Katy Raines

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) led the development of the 'Local Skills Improvement Plan for Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland', a vital plan of action for better education, training and skills provision, that closely reflects the needs of employers like yourselves, which was commissioned by the Department for Education and published in August 2023. We've now reached Phase 2 of the LSIP, which is all about delivering this plan. It is crucial that employers, business owners and leaders continue to feed into this process, as we need to ensure that actions intended to achieve one or more of the priorities outlined in the LSIP Report, are hitting the mark and having the desired effect. Completing this online survey will take around 15 minutes and represents a crucial input to both navigating and evaluating the implementation and impact of the LSIP.

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📰 The Future of News: A Two-Tier Media Landscape? A stark warning from parliament.uk: without action, we risk a fractured news ecosystem, with informed citizens on one side and disengaged communities on the other. 💡 “Having informed citizens with a shared understanding of facts isn’t guaranteed—and may not endure.” The UK’s media has defied the odds these past 15 years, with exciting new formats and diverse perspectives. But it’s not all good news… 📉💔 🔎 Trust in journalism is falling 🙈 News avoidance is rising 💸 Revenue streams are drying up 🤖 And AI? It’s shaking up EVERYTHING The risk? A “two-tier” system where some stay informed while others fall into news deserts or questionable online sources. So, what’s next? Tax breaks for local news 🏡, smarter AI policies 🤝, and more innovation💡 could help us steer away from the cliff edge. We are doing our bit at Contribly by trying to innovate the audience engagement side of the news, by getting real people’s voices included and heard in a safe way that social media doesn’t provide. The aim is to build trust and relevance! Let’s keep the news serving everyone, not just the privileged few. 🌍💪 What’s your take on this? Let’s chat! 👇🗣️ https://lnkd.in/enjesFrY

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Three weeks ahead of voting in UK General Election. The National Centre for Social Research last week published its latest report BSA 41: Five years of unprecedented challenges: The impact of the 2019-2024 Parliament on public opinion. It warns trust and confidence in the government has fallen back to where it was five years ago, a record high of 45% “almost never” trust governments to put the nation’s interests first, up from 34% in 2019. Broadly then, what does the report identify for the fall in confidence? 👉 Got Brexit done. Yet despite anticipating lower levels of immigration, net migration has increased to record levels. 👉 COVID. Forces the economy to shutdown placing huge demand on public spending. 👉 Russia invades Ukraine. A worsening rise to inflation most noticeably in energy costs but also triggering a rise of mortgage interest rates and inevitably declining living standards for many. 👉 Two Prime Ministers brought down. Johnson and Truss due to disregard to lockdown regulation and the 'mini budget' respectively. I believe, above all else, trust is the single greatest component for successful agency/client relationships. So what parallels might apply to organisations and their agencies? ✔ Agency pitch done. But do you still have access to senior leader experts in your agency? ✔ Budget spending demands. Are you consistently surprised by unavoidable budget increases? Is your agency operating as an advisor...contingency allowances, impact of decision making, etc. ✔ Delivering against promises. Is your agency consistently meeting expectations or falling behind? ✔ Ask why? Good is asking why. The opposite is said for guesswork and assumptions. ✔ No mystery. Are working collaboratively with your agency in an open and transparent way? In much the same way then public opinion is reshaping the course of this General Election, so it might as you evaluate the value of your agency relationship. If this is of interest, I wrote a short post 'How to find the right agency for me' https://lnkd.in/eJSCfPeS

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Do you know the recipe for business book success? We do at Rethink Press. With more than 1000 business books published to date, including a great many best sellers, we know what it takes to write a winning business-boosting book. Have you written a business book? Thinking of writing one? Why not have a chat with one of our commissioning editors? Just fill in the form here https://lnkd.in/eAKi_ixR #BusinessBooks #BusinessBooster #GetMoreBusiness #CloseMoreLeads #WriteABook #Author #HybridPublisher #GetPublished #PublishedAuthor #ReThinkPress

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Step one ✅ Shout about what you believe in and, constructively, hold people to account when they need it. In the last few minutes, Innovate UK has released the below. We asked them to: 💸 Commit to allocating the remaining £2+ million to female-founded and female-led businesses, by awarding the remaining 25 awards to the top-scoring applicants - ✅ This is happening and I am DELIGHTED! 🗣️ Engage in a collaborative dialogue to address the current issues with the funding process and implement necessary improvements, taking into consideration female funding needs and application experiences - ✅ in their statement, they have said they will "Further develop our strategic engagement with business leaders and advocates in this area. We have already been speaking with people who have been engaging on behalf of communities." 📖 Acknowledge the shortcomings in the current process and commit to preventing similar outcomes in the future by conducting a collaborative review of the assessment process - ✔️ They have stated they will "Continue to work collaboratively to improve our processes and co-create new opportunities." 🚀 Launch a redesigned Women in Innovation Award in 2025 based on lessons learned, with a transparent funding allocation and scoring process that restores confidence in Innovate UK Now just for a redesigned WII Award... but three out of four (in 72hrs) isn't bad at all. 🙌🏽 What a team effort, and what an incredible community of women - hundreds of women who made this happen! Becky Lodge Zandra Moore Emmie Faust Emma Jarvis et al!

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Massive changes afoot (potentially) at Royal Mail. The 'agreed' takeover will no doubt face some scrutiny especially as we face into a General Election and potential change of Government. There is no doubt that parcel delivery has been profitable and universal service poses challenges, however whoever takes on this British Institution needs to ensure they see the growth potential in advertising across the channel. Of course transactional mail items need to be sent out as part of a brands overall service offering, whereas sending something relevant and personalised to reward a customers interest doesn't land in home every day. With that in mind relevant discounts for delivery (admail) and a guaranteed regular delivery schedule (regardless of postage class) need to continue to be supported to ensure the long-term growth of the channel #royalmail #paperplanes #directmail https://lnkd.in/eBCFAZFh

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We're excited to invite SMEs to our exclusive webinar on Tuesday, 9th July from 10am-11am. Hosted by the LSBU Apprenticeship Team, this session will delve into government funding opportunities, £1,000 apprentice incentives, and the benefits of levy transfers. Date: Tuesday, 9th July Time: 10am-11am (45-minute session + 15-minute Q&A) Platform: Teams (via Eventbrite) Why Attend? - Access Government Funding: Learn how to support your business growth. - Apprentice Incentives: Discover eligibility for £1,000 incentives. - Levy Transfers: Maximise your training budget and support workforce development. Register now to secure your spot and gain valuable insights to enhance your business operations and invest in your workforce's future. 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dbBegBpB For more information, contact us at [email protected]. hashtag #SMEs #Webinar #GovernmentFunding #Apprenticeships #LevyTransfers #LSBU #BusinessGrowth #WorkforceDevelopment

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Attended a brilliant Chartered Institute of Public Relations course on AI & Reputation Leadership this week with Ben Verinder. Some of my favourite takeaways to think about: ➡ Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. ➡ The way you communicate something is a form of communication. ➡ Don’t try to outsource organisational or personal empathy. ➡ Remember to ask external contractors about their own use of AI and ensure you inform them of your own policies if you expect them to adopt your limitations and checks. ➡ More work is needed to ensure that we don’t “hollow out” or homogenise content generation to the point of digital communication channels becoming an empty soulless void that audiences learn to tune out. ➡ Organisations need to work hard to generate sufficient trust with their employees so that they feel safe to disclose when and where they use AI in their roles, in order to put necessary due diligence in place, enable you to be transparent with your audiences about how, where and why AI is being used and prevent unexpected consequences. #CIPRLearn #CPD

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❗️ATTENTION CREATIVE SUPPLIERS ❗️ I’m pleased to invite you to be involved in the Early Market Engagement (EME) for the upcoming UEA Creative Services Framework procurement process. https://lnkd.in/eE3CU4sm This engagement aims to gather valuable input from the market and to ensure that the framework we establish meets industry standards and best practices. Your feedback will help shape the requirements and specifications, ensuring we develop a framework that aligns with both market capabilities and our organisational objectives. To access the relevant EME documents, please follow the instructions in the above linked contracts finder notice to InTend where you will be able to download: 1a - Presentation – please note the timescales for response *not downloadable from InTend* Please follow this link to view the presentation recording https://lnkd.in/erX6yC54 2 - Early Market Engagement questionnaire 3 - Redacted specification 4 - Briefing template 5 – Service Level Agreement 6 - Privacy notice Any engagement with this phase of the process is hugely appreciated for me to get this over the line! ✨ #creativeTender #creativeSMEs #creativeSuppliers

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It was worthwhile reposting this with an anecdote. We have just signed up a client for several frameworks over a 2-year period. One of the things we often do in preparation for meetings is to conduct a full review of our relationship and successes with each client. One of the frameworks we will service them on is a repeat of their first work with us several years ago. During that time, they amassed £50m+ (a lot more, but I want to keep the anecdote vague). But here is the critical point. According to our client notes, we strongly advised the client to go for two other frameworks that addressed similar opportunities in different markets. Sadly, they decided not to heed our advice. We shared with them who we worked with instead as they are a case study of ours and customer reference. Again, an 8-figure sum, not so much, but you would not walk past the cash if you saw it lying in the street. Never assume you know everything about a market. Always ask experts. Experts understand clients' worries and concerns over the value of money. But there is one thing you will never be able to bank: hindsight. Think of it this way. What do you spend on your sales and marketing? What is it they specifically spend most of their time doing? The answer in every single case is finding opportunities. Why would anyone choose to roll the dice on expending any time, especially hard-earned cash, on 'finding' deals when they are guaranteed to come through a framework anyway? It really needs some better guidance and market intelligence. Or to take a different perspective on what outcome they are trying to achieve and what offers the greatest ROI. Don't be that company. Be the company that focuses on the better percentage outcomes for ROI. let us explain how.

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This debate was a farcical exercise in avoiding the issue. Last Tuesday, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising organised a debate at the House of Commons: "The anti-woke agenda is fuelling creativity".  And what a wasted opportunity it was.  But then again, why was I surprised?  Adland's institutions (its associations, awards shows, trade papers, and big London-based network agencies) have, for 12 years, failed to critique the influence of the woke agenda (to use the language that framed the debate) on our industry. Instead, for years, they embraced Social Purpose as the go-to-market strategy and currently unquestioningly accept DEI as the organising principle for agency recruitment and internal affairs. In the "debate" itself, all four speakers - to varying degrees - were actually against the motion! As Nick Asbury has observed the "proposers and opposers were of one mind in defining ‘woke’ as standing for all good things (not racist, not sexist, not fascist) – a definition that pre-emptively casts any dissenting opinion as ‘anti-woke’ and therefore beyond the pale". There was no mention of the fact that woke has become synonymous with cancellation, de-platforming, trigger warnings and fear of misspeaking. Or that, in "unconscious bias", it asserts that all white people are inevitably racist whether they know it or not. Thus automatically calling into question any opinion they might be bold enough to proffer. Nope, no one referenced the above - or the fact such traits might just be inimical to the expression of alternate points of view, original thinking or creativity. On the contrary, the speakers inveighed against a diabolical "anti-woke movement". Nick Asbury and I tried our best to see our creative industry (advertising) in this context but eventually had to explain that, in our circumstances, the "anti-woke movement" essentially amounts to erm ... him and me. I also pointed out that in our world, woke (in the form of Social Purpose campaigns) has not been rejected by some fiendish cabal (aka Nick and me) but by a) our clients and b) the consuming general public. Aside from that, there was no mention (never mind critique) of woke censoriousness (and groupthink) and its baleful impact on creativity.  Which surely is what we should've been debating. But then again, it's a discussion that our industry panjandrums have been avoiding for years. And they probably went home on Thursday evening happy at another snow job well done.

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The ESFA have now produced the new Academies Financial Handbook, effective from 1st September 2024. We've broken down the key points for you in our latest blog - bit.ly/4d9jvja #Education #AcademyTrustHandbook

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-Third party platforms generated the largest share of online income while Facebook income had more than halved. -Cost-per-acquisition going up. These short bites from THINK make sense, at least on the Meta side of charities' income generation activities. Now, are charity leaders going to finally take their chances with new, innovative and emerging platforms? Is there a movement towards Income Generation diversification coming? Time will tell. But until then we, at Nucha, we'll keep building our all-in-one platform to help charities raise funds effortlessly while reducing overheads and reaching their audience more efficiently. #techforgood #charityfundraiser #charityfundraising

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Join us for the next LCS Level 3 Event hosted by the BBC! We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming LCS Level 3 event on 25th September, hosted by the BBC at their MediaCityUK site. This event's theme is: How can small improvement teams make big impacts that help the delivery of corporate strategy? Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and network with industry professionals as we explore how lean methodologies can drive significant change within organisations. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3WMr89m #LCSLevel3 #LeanManagement #ContinuousImprovement #BBC

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In recent years, charities across the UK have been navigating increasingly choppy waters. Funding sources that once seemed stable have become less certain, while the demand for services has skyrocketed. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis, coupled with government budgetary constraints, has led to a more competitive environment for grants and donations. At the same time, there’s been a noticeable lack of broader, systemic support. Many charities feel as though they’re operating in isolation, with only limited guidance and resources to help them through this difficult landscape. The economic uncertainty, from inflation to interest rates, has also made it harder to plan long-term strategies. Charities often rely on multi-year funding plans to sustain their work, but with economic volatility, projecting future needs and securing ongoing support is harder than ever. This can lead to a crisis of confidence within organisations, where even the best intentions and projects are overshadowed by financial strain and operational risks. In times like these, many organisations may be feeling lost. It’s not enough to continue “business as usual” and hope for better days. What’s needed is a new approach to navigating this landscape—one that incorporates strategic thinking, adaptability, and a flexible approach to external support. We felt it was crucial to develop a cost effective, but impactful service, and created a number of low cost retainer packages, which include: A dedicated advisor who will work closely with your leadership team Ongoing fundraising strategy development, designed to adapt to the changing landscape Governance and compliance support to strengthen your organisation’s resilience Regular reviews and strategy sessions to ensure your charity is on track and prepared for future challenges But beyond these services, we also offer a bespoke support coaching package to support leadership teams as they navigate this time of uncertainty. With our extensive experience in fundraising, strategic leadership, and as a CEO, I’ll help you rethink how your charity approaches funding, governance, and partnerships. This isn’t about providing off-the-shelf solutions—it’s about working with your organisation to build tailored strategies that align with your unique mission and challenges. If your charity is struggling to find its footing in today’s complex landscape, you don’t have to go it alone. Together, we can build a resilient strategy that secures both your charity’s impact and its future. Reach out today to learn more about our Retainer Services and bespoke coaching. Let’s work together to build a stronger, more sustainable charity sector. #CharitySupport #FundraisingStrategy #Leadership #TogetherWeThrive #NonProfitLeadership #Governance

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💡 Need affordable, tailored consultancy for your charity? Learn how charity-focused consultants can help boost your organisation’s impact at our FREE event on Tuesday 14 January 2025. We’ll cover how to identify when to engage a consultant, how to define your goals, and how to choose the right expert. With insights from experienced charity leaders, you’ll leave with the knowledge to make informed decisions. 👉 Find the link in the comments to register – don’t miss out! CO3 Chief Officers 3rd Sector

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💡 Need affordable, tailored consultancy for your charity? Learn how charity-focused consultants can help boost your organisation’s impact at our FREE event on Tuesday 14 January 2025. We’ll cover how to identify when to engage a consultant, how to define your goals, and how to choose the right expert. With insights from experienced charity leaders, you’ll leave with the knowledge to make informed decisions. 👉 Find the link in the comments to register – don’t miss out! CO3 Chief Officers 3rd Sector

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💡 Need affordable, tailored consultancy for your charity? Learn how charity-focused consultants can help boost your organisation’s impact at our FREE event on Tuesday 14 January 2025. We’ll cover how to identify when to engage a consultant, how to define your goals, and how to choose the right expert. With insights from experienced charity leaders, you’ll leave with the knowledge to make informed decisions. 👉 Find the link in the comments to register – don’t miss out! CO3 Chief Officers 3rd Sector