Support for Charities

Support for charities

We provide a range of support to charities to help them to achieve their aims and make a difference.

What we do

We support charities so that they can focus on what they do best and achieve more for the causes they serve. Our work directly helps organisations become more effective and better equipped to demonstrate their value.

How we can help

With increasing pressure on limited funds, now more than ever, charities need to focus on how they can make a difference in the most efficient way. We work with over 1000 organisations a year to help them to do that. We offer training, consultancy, advice, external evaluations, quality standards and free information to help you strengthen the quality of your work and achieve better outcomes.

Our role is to inspire, support, and develop the organisations that seek our help. We always aim to build skills so that after working with us people are more knowledgeable and confident to do it for themselves in the future. Our customers testify to the lasting difference our work makes.

Find out more about our support for smaller charities or our information for larger charities.

Latest news

CES is recruiting a Treasurer and new trustees!

These vacancies have now closed.

Read and comment on the first ever Code of Good Impact Practice

Your impact is the difference you make, not the work you do – the ultimate reason why non-profit organisations exist.

BIG Assist

CES have been approved as a BIG Assist Supplier to offer support to infrastructure organisations.

Measuring up - trial our new tool!

Trial our new tool for free and improve the way you plan, evidence, communicate and learn from the difference you make.

CES is recruiting

This vacancy is now closed.

PQASSO 2nd edition update

From the 31st of December 2012 we will stop accepting applications for the PQASSO Quality Mark (the external accreditation of PQASSO) from organisations using the 2nd edition of PQASSO.

Theory of Change - supporting your PQASSO work

The Theory of Change model is one of the latest evaluation methods for people to get their heads around, and no doubt many of you will already have heard about this practical tool.

Writing better evaluation reports

Impact measurement is rightly very topical at the moment; it is of course vital to consider how you assess the impact you make through your work.

CES are recruiting

This vacancy is now closed. CES are recruiting for a new Head of Finance.

Charity Impact Measurement

2nd Annual Conference
16 October 2012 | London

Outcomes and quality management – making the link

In this thinkpiece from CES, Dr Jean Ellis urges third sector managers to incorporate outcomes assessment into their quality management - in order to learn from their work and achieve greater impact.

Are we accounting for value?

The SROI Network have launched a new website to discuss accounting principles and ask – are we accounting for value?

Dispelling myths about quality

CES respond to the NCVO and OPM scoping study: Quality assurance in the voluntary and community sector.

Inspiring Impact goes live!

Inspiring Impact is a UK-wide collaboration, developed and delivered in partnership with the sector. It has an ambitious ten-year vision: to make high quality impact measurement the norm for charities and social enterprises by 2022.

Improving your funding applications

Has your funding application been unsuccessful? Or are you unsure how to complete the section of the application form on project outcomes, or the section on how you will monitor and evaluate your project?

Measuring social value: avoiding a methodological straightjacket

CES' latest thinkpiece Measuring social value: avoiding a methodological straightjacket is now available to download. In this piece, Dr Jean Ellis argues that while the current drive for third sector organisations to demonstrate social value – for example, by demonstrating their social return on investment - brings monitoring and evaluation methods that fit well with the context of cuts and a market-driven ethos, care should be taken not to devalue less technical approaches.

Monitoring and evaluation in the downturn: doing more not less

Charities Evaluation Services’ have launched their latest thinkpiece Monitoring and evaluation in the downturn: doing more not less. In this piece, Dr Jean Ellis outlines two key arguments about why organisations should put more, rather than less, effort into their monitoring and evaluation – and challenges them to up their game.

Demonstrating results – valuing outcomes

PQASSO is a management tool that helps you to demonstrate – and achieve recognition – that your organisation works both to a high standard and that it achieves excellent outcomes.

Tame that data!

Our article by CES Consultant and Trainer Milla Gregor considers how using the right IT system to support your monitoring and evaluation work can result it more meaningful reporting – helping you to demonstrate the difference you make and improve services.

Third sector performance improvement

Charities Evaluation Services has been at the forefront of third sector performance improvement for over 20 years. Now the sector needs to be ever-more competitive, and CES is helping organisations meet requirements to demonstrate quality, value for money, outcomes and impact. Read more about us and our consultancy, training and technical support services.

Measuring & Evaluating Outcomes In Practice

We would like to invite you to join us at Third Sector's Measuring & Evaluating Outcomes In Practice conference and offer you an exclusive 20% discount - simply quote 'CES' when registering.

Charity insurance offer

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Endsleigh insurance. Our partnership will reward organisations that have achieved the PQASSO Quality Mark by offering awardees a competitive advantage on their insurance arrangements.

Are you ready for the PQASSO Quality Mark?

The PQASSO Quality Mark is fast becoming established as a leading sector kite mark.

FAQ: How to present PQASSO to your board

We're often asked about how organisations should talk to their Board about PQASSO. How should you explain the benefits of using PQASSO, and why the organisation is aiming for the PQASSO Quality Mark?

New PQASSO mentor training dates

Organisations value accessing local, expert and practical support.

Do you have underspend that you are worried about losing?

Why not use it to gain a nationally recognised mark of quality and demonstrate your organisation's effectiveness?

How can organisations include PQASSO in their PQQs?

We're often asked by organisations to give advice around how to write about PQASSO and the PQASSO Quality Mark in their pre-qualification questionnaires.

New resource: PQASSO Quality Mark flowchart

Are you thinking of applying for the PQASSO Quality Mark and want to know more about the process and how long it will take?

Training price freeze

We will be freezing our 2011 training course prices for the whole of 2012.

Campaign to End Loneliness report

CES is evaluating the Campaign to End Loneliness

CES 2012 training brochure

CES' brand new training guide is available to download now.

Bursary scheme

Registered charities that are based outside of London in England, and who fall into one of the categories below are now eligible for a bursary to attend a CES training course at our training venue in London. The bursary can be used to attend either a one-day or a two-day course.

Jargonbusters

Charity Jargon - can we be on the same page?

Don't reinvent the wheel

Is it time to review your bespoke quality standards? Have you considered replacing your own standards with the nationally recognised PQASSO standards or a PQASSO adaptation?

100th PQASSO Quality Mark awarded

We are pleased to announce that 100 organisations have now successfully achieved the prestigious PQASSO Quality Mark which is endorsed by the Charity Commission and recognised by the Scottish Parliament as a mark of excellence.

Open Public Services White Paper

New edition of PQASSO in Practice

CES’ hugely popular quality guide - Next steps in quality: PQASSO in practice - has been refreshed and updated to give you all of the latest information on quality and PQASSO.

Learning and Innovation Prize winners

CES announced the winners of its first ever Learning and Innovation Prize at an event on 29th March 2011.

Prove your worth without it costing the earth

CES' National Performance Programme, has launched Monitoring and Evaluation on a Shoestring. This practical guide is essential reading for charities with limited budgets who want to develop their monitoring and evaluation approach and improve their effectiveness.

CES has produced a series of podcasts on PQASSO

The 11 bite sized chunks provide answers to our most popular FAQ’s including: What is PQASSO? What areas of organisational life does PQASSO cover? and Who is PQASSO for?

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Support for Charities