The Company looks on the Centre of Charity Effectiveness at Cass Business School as our livery school, as joint founder (with the Sir John Cass Business School (City University)), by governance and providing management and financial support.

Cass CCE is supported by the City Centre for Charity Effectiveness Trust chaired by Past Master Patrick McHugh. Cass CCE is immensely grateful not only for the financial contribution from the Company but also for the involvement and significant contribution of time and expertise made by individual Members. We have seen significant growth in all areas within Cass CCE:

MSc and postgraduate programme – This has been extended with a fifth programme for International NGO management. The core Voluntary Sector Management programmes are widely recognised and oversubscribed each academic year.

Research underpins and informs all activities within Cass CCE. In October a major new research centre for Charity Giving and Philanthropy was launched under the guidance of Prof Jenny Harrow and Prof Cathy Pharoah. This has 3-year funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

KnowHow NonProfit is a 3-year project to design and deliver an online knowledge resource for the non-profit sector. This £2.2m pilot project is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund. The project involves launching a Web 2.0 advanced internet portal, embodying advanced social learning concepts and creating a business model to ensure sustainability once funding ceases in early 2011.

Company Member Bernard Eccles was programme manager and was one those instrumental in the success of the bid. The project will enable an online community of individuals and organisations in the sector to share knowledge, expertise and inspire best practice. The website is live at: http://www.knowhownonprofit.org/

Consultancy  a core team of experienced consultants offer a highly effective mix of best practice and academic thinking.  Consultancy work is designed to enhance the effectiveness of organisations and individuals in fulfilling their charitable purposes in a wide range of areas including: strategy, change, governance, leadership, sustainability, evaluation, diversity and equality and income generation.

Talent Development the consultancy team delivers a wide range of talent development programmes, events and interventions from tailored Leadership and Management programmes which are run in-house for major charities through to short courses and  master classes in a wide range of subjects.  Individual development includes coaching and mentoring and peer-to-peer action learning sets. Charity Talks are presented by leading Chief Executives who share their personal and organisational experiences and are also excellent networking experiences   . 

Publications  Cass CCE academics and consultants have produced numbers of publications including:   ‘Tools for Tomorrow’  - strategy guide published by NCVO,  ‘The Chief Executive’s First 100 days’ published by acevo.  ‘Tools for Success’ guides for developing a sustainable organisation and ‘Charity Marketing’ the definitive guide to meeting need through customer focus in the third sector.

Learn more about the Centre from its website http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/cce/ or find out more about the Company’s support of Cass CCE below.

In the beginning…

The Company’s vision in helping to create the Centre for Charity Effectiveness is to create a long- lasting legacy, one which plays a big part in improving the effectiveness of the voluntary sector and in which Company Members can play a continuing part. Cass CCE provides an attractive external purpose for the Company’s Membership goals of ‘Giving and Gaining’, and provides one early objective for the Company’s charitable fund, whose object is ‘to improve the quality of management for the Charities Sector in the City of London and beyond.’

Following discussions with Professor Ian Bruce, the Director of the successful VOLPROF Diploma/Masters programme at Cass, and others, the Company and Cass became partners* in a joint ambition to build the best and most influential voluntary sector education and support establishment in the UK, and a recognisable authority on the world stage. Following much planning and fund-raising Cass CCE was successfully launched in December 2004.

The Company continues its contribution to Cass CCE: through advice and support on standing committees and the Trust; through consultancy and mentoring support to clients on both a paid and pro bono basis; and, through core funding which supports ongoing development and reduces costs to the beneficiaries.