What is Skills Exchange?
Skills Exchange is a network of professional firms, each of which has offered to provide their professional skills free of charge to voluntary and community organisations across Brighton and Hove who cannot afford to pay for these services. Support is offered for clearly defined, time-limited projects.
What sorts of firms are involved?
Members include architects, surveyors, accountants, solicitors, IT consultants and those who specialise in public relations, marketing, HR and design.
How is it managed?
Each firm is affiliated to Skills Exchange. The Skills Exchange Board meets bi-monthly to respond to requests for help from voluntary and community organisations. If a match cannot be made immediately, effort is made to find a suitable match. The process is supported by Community Works and the next deadline is Monday 12th May.
Examples of expertise available:
Legal advice, including but not restricted to Employment Law, Landlord/Tenant issues and Charity Law, Architectural advice; drawing of plans, gaining planning permission, surveying, building management, HR, Graphic Design, for example design of a logo, Website development, PR and Marketing, Strategy development and business planning, Organisational change, Financial management, Event Planning, Change management.
Is your organisation eligible to apply for support?
Skills Exchange will consider your application if:
- You represent a not‐for‐profit organisation including charities, community groups and social enterprises, whose benefit is primarily within Brighton and Hove.
- You do not have the funds to pay for the services you are requesting.
- You can demonstrate the benefit to the organisation, staff, volunteers or service users.
- You are able to demonstrate that the organisation has the resources to follow advice through.
- You can nominate a contact/liaison person to ensure the project runs smoothly.
- You are happy to take part in feedback, case studies and other evaluation.
Apply for support
The Skills Exchange Board next meets on Tues 20th May.
To make an initial application visit: http://www.skillsxchange.org.uk/apply/
Contact Lisa Mytton on lisa@bhcommunityworks.org.uk, 01273 234031 if you would like to chat through an idea.
Skills Exchange is a project of Brighton and Hove Community Works.