Amser i Ddisgleirio

Time to Shine Leader and her journey

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My name is Bhabishya Paudel, and this is my journey so far as a Time to Shine Leader.

I love being creative, I write poems, create contents therefore, I had been looking for a Comms job by taking what I love doing and turning that into a career. Luckily, I discovered a Brand and Comms Assistant job at The Rank Foundation. It was part of the Time to Shine programme. It was an exciting job and a challenge.

Within the Time to Shine programme, Rank helps individuals by funding a 12-month paid leadership and placement opportunity in the social sector. I immediately applied for the role because I always wanted to work in the social sector and have a background in working for a non-profit. This coupled with my ambition to develop a career in communications felt like the perfect opportunity.

I passed my interview stage, and on Monday, 6th February, I started a new role as a Brand and Comms Assistant. My job role entails helping with content creation and writing posts for the website, sending out email campaigns and engaging with RankNet members.  As the Rank Foundation is undertaking a rebrand exercise, I also get to be involved in the Brand refresh project.

On Wednesday, 8th February, my journey as a Time to Shine Leader began with my first residential event. I stayed in The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine, a beautiful hotel in Limehouse, East London. It was peaceful and quiet, and I did not feel like I was in London!

I was nervous on the day I arrived, but Kai Wooder Rank’s Director of Programmes and Helen Stockdale Rank’s Partnership and Events Manager were very welcoming and friendly.

The residential was a 3-day programme that involved:

  • On the first day, we did icebreakers, an introduction to the cohort, and memory games, which helped us remember names.
  • On the second day, we had a session, Leading with a Growth Mindset with Jen Mackay I found this session interesting; how a positive attitude can change the way of thinking. We were introduced to our Action Learning Set (ALS) facilitator who helps us in our peer- peer learning experiences.
  • On the third day, we did a laughter yoga session in the morning; it made me giggle and helped me ease in as we were having a session with all the group and the line managers in the morning. Afterwards, we had a ‘well-being at a work’ session held by Sam Anderson before heading home.

Action Learning Sets

As part of the Time to shine programme, leaders meet regularly for Action Learning Set sessions. These sessions provide a supportive and trusting environment enabling leaders to grow with peer learning experiences. By sharing our experiences we get to learn how to deal with certain issues and take that learning into our workplace. Recently I had my Action Learning Set. I learnt about time management and how to prioritise  work. ALS also helped me develop listening skills by listening to my peers and asking them open questions to organise their thoughts.

So far, my journey has been truly exceptional. I learnt a lot and am still learning every day in my role. I have support from my colleagues and managers. My Action Learning Set cohort is very friendly. This programme has really helped me build my confidence and given me a chance to do my best.

I can’t wait for the Time to Shine mid-year review next week; I will be writing another blog after the review.

To learn more about The Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine programme click here.

Pro Bono Economics launch their findings on the Time to Shine programme

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The Rank Foundation are elated as Pro Bono Economics launch their findings on the Time to Shine programme.  Pro Bono Economics uses economics to empower the social sector, today launching a report detailing the impact on charities who take part in the Time to Shine programme.

The full report is available to read as a PDF by clicking the button below.

Key findings from the report find:

Charities which participate in Time to Shine are estimated to have, on average, 5% higher incomes after the programme compared to similar charities which do not participate – this is equivalent to an average increase of around £200,000 per year. As the cost of funding the average Time to Shine charity in 2019/20 was approximately £22,000, the programme’s benefits would outweigh the costs if it increases a charity’s annual income by just 0.5%.

With 80% of organisations having incomes less than £100,000 per year, most of the sector is working on very tight budgets. Hiring a full-time employee at the Living Wage would cost more than 18% of these charities’ annual income. This means that expanding their teams is extremely costly and out of reach for most small charities.  The Rank Foundation believes that filling capacity needs in small charities allows them to focus on strategic improvements that can enhance their impact.

Celebrating 10 Years of Time to Shine

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The Rank Foundation celebrated the milestone of 10 years of the Time to Shine Leadership Programme in 2020. To mark the occasion, leaders past and present as well as RankNet members attended Mercers Hall in London for the ‘Dress Divine It’s Time To Shine’ event.

It was a truly spectacular evening, hosted by Amaleehah and Gregor. Whereby we heard from many leaders who shared their memories and lessons of the Time to Shine Programme and their post-T2S journeys.

Since 2010 the Rank Foundation has supported 450 Time to Shine leaders. Time to Shine has offered education and employment in the social sector, improved confidence, self-esteem and aspiration and developed skills and experience. We are very pleased over three-quarters of participants up to 2019 had progressed onto further education or employment following the programme. Of those who had progressed, nearly 9 in 10 (88%) stayed within the social sector.

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to the divine event.

Please click here to view the photos.

Time to Shine Showcase 2020

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In March, The Rank Foundation hosted a virtual Showcase to celebrate and demonstrate the work of the 2020 Time to Shine leaders.

No one could have predicted the challenges they would face both professionally and personally with the Covid-19 pandemic. The Time to Shine leaders persevered and the recent showcase highlighted their adaptability and how they continued to fulfil and exceed expectations of their role within their charity.

As we say farewell to the 2020 cohort as Time to Shine leaders, we are excited for their careers and the journey ahead of them. We feel privileged to have seen first-hand their impact in the UK social sector over the past year. All the team at The Rank Foundation feel inspired by their vulnerability in demonstrating their personal development and their creativity shone through in the videos each group produced.

We have loved getting to know the leaders and managers and welcoming them to The Rank Foundation.

Please watch the videos below to gain insight into the leaders Time to Shine 2020 journey:

Rank launches DCMS Covid-19 Response Programme

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Last week, The Rank Foundation launched the brand new DCMS Covid-19 Response Programme to the Rank Network (RankNet).

The Rank Foundation is one of nineteen funders, foundations and philanthropists who are partnering with the Government’s Community Match Challenge scheme through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The programme is split into two strands: the Covid-19 Recovery Fund and the Covid-19 Time to Shine Leadership Programme.

These two funds will be exclusively open to RankNet member organisations*.

The Covid-19 Recovery Fund has been designed to support RankNet charities and social enterprises with urgent and immediate financial needs as a result of the pandemic.  This can include (but is not limited to) staff salaries, project running costs, general running costs and overheads, and goods and equipment which would not be capitalised.

The Covid-19 Time to Shine Leadership Programme has been designed to expand the already very popular Time to Shine programme between November 2020 and December 2022.  In the past, organisations have been invited to apply for the programme, however we are opening applications to RankNet member organisations*.

*In line with DCMS conditions and taking into consideration that there are nearly 1,000 members of RankNet, The Rank Foundation has outlined some key organisation criteria which should be adhered to when applying for either (or both) of these funding streams. We urge applicants to read more about the Covid-19 Recovery Fund and the Covid-19 Time to Shine Leadership Programme prior to making an application.

As an organisation, we are delighted to be able to offer this extended funding opportunity to RankNet member organisations during such a trying and difficult time for the Third Sector. If you are unable to find an answer to any questions using the links above, please email communitymatchchallenge@rankfoundation.com and someone will get back to you within 7 working days.

RankNet Members can apply for the Covid-19 Recovery Fund and the Covid-19 Time to Shine Leadership Programme under ‘Opportunities’ on RankNet.

The Rank Foundation to benefit from DCMS funding scheme

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The Rank Foundation is to benefit from the government’s DCMS £85 million Covid charity match-funding scheme.

The Rank Foundation is one of nineteen funders, foundations and philanthropists who are partnering with the Government’s Community Match Challenge scheme. The fund is part of the £750 million package of support announced by the Chancellor to support the sector.  The Rank Foundation has been awarded £5 million.

The Rank Foundation will create a new programme, the Time to Shine Covid-19 Resilience Programme, and will distribute a total of £10 million to small and medium-sized charities and social enterprises, primarily to those within their network, RankNet.

The new grants programme will support 200 charities and social enterprises with urgent and immediate financial needs.  Those organisations that are facing unprecedented demand for services or those that are facing a significant reduction income as a result of the pandemic, will benefit from the programme.  In addition, 200 charities and social enterprises will take part in the Time to Shine Leadership Programme, creating new, meaningful jobs when the social sector needs them most.

Time to Shine is a UK wide leadership programme that is run by the Rank Foundation, supported in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund and working with the social sector, where a strong emphasis is placed on personal and professional development. It is designed to address the following:

  • A specific organisational development need, working with a charity or social enterprise.
  • To enable a Time to Shine Leader with the right skills mix, talent, and work ethic, who is currently under-employed to experience a 12-month full-time paid position within a supportive social sector work environment.
  • To provide an opportunity for talented people to consider the social sector as a career of first choice.

Caroline Broadhurst, Deputy CEO of the Rank Foundation stated, ‘we are delighted to be part of this collaborative approach to build resilience within the social sector, in the face of the pandemic.  The dual offer of immediate, short-term and urgent grant funding, combined with an investment in the social sector leaders of tomorrow, through the Time to Shine Programme, will help create the best conditions for charities and social enterprises to not only survive but thrive beyond 2020.’

For further information please contact communitymatchchallenge@rankfoundation.com