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We’ve switched on our accounts system (Xero) today. Your invoices and accounts email will look slightly different, but the amounts shouldn’t. If you pay be direct debit or standing order these payments should still go through as normal.

If you do have any queries about your account please get in touch with Sue at accounts@lamplightdb.co.uk.

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We’ve decided to make the communications module available for free to any customer that needs to add it to their system, for at least the next 3 months. We hope this will be helpful if you are changing the way you work and need to stay in touch with your service users and supporters in different ways. We’ve done a short introductory video to help you get it set up.

Other changes we’ve made:

  • Improved the setup for email. Lamplight can work out the SMTP server settings needed for the most popular email providers, so in many cases all you need to do is enter your email password. Lamplight will also send a test email so you can see straight away whether everything’s working.
  • Individual operators can set their own email account details, so admins don’t need to do it for them.
  • Communications can now have a date from and to, so you can store and report on duration of communication records.
  • The ‘reply to’ email address will be the email of the sending account (you often get errors if these are different).

You can add modules to your system via the system admin menu > Customise Lamplight > Add or remove modules.

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(Update: 2/4/20): The various Lottery funders have announced funding.  The Heritage fund has funding for existing or recent grantees. Sport England is doing the same, and also has a fund for activities to help people stay active.  The Community Fund has a Covid-19 page with updates on what they are doing.

Still nothing sector specific from Government, but some hints that something’s coming.

Civil Society has a longer list of funders, including these and other sources (added 27/03)

We’ve seen a few sources of funding for charities affected by Coronavirus and/or working with people directly affected (updated 23/3):

Martin Lewis / Money Saving Expert – £5k – £20k for poverty relief. Deadline 25th March, funding to be released quickly.

Watch the National Emergencies Trust – currently raising funds, to be distributed through Community Foundations.  Again this is to support work supporting people directly affected (guidelines on their site).

The Mayor of London and City Bridge Trust have launched an emergency fund to support charities directly affected – sign up on their site for updates next week.  The Steve Morgan Foundation is offering funding for charities in Liverpool, Cheshire and North Wales.  Local Waitrose stores have access to £1m emergency funding for local groups.  The Oxfordshire Community Foundation has some local funding available from the Indigo Trust.

NCVO are lobbying for additional support for the sector and they have also made their KnowledgeBase resources available for free. Also worth watching for volunteering support.