News & Events

Target Audience

All board members and trustees who wish to be better equipped to ensure effective financial oversight of their organisation.

Outline

The board has responsibility for the financial oversight of the organisation and as such, individual board members need to be able to understand the financial statements presented to them. This course will seek to demystify the jargon surrounding financial statements to give you the skills and knowledge to be able to read and understand them, identify areas of concern within them and ask questions and follow through on those concerns to ensure you fulfil your oversight responsibilities.

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Zoom.

Target Audience

Anyone who has responsibility for preparing budgets and those who wish to understand them better.

Prerequisites

Participants should be familiar with Microsoft Excel basics. Laptops will be provided by Carmichael for the training session.

Outline

This course will help you to understand how to prepare a budget and how to use that budget as a tool to effectively manage the resources of your organisation. We will work through a number of examples using Microsoft Excel – participants are limited to 10 to allow maximum interaction.

Methodology

In-person training, in Carmichael Centre, Dublin 7.

Target Audience

Those who are responsible for keeping the financial books and records of the organisation.

Outline

Ensuring accurate financial record-keeping is a fundamental part of any organisation.  This course will seek to explain the accounting cycle and the role of bookkeeping within that cycle including a discussion on the key books and records your organisation needs to keep to ensure it is fully recording its financial transactions.

Methodology

In-person training, in Carmichael Centre, Dublin 7.

Target Audience

For those who’d like to learn the basics of time management and anyone needing to make the most of their time in a busy work environment.

Course Outline

The psychology of time management

  • Self awareness of your own time management skills

Arrange and prioritise tasks

  • How to prioritise
  • What are your time wasters
  • The advantages and disadvantages of multi-tasking

Strategies to improve time management

  • Urgent vs non urgent
  • Focus

Other tips

  • Managers need to be aware too
  • Effective communication and time management
  • Stress management

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Zoom.

Target Audience

This 2 hours’ session is aimed at people who have no experience of using Canva, or graphic design. Basic IT skills are required for this introductory course.

What is Canva?

Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

Course Outline

  • Opening and creating a Canva account ​
  • Canva for Non-Profits​
  • Creating a design; using templates or creating from scratch ​
  • Searching and editing elements ​
  • Using template photos from Canva or uploading ​
  • Adding text and using different fonts ​
  • Saving and downloading designs ​
  • Sharing and collaborating designs ​
  • Design for Print​
  • Managing your Brand

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Zoom.

Target Audience

Anyone wishing to learn how to use Microsoft OneNote. Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook that’s part of Microsoft 365 and can be used to capture, organise, and find information from any device by creating digital notebooks.

Outline

  • Creating and organising Notebooks
  • Adding and managing content
  • Integrating with other tools
  • Collaboration and sharing
  • Security and backup

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams. This session will be recorded and the recording will be circulated to participants on completion.

Target Audience

Managers and staff, responsible for data protection of charities and not-for-profits.

Outline

This training course is designed to engage management and staff of charities & non-profits, helping them understand the requirements of the GDPR and how to become compliant with a set of policies and procedures. These are presented in a practical and accessible manner, with templates provided to the attendees

1. The fundamentals of the GDPR

  • The key principles of the GDPR
  • Legal basis for processing
  • Data Subject rights

2. Required policies, procedures, and records

  • Data Protection Policy
  • Data Protection Officer needed – Yes/No?
  • Data Inventory
  • Data Retention Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Records of Processing Activities (ROPA)
  • Data Protection Notice for website (privacy statement)
  • Procedures for handling individual’s rights
  • Data breach handling procedure
  • CCTV Policy (may be optional)

3. Other requirements (e.g. Data Protection Impact Assessments – DPIA)

Methodology

Delivered virtually, via Google Meet. A copy of the slides will be provided as well as a link to download the templates.

Target Audience

Designed for all staff and volunteers working within non-profit organisations.

Outline

1. Introduction to AI in Non-Profits

  • Overview of AI and its relevance to non-profits
  • Benefits and ethical considerations

2. Understanding Chat GPT

  • What is Chat GPT?
    • Definition and capabilities
    • Use cases in non-profits
  • Practical Demonstrations
    • Live example of ChatGPT in action

3. Writing Effective Prompts

  • Basics of prompt writing
    • Structure and clarity
    • Examples of good and bad prompts
  • Techniques to enhance prompt effectiveness
    • Use of context and specificity

4. Refining ChatGPT Outputs

  • Iterative refinement techniques
    • Analysing initial outputs
    • Tweaking prompts for better results

5. Custom GPTs

  • Introduction to Custom GPTs
    • Definition and potential
    • Creating and managing Custom GPTs
  • Use cases for non-profits
    • Tailoring AI to specific organisational needs

6. AI in Speeding Up Internal Processes

  • Streamlining communication
    • Email and report generation
  • Data analysis and insights
    • AI-powered data processing
  • Enhancing customer service
    • Automated response systems

7. AI-Generated Imagery

  • Introduction to AI-generated imagery
    • What it is and how it works
  • Tools and platforms
    • Overview of popular tools
  • Practical guide to generating images
    • Step-by-step process
  • Ethical use of AI imagery
    • Recognising and appropriately using AI-generated content

8. AI Video Editing Tools

  • Overview of AI video editing tools
    • Introduction to Descript and other tools
  • Enhancing video production
    • Features and benefits for non-profits
  • Practical demonstrations
    • Editing a sample video with Descript
  • Best practices for professional video output
    • Tips and tricks for polished videos

9. Case Studies and Best Practices

  • Real-world examples
    • Success stories from non-profits with AI
  • Lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid

10. Q&A and Hands-On Workshop

Methodology

Delivered via Zoom.

Target Audience

For Approved Housing Bodies categorised as ‘Micro’ (less than 20 dwellings), ‘Small’ (between 20 and 100 dwellings) as well as those registered as Care and Support AHBs.

Outline

The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) is an independent authority, established in February 2021. The organisation is tasked with the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies. Section 37(8) of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 requires all AHBs to comply with the Standards. The AHBRA establish a set of outcomes that AHBs are required to achieve to demonstrate the protection of housing assets provided or managed by AHBs.

Compliance with the Standards is a statutory requirement and clearly this presents many challenges for AHBs at the smaller end of the scale, particularly from a human and financial resource perspective.

The primary objective of the training programme is to provide AHBs categorised as ‘Micro’ (less than 20 dwellings) and ‘Small’ (between 20 and 100 dwellings with a clear understanding of the Standards for AHBs, enabling them to effectively implement and maintain compliance.

The training content supports:

  • develop an increased awareness of the Standards for AHBs and what it means for them;
  • enhance operational efficiency and help understand to a greater extent how compliance can be demonstrated; and
  • undertake gap analysis to identify weaknesses or non-compliance with the Standards.

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Zoom.

Target Audience

New Board Members, Directors, Charity Trustees of non-profit organisations.

Outline

A comprehensive induction is an important first step in ensuring that new Board Members, Directors and Charity Trustees have the understanding needed to carry out their roles, responsibilities and obligations effectively. This workshop aims to form part of that induction process.

Below is an outline of the topics covered:

  • Governance Overview
  • Board Members’ Roles and Responsibilities
  • The Chairperson
  • Board Relationship with CEO/Staff
  • Company Limited by Guarantee – Directors
  • Charity – Charity Trustees
  • What more to expect from a Board Induction

Methodology

Delivered virtually via Zoom.