKRUS section of the Lincolnshire County Council website by clicking here. There is an option to download each chapter as a pdf file or as an ebook.

Ruth is currently helping with the amendments to the second edition of the Handbook, in particular the sections on Running Your Group. Ideas to be incorporated include those tested on the recent RUS Workshops which Ruth delivered in the Lincolnshire area to voluntary and community groups.