Well, we've done it. Our 10 year GKG Anniversary present to ourselves is to affirm the reality that we have a Virtual Office. We have thought that we needed to have the 'hardware' of desks and drawers and files and all that comes with it. And since we (Directors Pete and Elizabeth) have lived on a narrowboat for the last three years, and our office has been a shared space at the Ethical Property Company's Old Music Hall in Oxford, we have used the office very little indeed.

I do love teaching this two day course. Each course there are people who do the most amazing things such as managing projects which support people with cancer or autism, support young people to make music, support elderly people to make their own decisions, help people make friends with the earth and SO much more. It is compelling and awesome to listen to such commitment and yet I am frustrated with them as they grasp for tools to help them. Evaluations say that they like my course lots, but for me, I get 10 to 20 reasons more why the world is still a good place every time I teach.

Those who know me know that I like tools to do things. I always hope that one of them may click for someone and then make their lives more peaceful and creative. I discovered this site today while reading through my colleague, Grainne Ridge's, DSC book on Time Management. www.mindtools.com. It is packed with tools - lots I use and more I had not heard about it. I'm presently open on the Apprecialtive Enquiry page which is succinct and acheivable. I heartily recommend it!

Pete is at the desk next to me, assessing applications to a funder. The fund is quite clear about what it will fund. I get increasingly frustrated at the applicants who ask for money from the fund when it is patently clear that the applicant does not fulfil the requirements. Put simply, the fund may say that they fund parsley growers on the Isle of Sheppy only. The applicant will then say that they grow potatoes in East Anglia, but they grow something. Will that do???? (AARGH).

Finally! Both from my point of view and the Directory of Social Change's point of view, my book on risk for the social benefit sector has been published. I am thrilled. I was commissioned to do this as an accompaniment to my Practical Project Management Course and rather than limiting it to those delegates, the DSC has included the title in their Speed Reads series. You can get it in print by post from the DSC or from Amazon and the DSC website offers a downloadable version.

http://www.dsc.org.uk/Publications/Managementandgovernance/@34399

Our work

We'll start by saying who we work with. Otherwise, we are any consultancy or research team and though we are, we're not. We work with organisations who want to make positive social impact. So, we work with social enterprises, charities, the public sector, local ad hoc groups and start up social organisations. And the way we work is to share what we know - we mentor, share tools, support, translate and more. We want organisations to be strong in their own right and not to have to rely (have to pay to rely) on us or anyone.

We frequently work with skilled people throughout our sector in order to bring the right skills to the right tasks. We are privileged that a number of these good people have decided to become GKG Associates, aligning themselves with our values and our objectives. Some Associates have formed themselves into the GKG Collective, an associate group focussed primarily on inclusion, engagement and involvement, bringing core skills of participation work to a broad range of projects. Each GKG Associate has their own work which you can read about on their pages.

Just a while ago, I was searching out pictures to show some of our participation work. You can see them if you click to the photos space on our site. But I found a document I had forgotten that I created (as you do). I posted it on Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/doc/17776618/Ethical-Principles-in-Action-Research.

What fun to be working with bearhunt in the myplace support team. Do see Our Work>Present Work to see what I'm on about. We have been able to support a team and to go out ourselves to see these exciting projects all over the country. We are talking 5 star young people's work from theatres to sports centres to community centres. FAB.
My fun of course, is helping the business plan process by creating the template (bloggged about earlier) and helping make the complex make sense.

Dear all new readers,