Charity

A keynote fund for black and ethnic minority-led charities has been “swamped” in applications, one of its organisers has said. High demand means that fewer than one in 10 of the small charities applying to the £1m fund will be successful, according to Yvonne Field, chief executive of the Ubele Initiative. The Ubele Initiative is

Charities using cryptocurrencies to fundraise should expect those assets to lose value, the regulator has warned. Trustees should be wary of relying on cryptocurrency markets which are “largely unregulated” and where the value of assets is highly volatile, according to new guidance from the Charity Commission. Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies underpinned by blockchain, a technology

The battle for a share of the increasingly competitive charity shops market has taken a new turn, with the appointment of a soap star as British Heart Foundation’s first retail ambassador. The unveiling of Coronation Street actor and entrepreneur Kimberly Hart-Simpson comes as Charity.SuperMkt has extended its stay at the Oracle in Reading by three

Trustees at a £30m charity were able to “hijack” the organisation under the noses of the regulator, former board members have claimed. The previous trustees of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, who say they were illegitimately ousted from the charity last year, accused the Charity Commission of “sit[ting] on its hands” since the bitter dispute arose

The early-bird deadline for reduced-rate entry to the Third Sector Awards is rapidly approaching.  The Third Sector Awards celebrate the work of voluntary sector organisations and the difference they make to society.  There are 32 categories this year, covering sector excellence, partnerships and talent, including an award for Best Service Delivery Innovation that will recognise

Experts have urged the government to tighten safeguarding laws designed to block potential abusers from joining global aid charities. Charities should be able to request detailed background checks on all aid staff recruited to work with beneficiaries overseas, according to an independent review of government policy. The change would expand rules that currently limit checks

The charity of the year for the 2024 TCS London Marathon has been revealed – sooner than intended. Samaritans was set to be officially unveiled at noon on Wednesday 26 April, in an announcement coordinated with the marathon’s organisers. But the charity appears to have jumped the starting gun by revealing the news on its

A four-week strike at the homelessness charity St Mungo’s has been suspended while staff consider a new pay offer. More than 500 workers allied to the union Unite were scheduled to walk out today but will now vote on a new deal with the charity. The union has recommended its members reject the offer, which

An actors’ charity appears to be in the bad books of the regulator over the amount of time and money spent to resolve a “bitter dispute” between trustees. The Charity Commission has ordered the Actors’ Benevolent Fund to hold fresh elections for trustees before the end of the year, following a year-long investigation. It also

The “one-off” founder and chief executive of a high-profile charity has announced her retirement after being diagnosed with cancer.  Sue Farrington Smith MBE led the coming-together of a number of brain tumour charities to found Brain Tumour Research in 2009. Now, having undergone major surgery to treat low-grade abdominal cancer, she has announced that she

The police in Northern Ireland are investigating after hackers stole data on more than a hundred charities and their beneficiaries. Evide, a data management firm based in Derry, was targeted by cyber criminals last month, according to BBC reports. The firm did not respond to requests for comment by Third Sector but told the BBC

The shortlist for the Purpose Awards EMEA 2023 from PRWeek, Campaign and Third Sector has been announced. The awards recognise campaigns that use creative ideas successfully to further positive causes and acknowledge the organisations behind them. They are open to agencies, brands, public sector bodies, charities and NGOs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

A £1.2m donation from Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, helped his global development charity grow by more than 50 per cent last year. Sentebale, which supports children in Lesotho and Botswana living with the impact of HIV, raised £4.5m in 2021/22, up from £3.1m the year before. This includes a donation of $1.5m – about

The total amount of legacy income to charities hit an all-time high of an estimated £3.7bn last year, according to research. The Legacy Trends report by legacy information provider Smee & Ford found that 37,053 wills included donations to one or more charities in England and Wales. The figure was out of a total 269,699

One of the country’s largest charities says that the “vast majority” of new staff will be able to work completely remotely under post-Covid-19 arrangements. PDSA, the animal welfare charity, told Third Sector it was advertising some jobs with “zero expectation” that employees would work from its offices unless they wished, as part of a more

A support worker with a warning for sleeping on duty was dismissed after a vulnerable woman wandered barefoot out of her care facility at night, a tribunal heard. Ms R Gbortsui was meant to be monitoring the gate CCTV, according to the official report of the hearing, but left her post to investigate when some

Income pressure and a volunteer shortage has left a “significant question mark” over the future of many charities running community buildings, researchers say. Analysis found that the number of paid bookings had dropped at more than one-quarter of community buildings since Covid-19, hitting a vital source of income. The research also identified “a stark lack”

Yesterday’s Budget was full of announcements that affect charities. Here are the key changes: Third Sector understands that this is new funding for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with just over £100m pledged to charities in England and decisions about the remaining spending falling to devolved powers elsewhere in the UK. There

Charity shops have received a belated Christmas present, as new figures show that they have bounced back to beat pre-pandemic festive sales figures. Meanwhile, almost half of charities are planning to open new shops in the coming six months. The news comes in figures from the Charity Retail Association, which show a 9.1 per cent

Small charities today suffered another blow as support organisation the Foundation for Social Change announced its closure. The shock decision, revealed in a press release this morning, comes 12 months after the Small Charities Coalition closed down – and two weeks after the 360 Giving report revealed more than 1,000 infrastructure charities had closed since

Time is running out to apply to take part in Third Sector’s free C-Suite Summit next month.  The event, which will bring together senior leaders from charities of all sizes, will focus on the future of the voluntary sector.  It is free to attend for people who meet the criteria. Speakers already announced include Malcolm

A multimillion-pound charity that supports social entrepreneurs is making about 15 per cent of its staff redundant. Internal documents, seen by Third Sector, say the proposed cuts by UnLtd are necessary to tackle “unsustainable” rising costs. UnLtd confirmed that 10 employees have been made compulsorily redundant as part of a restructure that was first discussed

The registration deadline for free entry to the Third Sector Awards for small charities is rapidly approaching.  This year’s awards, which celebrate the work of voluntary sector organisations and the difference they make to society, includes 32 categories covering sector excellence, partnerships and talent.  The awards includes a scheme to spotlight the successes of small,

Ngozi Fulani has temporarily stepped aside as chief executive of the charity Sistah Space, which she founded, as the fallout from a Royal race row continues. She announced her decision yesterday, saying that the row over racism had affected both the charity, which supports African- and Caribbean-heritage women and girls affected by domestic violence and

A foundation that channels money to charities in areas with the greatest need has reversed its decision to close. Access – The Foundation for Social Investment was scheduled to shut down in 2026 at the end of a decade of work. But trustees have had a change of heart, largely due to the growth of

A woman is moving within the healthcare charity sector to take up her first chief executive role. Alex Holden will join Overcoming MS later this month after leaving her role as deputy chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer. She will take over from Stephen Richards, who has served as interim chief executive since April 2022

A church charity has been ordered to pay £11,000 to a former member of staff after the employment tribunal upheld his claim for unfair dismissal. A former operations manager at Holy Trinity Barnes in south-west London was treated in a manner “likely to seriously damage the underlying relationship of trust and confidence” between him and

Nine people have been arrested after fraudsters posed as charity workers to steal from older people across three counties. In February and March this year, the victims were randomly approached on streets and in their homes across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Essex, police said. The suspects stole money from them by pretending they were collecting for

Evidence shows that unrestricted funding can bring “a range of benefits” to charities, research has found. Analysis by IVAR, a charity research institute, says that funders should listen to “arguments for change” in how they back voluntary organisations at a time when many grants are still tied to specific projects. The recommendations are made in

Charities have made a pre-Budget plea to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as the energy price rises bite – “help us to become energy-efficient”. More than 30 organisations have written to Hunt ahead of his big speech on Wednesday 15 March. The government is limiting household energy bills to an average £2,500 a year, rising to £3,000