Building Change Trust helps build sustainable investment.
An exciting, new educational programme, supported by The Building Change Trust, is currently being offered at the University of Ulster.
The Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Third Sector Investment is specifically geared towards practicing senior managers who want to make change happen within the third sector.
The aim of the programme is that participating managers will play a key role in taking the sector to the next level in terms of enhanced financial management capability, as well as making their organisations investment ready.
Charity Bank, with the help of The Building Change Trust and Atlantic Philanthropies, commissioned the programme and the Ulster Business School in collaboration with Ortus and CIPFA will deliver the educational content.
Niamh Goggin, Charity Bank’s regional manager for Northern Ireland, commented, “We are delighted to have seen such a high calibre response to the programme.
“It is very encouraging that Northern Ireland’s third sector organisations are taking strategic finance so seriously, and bodes well for the region’s continued development.”
Rachel Sherrard, Senior Lecturer in Management Development at the University of Ulster said: “This is an innovative programme that the Ulster Business School is proud to be involved with.
“The first programme is now underway and was oversubscribed, demonstrating the timeliness and appropriateness of the initiative.”
Bill Osborne, Chairperson of The Building Change Trust said: “This programme is a timely and exciting initiative.
“Public funding to the third sector is increasingly under threat and the recession is impacting social enterprise activity and fundraising. The sector must adapt to become more self-sustaining.
“Programme content looking at business planning, procurement, sources of finance and other areas such as financial and social impact measurement are important areas to be considered now and into the future.
“Building Change Trust is pleased to be associated with this initiative and is confident the programme will make a real contribution to the sustainability of the sector.
“To date we have provided grant aid of £1 million to Charity Bank to facilitate the development of deposit taking, loan making and the knowledge and skills within individuals and organisations in the Northern Ireland community and voluntary sector.
“We’re very pleased with the progress made so far by Charity Bank and are especially pleased that this new Advanced Diploma will provide 24 places per year for 5 years”.
In consideration of the need to reduce grant dependency by the sector in the future the Trust has also set aside another £1million, to be invested by 2018 in social finance products to support the sector in the longer term.
Click here to view a video on the Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Investment for the Third Sector.