Can you help us meet the growing needs of disadvantaged young people in Surrey?
9th September 2022
NEW VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Panel Member for Surrey Young People’s Fund.
Disadvantaged young people in Surrey deserve their opportunity to shine and have a real chance to fulfil their dreams. Surrey Young People’s Fund (SYPF) provides them with just that opportunity – to make the most of themselves and of what society can offer, by gaining access to education, training, apprenticeship, or employment.
The Surrey Young People’s Fund needs an additional Panel Member who can provide a particular focus on fundraising to help us meet that growing need. If you are passionate about increasing the life chances of disadvantaged young people and have some experience of fundraising, then this may be the perfect opportunity.
Since we started our work at the end of 2014, we have received more than 900 applications for grants to help young people improve their life prospects, but there are many more who still require our assistance.
Through the pandemic, and into a major cost of living challenge, SYPF has been here to respond to evolving and increasing needs in our target groups.
We are a Fund within the Community Foundation for Surrey, and operate a model which relies on referring agencies, enthusiastic Volunteer Assessors and Panel Members, and Donors, without whom none of this would be possible.
We are fortunate to have developed strong relationships with our Donors but recognise that we need to give greater emphasis to fundraising so that we can respond to increasing needs as well as secure the financial position of the Fund for the future.
The current Panel Members possess a broad range of skills and experience which we are looking to enhance by recruiting an additional Panel Member with fundraising expertise who can take the lead in developing our Donor network and growing the Fund. It is likely that you will:
have some experience of fundraising in the not-for-profit sector
be well-networked in and across Surrey
have the enthusiasm, skills, and drive to develop our funding network
be passionate about supporting disadvantaged young people in Surrey
The time commitment is not onerous. We meet once a month to discuss applications assessed since the last Panel in a format that encourages sharing of experiences in a friendly and supportive way. We don’t envisage that the person fulfilling this role would assess applicants or need to attend every Panel meeting as your focus would be on cultivating Donors, but attendance would be beneficial to participate in the operation of the Fund at first hand.
If you would like to discuss further, please do contact Nick Brooks, Chair of SYPF, on nickbrooks@cfsurrey.org.uk, or on 07920 060218.
Could you help us to create a better Surrey for everyone?
6th September 2022
NEW VOLUNTEER ROLES: Community Foundation for Surrey – Independent Trustees and Vice-Chair
We are recruiting up to three Trustees who are passionate about a fairer Surrey for all. You will bring your business/voluntary sector experience to help shape the future direction of the largest country-wide funder of the voluntary sector. You will be able to derive huge satisfaction from working with fellow Trustees and the Foundation’s staff to improve the lives of those in need in our county. As a result of your time with us, you will leave a positive lasting legacy.
We play a unique and trusted role in Surrey, bringing together those who can donate with the many wonderful charities in our county who are supporting the most vulnerable in our communities. Our vision is for a stronger, fairer Surrey enabling everyone to support organisations who are making a positive difference to our communities so that no one is left behind.
We award around £3M a year, and currently have an endowment of £15M, but over the next few years, we will need to significantly grow our giving if we are to meet the rapidly increasing levels of need within our communities as we face an economic crisis.
At this critical time in our development, we are looking for volunteer Trustees, including an additional Vice-Chair role, to help us to grow and develop the Foundation so that we can be sure we are making the best possible impact with the funds we are able to raise. The Trustee role is a voluntary position, although all travel costs will be covered.
We are particularly looking for Trustees who can help us to ensure that our Board is as diverse as the local communities that we serve, to bring together a range of opinions and lived experience on our Board.
In addition, we are seeking specific experience in:
IT/systems transformation
experience of working in the voluntary sector at CEO and/or Chair level in a small to medium-sized charity or CIC
representation from the north and west of Surrey.
You should be able to attend four daytime meetings (two-three hours each) per year and an annual Away Day (offices in Woking; all meetings are hybrid to support remote attendance). There are plenty of additional opportunities to visit funded projects and organisations, and each Trustee is expected to actively participate in a Board Sub-Committee (minimum two meetings per year). In this recruitment round we are specifically seeking someone to Chair our Funder Plus Sub-Committee which has oversight of our programme to match skilled volunteers to provide business skills to smaller voluntary sector organisations.
Trustees are appointed for a three-year term of office with the option to renew for a further two terms of three years.
Next steps
For a copy of the role description, please contact recruitment@cfsurrey.org.uk Application is by CV and covering email to the same email address. The application deadline is 30th September 2022.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Chief Executive, Community Foundation for Surrey (Rebecca.Bowden@cfsurrey.org.uk).
Woking Council Community Fund
22nd August 2022
Applying for a community grant will get easier as Woking Borough Council is joining forces with the Community Foundation for Surrey to support the voluntary sector and vulnerable people from across the borough.
Purpose
The new partnership will take effect for grants in 2023/24 where the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) will take overall responsibility for receiving and processing community grant applications on behalf of Woking Borough Council. We are delighted to announce that this new fund will be called the Woking Council Community Fund.
This collaborative approach will be more efficient in enabling community groups to apply for funding through one single expression of interest, without the need for multiple applications. It will also enable groups to access wider funds that are not restricted solely to the council’s grants scheme.
On top of the partnership with CFS, Woking Borough Council will directly commission some charities that provide an essential service to local people using a Service Level Agreement (SLA) arrangement. Those charities will still be able to apply directly to CFS for our other funding but will not be eligible for this fund. As in past years, the Council will consider the level of grant funding available to be set aside in its Budget during the Autumn, which will be agreed formally at the Full Council meeting in February. It is anticipated that the available funding for the 2023/24 financial year will be in the order of between £100,000 and £200,000.
Woking Borough Council will set the annual budget for this Fund and agree the funding criteria to meet its strategic priorities.
A link to the Council’s press release is available here and includes an introductory video by Councillor Will Forster, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for the Voluntary Sector.
Organisations benefitting residents of Woking Borough will be eligible to apply.
Healthier Communities
e.g. projects which support improving health outcomes in our communities in particular addressing health inequalities in our borough (Priorities: Mental Health, Living independently, carers, isolation and loneliness, obesity)
e.g. projects that encourage and increase active lifestyles and participation through the provision of varied cultural and sporting opportunities and amenities
e.g. projects supporting safer communities
e.g. projects to provide early support to improve residents health and wellbeing, or support residents to be more proactive about their health.
e.g. Support improved engagement in active lifestyles, in particular by under-represented groups/ages
Engaged Communities
e.g. projects which support the ability of communities to develop solutions to local needs and support those most disadvantaged in our communities
e.g. projects supporting older, vulnerable and disabled people in our community
e.g. projects supporting engagement in areas of the borough highlighted by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, particularly with children, younger people and older people.
Greener Communities
e.g. projects which support access to green space for members of the community who wouldn’t normally be able to access.
e.g. projects which support the Borough in tackling climate change, noting the Council’s target of the Borough becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Prospering Communities
e.g. projects which support our communities to improve skills and raise aspirations
e.g. projects which improve signposting of career opportunities to those seeking employment and training
What this fund will not support
Large capital projects such as buildings or purchase of vehicles.
Projects with beneficiaries not resident in Woking (if your work benefits a wider area, please tell us what percentage of your beneficiaries are resident in Woking).
Size of grants
The level of funding offered would normally be up to £10,000 for 1 year in the first instance, although this could vary depending on the grant award currently being received from the Council, the level of service provided in the Borough and any exceptional circumstance.
How to apply to the Woking Council Community Fund
Application to the Woking Borough Council Fund will now come through the normal Community Foundation’s application process. This is a two-stage process which in the first instance involves a short, online Expression of Interest (EOI)form. The Expression of Interest Form has been carefully designed to be as easy as possible to complete and will just need a high-level outline of what you would like funding for. You can submit an EOI at any time and this process gives applicants access to all 89 of the Community Foundation’s funds as well as the Woking Council Community Fund.
The EOIs are reviewed on a rolling basis and if eligible you will be invited to submit a full application.
The deadline for full applications will be 23rd January 2023 and the Fund will make awards in May 2023.
Applications will be assessed against the strategic priorities set by the Council as set out in the Woking for All strategy, which informs the Fund priorities.
Woking Borough Council Members and Officers will sit on the grants panel along with Community Foundation for Surrey representatives.
Meet our Grants Team
We will be holding two Q&A session over Zoom where there will be the opportunity to meet representatives from the Foundation and the Council, receive further information about the process and ask any questions you might have. The sessions will be held on:
11am, Tuesday 6th September
10am, Thursday 8th December
You can register for the sessions on the Community Foundation for Surrey website
Mental Health Scale-Up Fund
15th August 2022
“Children and young people who have good mental health are more resilient, more likely to have positive relationships, are physically healthier, achieve more educationally and have better social outcomes.”*
In recognition of an unprecedented level of need for support for young people’s mental health in Surrey coming out of the Covid pandemic, the Community Foundation for Surrey set out to develop a new fund based on the following:
Set up in response to a clear major increase in serious and critical incidents in young people’s mental health incidents in Surrey.
Identified a need for step change in provision – short-term, small grant funding is not supporting sustainability of approach.
Desire to grow and develop programmes that can evidence they are working.
Stop the ‘post-code lottery’ – help should be available to all who need it in Surrey when and where they need it.
We know the Community Foundation for Surrey has funded excellent provision by the Voluntary and Community Sector in specific local areas – which we aim to grow into cross-Surrey provision so that everyone can access support whenever they need it.
We would like to support wrap-around support for long-term, that grows and develops as the needs of the young person and their family change over time – including organisations with differing expertise working together in partnership.
We aim to fund joined-up thinking on a large-scale.
CFS funding supports Community groups, charities and other members of the VCSE sector but not the public sector or private companies. See eligibility criteria.
We are delighted to have raised an initial £2M which sees us able to make our first funding award.
We now intend to continue to grow our fund for the future with the aim of generating a significant fund that will be able to award grants of this magnitude for many years into the future, ensuring that we are able to bring about a step-change improvement in the levels of support available for young people in Surrey.
If you are interested in applying for funding
Round 1 applications will be by invitation only.
We are currently undertaking a listening phase to inform the development of our fund – we would like to talk to organisations involved in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged up to 30 to find out what is working well and what challenges they are facing, if you would like to be involved in the consultation please contact Rebecca.Bowden@cfsurrey.org.uk.
In November 2022, we will open a fully open application process where any organisation can submit an Expression of Interest for our Round 2 Mental Health Scale-Up funding. At this stage we will have more information about key emerging issues and themes from our listening phase, which we will make available to all.
Donating to the Fund
If you are interested in making a donation to the Mental Health Scale-Up Fund and would like to discuss the available options with one of our Fund Development Managers, please email us at giving@cfsurrey.org.uk
Community Foundation for Surrey awards £482,160 to help young people
11th August 2022
The Community Foundation for Surrey is delighted to announce the awarding of 59 grants, totalling £482,160 to voluntary and community organisations in Surrey.
Funded through the generous contribution of our donor funds, the Foundation’s Young Peopletheme helps to combat issues impacting young people, including:
Coping with and managing mental health issues.
Obtaining qualifications and developing life skills that will improve their chances of gaining employment.
Widening horizons – giving children and young people in disadvantaged communities access to opportunity.
Supporting young people caring for others.
Mentoring and coaching.
Enabling young people to access sports, arts and the environment.
There was a wide spread of issues supported through the funding round, but the two dominant themes were Mental health and wellbeing, and Education, skills and employability which accounted for more than half the awards. Mental health alone made up a third of the awards.
We are very excited that one of our donor funds has awarded four, three-year grants for salary costs, thereby providing stability to the charities supported. One of the recipients said:
“A 3 year funding offer is absolutely brilliant and is a massive weight off our trustee-shoulders, knowing that we have security for our ongoing work with our young people. It also enables more strategic, longer-term planning and will encourage other investments of support. Just wonderful all-round.” (Claygate Youth and Community Hub)
Feedback from grant recipients
We have received some fantastic feedback from our grant recipients. Here are a few of their comments:
– Surrey based charity supporting survivors of domestic abuse.
“This generous grant from the Community Foundation will help us to continue our vital work supporting children who are living in our refuges for families fleeing domestic abuse. Our specialist support workers provide a safe place for children to talk, play and heal from their experiences. Thank you.”
Fiamma Pather, Chief Executive Officer, Your Sanctuary
– A mentoring charity for young people to develop skills so that they can thrive in education, relationships and beyond.
“Buddy Up are incredibly grateful for the grant from The Community Foundation for Surrey. This funding means we can continue to provide our much needed mentoring service to the most vulnerable young people in Surrey.”
– A local charity providing therapeutic riding sessions for children and adults with disabilities.
“Horsley, Bookham & Leatherhead RDA are delighted to receive Community Foundation for Surrey’s grant towards the purchase of our next horse. This ensures that we can cater for more local children/young adults who want to ride with us and have therapeutic sessions with our horses and ponies each week.”
– Campaigns for a safer internet for all children and young people – whether they are gaming, communicating on social media, using apps or taking part in any other internet-based activity.
“Breck Foundation is extremely grateful for the support of Community Foundation for Surrey, with it we can deliver our powerful and potentially lifesaving ‘Online Safety’ sessions in schools all over Surrey; Breck’s Mother believes that had her son seen our ‘Online Safety’ session, he would still be alive today“.
– Charity dedicated to the Special Needs’ and Disability Community. We are passionate about making theatre accessible to all and understand that families who have a child with a disability face many barriers.
“We are thrilled to have the support from Community Foundation for Surrey. Many people with disabilities struggle to find a way into the world of performing arts and we want to open these doors to them. Our workshops will give them the confidence, experience and courage to look positively into a future working in theatre.”
Anni Rhodes-Steere, Founder Head2Head Sensory Theatre
– Claygate Youth & Community Hub is a registered charity which took over from Claygate Village Youth Association earlier this year. The main objects of both charities is to provide quality youth activities and youth work to Claygate and surrounding areas.
“A 3 year funding offer to support salaries is a massive weight off our trustee-shoulders. We now know that we have security for our ongoing work with our young people. It also enables more strategic, longer-term planning and will encourage other investments of support. Just wonderful all-round.”
Susannah Moffat, Trustee, Claygate Youth & Community Hub
– YMCA East Surrey helps people to believe in themselves, support them to achieve their goals and inspire them to be the best they can be by providing services that focus on those who are vulnerable, have a disability or face disadvantage.
“You can sing, play the instruments or do some music tech and created songs on the computers. It is also a good place to meet nice people and music lovers who might be going through the same things as you. If I didn’t have this I would probably never go outside!”
– Surrey Care Trust provides learning, training and mentoring to support young people and adults in improving their chances in life.
“Thank you! Thanks to this generous grant, STEPS will be able to continue to help Surrey’s most vulnerable young people to gain the qualifications they need to go on to college or an apprenticeship and develop the personal skills to thrive in life”
Richard Tweddle, STEPS Centre Manager, Surrey Care Trust
– The charity’s aim is to transform the lives and futures of adults managing their mental ill-health and help them secure the skills, confidence and training needed to return to the workplace.
“We are most grateful to the Trustees of the Netherby Trust Fund for their support of Oakleaf’s services for local young adults experiencing mental ill-health. Their grant will enable us to provide much-needed, expert support for people coping with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, for the coming three years”.
– LinkAble is based in Surrey and helps children and adults with learning disabilities in Woking and Surrey Heath. The charity offers people activities and experiences that they struggle to access in the wider community, supporting them to learn new skills, form lasting friendships and lead fulfilling, independent lives.
“As a charity supporting local people with learning disabilities, LinkAble is extremely grateful for the continued support of CFS with their latest donation towards our vital work”.
£1.25m funding from Surrey Community Fund helps more than 35,000 people to ‘build-back’ following the pandemic
5th July 2022
Surrey County Council and the Community Foundation for Surrey have committed to working together to bring maximum benefit and support for the communities of Surrey. We have developed a strong alliance and partnership, based on trust, mutual respect and an open dialogue and we wish to continue to join up our expertise and skills for the benefit of Surrey residents for the longer term. We are delighted to present a one-year update on our partnership to establish the Surrey Community Fund.
Background – Surrey Community Fund
Surrey County Council and the Community Foundation for Surrey signed an agreement on 1st April 2021 establishing the Surrey Community Fund thanks to an historic investment of £500,000 from Surrey County Council. This funding has been used to kick start a fund set up to support communities to ‘build-back’ following the pandemic.
Applications for funding are received from voluntary organisations via the Community Foundation’s Expression of Interest form, and grants are awarded following rigorous assessment, in accordance with our Grant-Making Priorities. We have used the Surrey Community Fund as a ‘fund of last resort’ – for strong applications that do not fit with any of our other 89 funds and would otherwise ‘fall between the funding gaps’.
Surrey Community Fund highlights
Funding of £500,000 from Surrey County Council has generated matched funding of £747,387.00 from donors to the Community Foundation for Surrey, giving a total amount of £1,247,387 to support Surrey communities’ recovery from the pandemic.
£754,223 was awarded in 2021-22 in grants from the Surrey Community Fund– grants are awarded quarterly based on applications that are strong, but have not been funded by other donors, and with a priority on response to the Covid Pandemic and other emergencies.
During the last year there have been other emergencies to deal with, for which there were no existing fund under the Foundation’s management. We therefore set up two ring-fenced funds including £185,000 which has been awarded from the Winter Poverty Fund and £21,950 from the Refugee Support Fund.
To date approximately 35,000 people in Surrey have benefited from funds provided.
A ray of hope to the voluntary sector in challenging times
Here are just three of the organisations that have benefited from the funding:
The Merstham Mix
The Merstham Mix is a Community Interest Company founded in 2017 to support the local community of Merstham. Merstham has some of the highest level of deprivation in the country and by working with food surplus partners and using high quality donated goods, Merstham Mix offers affordable, nutritious meals available to everyone.
The Fund provided emergency funding towards the increased salary costs to recruit a General Manager to enable the continuation of a community cafe in a recognised area of deprivation. Merstham Mix Community Cafe was awarded £10,000.
“Cafe takings are up consistently from when we last spoke – from around £100-£150 per day to now generally over £200. We took £380 last Saturday which is our most successful day ever. It really feels like we are moving in the right direction, and I wanted to thank you and your team SO much for being there for us when we needed it.” Café Volunteer
Age Concern Mole Valley
Age Concern Mole Valley has been caring and supporting vulnerable and isolated older people throughout the district for over 75 years. They are an independent local charity, responsible for their own funding and services.
The £20,00 funding helped to tackle the isolation, health and wellbeing challenges in older people following the coronavirus pandemic. In the last financial year (2019/20) Age Concern Mole Valley supported older people with over 4,500 activities and continued to develop the Local Community Support Project with core activities, including the Befriending and Visiting Service, information & signposting/advice, events, etc. The difference the organisation makes is to reduce social isolation and loneliness and improve the health and wellbeing of older people.
“I am delighted with how the visits are going with my befriender. It is so nice to have someone to natter with and have something in the diary each week to look forward to. You have found me such a nice person. Thank you. My befriender has made such a difference to me and is a really important part of my life now. I always look forward to our meetings and feel better after I’ve seen her.” Client of Age Concern Mole Valley
South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Outreach Service
South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Outreach Service provides free, confidential, independent and impartial advice to anyone aged 16 or above affected by domestic abuse living in the boroughs of Waverley and Guildford.
As the pandemic receded, it has become evident that many victims of domestic abuse display symptoms such as PTSD, depression and anxiety, and are in extreme need of expert counselling. The Fund provided £10,000 to support specialist counselling for adult and child victims of domestic abuse.
Further information
For grant application and funding enquiries please email grants@cfsurrey.org.uk, and for general enquiries, email info@cfsurrey.org.uk. For general enquiries please call 01483 478092.
Visit our website at cfsurrey.org.uk
Plant a tree in Surrey!
28th June 2022
Through the benefit of last year’s successful Forestry Commission’s Treescapes fund, Surrey County Council was able to work with schools, partners and community groups to deliver the planting of around 30,000 new trees across Surrey.
This is what Surrey County Council is saying about the programme:
“If you as a charity or voluntary organisation own, or have a formal lease agreement on land and you are interested in receiving free trees to plant, please complete the form below.
Working with our partners is a core part of Surrey’s Tree Strategy, so we hope you would consider being involved next planting season.
The Community Foundation for Surrey is pleased to announce that a number of our Donor Funds have come together with some additional generous support from Surrey County Council to support the sustainability and resilience of our voluntary sector organisations.
Pandemic working has necessitated many charities and community groups working more closely together with other groups to deliver services together and change services to new ways of delivery.
In the current economic climate, coming out of a period when many funders gave an unprecedented amount, the funding environment is bleak. Many public sector contracts have been frozen and public grants programmes either cancelled or drastically cut back. Increasingly charities are looking to respond to the urgent need to cut costs by looking for new ways of working, cementing partnership working or even merging. In addition, many are looking to change their business model in order to achieve greater financial sustainability in the longer-term. On the positive side many are building on what they have learned during the pandemic which enabled them to re-imagine the services they provide to beneficiaries.
The Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) is seeing an increase in applications for ‘crisis’ funding – funding to address urgent cashflow needs. We would prefer to be able to work with community organisations earlier in their journey so that we avoid the need for crisis intervention.
In response CFS has created the Surrey Strategic Transformation Programme. The focus of this funding will be to support local voluntary and community organisations to become more resilient. It will help organisations to plan and adapt to change and be better equipped to survive and thrive through challenges and opportunities that may arise.
What sorts of things would we support?
Work to carry out a feasibility study for premises move or new merger/partnership
Strengthening an organisation’s leadership and governance, ensuring it has the right skills available to maintain and develop its work including set up of new partnerships/merger or improving strategic planning.
Building the capacity of an organisation’s digital/IT infrastructure to help deliver services and reach the communities it serves more efficiently and effectively.
Small capital work to adapt or refurbish existing premises for new purpose or support move to new premises
Work to design and implement new systems to enable two organisations to work more closely together
Analysis of potential demand for services/needs including analysis of potential partner organisations
Reviewing structure and governance models
Reviewing income and fundraising options or impact measurement
Work to Improve capacity e.g. strengthen impact, effectiveness or sustainability.
Increasing the involvement of service users/communities in the design, development and/or delivery of services.
The Programme will not consider
Applications to support ‘business as usual’ – these can be made through our usual grant rounds, but this fund is specifically to fund ‘business change’
Applications for core/running costs.
Applications from individuals, political or sectarian organisations, mainstream schools and colleges, playgroups, community centres, sports clubs. Religious groups can apply but their services must be open to all and the grants cannot be used for the promotion of religion.
The Fund will support registered charities that have been in existence for at least 3 years with a demonstrably strong track record.
We will prioritise supporting organisations whose primary function and service is supporting people and communities that face the greatest disadvantages and exclusion or have been greatest impacted by the pandemic. Organisations must be focussed on Surrey.
Partnership bids are welcome. For partnership applications, we will expect the applicant to demonstrate what additional benefits will be delivered by working together. To be considered as a ‘partnership’, each organisation must be actively involved in the partnership and have a clear role within it. It is expected that there will be some form of partnership agreement or at least evidence of an agreement between partner organisations
Successful applicants to the Strategic Transformation Fund will be offered support (where required) from skilled volunteers to assist with financial management, governance or merger discussions
How to apply
Groups can start their application by submitting an Expression of Interest
This will be a rolling programme with no deadlines.
Example Grant awards
Investment in an online booking system for a charity providing play-schemes for disadvantaged areas of Westborough, Park Barn and Stoke to improve efficiency and revenue generation.
Funding for a feasibility study regarding the relocation of a charity providing an outdoor learning environment for vulnerable young people.
Installation of two prefabricated cabins to provide flexible expansion of space for service provision and income generation for a charity supporting people with mental health needs.
Computer equipment to enable people with brain injury to be supported more efficiently.
IT System upgrade for a charity which supports disabled people to live independently to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Investment in a consolidated CRM system to manage member data and services more effectively.
Funding support for the merger of five local Community Mediation services to increase efficiency and sustainability; to improve service delivery and to create opportunity for growth, in terms of reaching more people across Surrey.
As part of Volunteers’ Week, we would like to thank our volunteers for their exceptional contribution to the charity and local community.
Thanks to the tireless dedication of its volunteers and staff, the Community Foundation for Surrey continues to bring together local donors with voluntary organisations providing positive solutions to the many challenges within our communities.
Read why our volunteers Emma, Peter and Will became involved and why they have enjoyed their time with us.
Emma, Trustee
“I found the Surrey Community Foundation team magnetic, their desire to drive long term, sustainable change on the issues facing our community face, right here on our doorstep was inspiring.”
“Their deep understanding and strong connections made them uniquely placed to make a difference and I felt compelled to support them on their mission.”
“I was so incredibly proud of the team’s response during the pandemic, not only did they direct support where it was needed most but they were so brave and innovative in their approach of getting the funding out of the door quickly, yet responsibly.”
“The diversity of the team is fantastic, with varied backgrounds, skills and know how… it is a very rewarding team to be part of.”
Peter, Vice President
“As part of my retirement plan, I was looking for charitable ways to channel my time, energy and the skills developed during my professional life. A colleague introduced me to the Community Foundation for Surrey.”
“By working with CFS I have gained a wider understanding of the multiple needs within Surrey and an appreciation of the generosity of the many donors in the County and the ways in which the team can facilitate the distribution of donated funds.”
“There has been the chance to meet people from all aspects of society living within Surrey and also the opportunity to work alongside extremely interesting, dedicated and hard-working staff, advisors, ambassadors and trustees of CFS.”
“The personal satisfaction of being able to continue contributing to an extremely worthwhile organisation and those who benefit from its interest and help.”
Will, Trustee
“As a retiring solicitor I wanted to ‘give something back’ and utilise my legal skills in the Third sector. I was flattered to be invited in 2019 to become a trustee of CFS. Having practiced as an employment lawyer for forty plus years, turning to give advice to a charity was a challenge, and one that I have increasingly enjoyed.”
“I think CFS is a remarkable organisation that really delivers, and on an increasingly expansive basis across the county. Its people are of the very highest calibre – and are devoted to helping that delivery.”
