Month: January 2024

A Norfolk-based charity that supports unpaid carers has announced plans to close due to funding challenges after a loss of council funding. West Norfolk Carers, which had an income of slightly more than £200,000 in 2021/22, will close at the end of March, making all of its nine staff redundant. The charity also has about

Voluntary sector organisations that support people who are struggling with their energy costs are being invited to apply for a share of £20m in grant funding. The money is being offered by the Energy Saving Trust and comes from the Energy Redress Scheme, which is funded through voluntary payments from companies that have breached rules

The Actors’ Benevolent Fund has reported “serious concerns” about online voting in its council election to the police and the Charity Commission, after 166 proxy votes were found to be invalid.  The results of the election were due to be announced at its annual general meeting on 17 January, but this was delayed after concerns

People who give higher amounts to charity are more likely to be in favour of the use of artificial intelligence by voluntary organisations, new figures indicate.  Researchers asked more than 6,100 people in 10 countries about whether they thought the opportunities presented by AI for charities outweighed the risks, or vice versa.  The figures show

The disability charity Designability has appointed Jim Bowes as its chief executive. Bowes succeeds Catharine Brown, who stepped down in September after four years in the role. The charity, which supports disabled people to live more independently and creates products and services with and for disabled people, said Bowes has more than 20 years of

Christian Aid’s income rose by more than £12m last year, mainly because of funds donated to support people affected by the war in Ukraine, figures show.  The charity’s accounts for the year to the end of March, filed this week with Companies House, show total income reached £90.6m, up from £78.m in the previous year.

The amount of “shock tactic” imagery in charities’ news media adverts has decreased in the past decade, new research has found. Only 11 per cent of images from a sample of charity, NGO and INGO adverts found in UK national newspapers were classed as “pitiful” or used “shock tactics”, the study found. This is a

This year’s election could mark a “once in a generation” opportunity for charities to push for radical change, chief executives have said. Speaking yesterday at the Change Conversations webinar, hosted by the Good Agency, a group of charity leaders discussed the importance of seizing opportunities as the UK heads towards an election. Enver Solomon, chief

The UK needs a “collective attitude shift” towards philanthropy in order to create a positive giving environment, the culture secretary has said.  Lucy Frazer was speaking today at the launch of a report into major giving, which was published by the think tank Onward.  The report, called Giving Back Better, finds that giving by the

Entries for the Third Sector Awards, which celebrate the work of charities and the difference they make to society, have opened for 2024. There are 32 categories rewarding sector partnerships, individual talent and organisational excellence, including Communications Campaign of the Year, which in 2023 was won by the maternity discrimination charity Pregnant Then Screwed. Nominations

The chief executive of the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop has announced she will stand down after nearly four years in post. Leni Morris, who became chief executive of the charity in 2020, will leave at the end of January. Galop provides advice and support to members of the LGBT+ community across the UK who have

Four out of five people believe volunteering improves their wellbeing, a major new survey has found.  Research conducted among almost 29,000 people who volunteer for 10 large charities including the National Trust, RSPCA, British Red Cross and Trussell Trust, found that 80 per cent agreed that their lives were enriched by giving up their time

The psychiatric research charity the British False Memory Society has closed due to funding challenges after 30 years, Third Sector has learned. The charity, which produced research on the issue of false memory, made three redundancies – one full-time employee and two part-time employees – in October as a result of the closure.  A statement

Voluntary sector leaders have welcomed the Labour Party’s promise to include the sector as a key partner if it formed the next government.  Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, told an audience of charity leaders in London yesterday that the sector was “essential” to his party’s plans for a decade of renewal

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is this morning due to set out his party’s vision for the UK voluntary sector. Starmer is expected to speak in front of an audience of 150 charity leaders and 17 shadow ministers at an event in London organised by the think tank Pro Bono Economics. PBE said it

The voluntary sector is “essential” to the Labour Party’s plans for a decade of renewal, its leader has said, as he set out a vision for how his government would work with charities. Sir Keir Starmer told an audience of voluntary sector leaders in London this morning that he was asking them and the broader

The proportion of charities that are having to turn people away rose in the final quarter of last year, new figures show.  Research carried out last month by the Charities Aid Foundation with more than 650 charities, most of which have annual incomes of less than £5m, found that 15 per cent of respondents said

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Unicef UK, has been appointed to the top job at the learning disability charity Mencap.  Sparkes, who joined Unicef in January 2022, will take up his new role in June.  He succeeds Edel Harris, who stepped down in August after three and a half years in the role.  Jackie O’Sullivan,

A child exploitation charity has changed its name to better reflect its history, as part of a wider rebrand.  Parents Against Child Exploitation, or Pace, which is Leeds-based and supports families in England and Wales with experience of child exploitation, has changed its name to the Ivison Trust, saying that its old name was becoming

MPs have urged the government to deliver on its commitment to continue funding an interfaith charity, warning that the seven-month delay has put it at risk of “imminent closure” and led to redundancies. The Inter Faith Network for the UK works with national faith community groups and educational bodies to advance understandings of the teachings

A defunct street orchestra charity has been told to pay more than £30,500 to its former employees after the organisation closed without warning, an employment tribunal has ruled. Nevis Ensemble, which was based in Glasgow, aimed to remove barriers to accessing orchestral music by bringing performances to people across Scotland.  The five-year-old charity regularly sent

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has set up a new committee to oversee its complaints process, following concerns from members about how it dealt with safeguarding concerns.  Michele Welch, head of professional conduct at the CIoF, said in a blog post that its Professional Conduct Committee would oversee and support the CIoF’s complaints process and

The results of a vote to elect new trustees at the Actors’ Benevolent Fund have been delayed while “concerns over online voting are investigated”.  The charity had planned to announce the outcome of the elections at its annual general meeting last night but issued a statement saying the meeting had been adjourned until 29 January.

Charities must adopt a “laser-sharp focus” on their core purpose to handle challenges such as ‘culture wars’, the outgoing chief executive of the Charity Commission has said. Speaking today at the annual charity conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Helen Stephenson said many charities had been “very acutely” affected by