Charity

The chief executive of the Charity Commission has warned the sector that the regulator’s focus on serving the public interest is not just “a passing fashion”. Helen Stephenson, who was speaking yesterday at an online conference held by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, described the regulator as the primary guardian of

London Marathon organisers have said they plan to stage a “hybrid” version of this year’s event with a record 100,000 runners and announced an overhaul to the controversial bond system, which gives some charities access to guaranteed running places each year. In a statement today, London Marathon Events said this year’s event, which has already

The Charity Commission has declared itself satisfied with the response of Islamic Relief Worldwide to antisemitic comments made by former senior leaders.  It comes as the charity said it had requested a meeting with President Biden’s new administration after the outgoing Trump administration urged US government bodies to review their relationships with the charity. The commission opened

A temporary change allowing charities to claim Gift Aid on tickets sold to events that are cancelled if supporters decide against asking for refunds has been made permanent, the Charity Tax Group has said.  In April, HM Revenue & Customs announced a temporary change to the rules as thousands of charities faced having to refund

Charities might need to “move away from long- or even medium-term strategy” as the UK deals with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report warns.  The annual Road Ahead report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, published today, examines the trends and themes that voluntary sector organisations face over the coming year. 

Philanthropists should use their assets to reinvent their relationships with grantees based on trust, equity and fairness, according to new guidance by the think tank New Philanthropy Capital. NPC has published fresh advice for philanthropists for the next wave of the pandemic. It comes as charities face an existential challenge from the coronavirus, said NPC,

Charities working to alleviate poverty and loneliness in Northern Ireland are set to benefit from a £2.8m cash boost from the government. The additional funding for councils, through the Covid-19 Community Support Fund, has been announced by the communities minister Deirdre Hargey. Local authorities will distribute the funding to community and voluntary organisations working to

Youth charities in England can apply for up to £2m in government grant funding to help reduce the risk of insolvency as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The £16.5m Youth Covid-19 Support Fund is open to grassroots youth clubs, uniformed youth groups, and national youth and umbrella organisations.  It is hoped the grants will

Aid charities must “wake up to the fact that some of their staff are sexual predators” or face losing funding, MPs have said.  In a parliamentary debate to discuss the report into sexual abuse and exploitation in the aid sector published by the House of Commons International Development Committee last week, Sarah Champion, the chair

A High Court judgment on the more than £1m will of an ex-racing driver has provided additional clarity on the interpretation of legacy gifts to mis-described charities, lawyers have said. Barrie Williams died on 8 September 2018, leaving an estate worth £1.2m. The retired professional racing driver, who was a long-standing member of the British

The Scottish regulator has appointed a manager to take over a charity as part of a decade-long inquiry to ensure its trustees do not part with its property without consent. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator opened an inquiry into Wick Academy Development Fund in September 2010 after concerns were raised about its public

In the latest weekly epsiode of the Third Sector Podcast, editor Emily Burt and features and analysis writer Rebecca Cooney look at what voluntary organisations can do to mitigate the impact of the third lockdown on their workers and volunteers. While we might be relieved to see the back of 2020, realistically there’s still a

Political hostility towards charities appears to be increasing, with 90 per cent of campaigners saying their ability to speak out or protest is under threat, according to a new survey. The latest annual report by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation, involving a poll of UK campaigners and activists from charities and voluntary groups, found that 63

The Charity Commission has indicated that it intends to simplify its responsible investment guidance for charities. The regulator said today it would consult on updated guidance following a listening exercise it completed last year. Responsible investment refers to financial investments that align with a charity’s mission and purpose. The regulator said it received 40 written

The Purpose Awards EMEA – the awards scheme from Third Sector and its sister titles PRWeek and Campaign – has begun accepting entries for 2021. 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

Charities are being offered grants of up to £70,000 to develop their digital services as part of £1m of new funding.  The grant-makers, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Comic Relief, are opening the latest round in the Tech for Good programme.  The scheme was first developed in 2016 to help charities use technology to explore

Sexual exploitation and abuse continues to be “a scourge” on the international development sector, MPs have concluded.  The chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee, which has today published its report examining progress made on tackling the sexual exploitation and abuse of people receiving aid, said the sector had “effectively become the last

NGOs are considered to be less ethical and competent than businesses, according to new research. The 2021 Trust Barometer was published today by the PR firm Edelman after what it described as a year of unprecedented disaster and turbulence. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, there has been a global outcry over

The Children’s Society recorded a £13m deficit last year after making a multimillion-pound payment into its pension scheme. According to the charity’s latest accounts, total income was £37.4m in the year to the end of March 2020, down by almost £12m on the previous year. The previous year’s income had been boosted by the £17m sale

The British Heart Foundation has cancelled this summer’s London to Brighton Bike Ride, which usually takes place in June and raises millions of pounds for the charity, because of the risk of having to call it off at the last minute due to the coronavirus pandemic.  About 15,000 riders usually take part in the 54-mile

The domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has appointed Farah Nazeer as its next chief executive.  Nazeer, who has spent the past two years as deputy director of advocacy at ActonAid UK, has more than 20 years of executive management experience in the voluntary sector, Women’s Aid said.  She has previously held senior positions at organisations

Profits at the online fundraising platform JustGiving more than doubled in 2019 after it recorded double digit growth in charity sign-ups, latest figures show.  The company’s accounts for 2019 show it recorded a profit of nearly £9.4m, a £5.6m increase on the previous year.  A JustGiving spokesperson said there were a number of key reasons

Comic Relief has appointed a digital and creative expert as its next chief executive.  Samir Patel is head of insights and innovation at the marketing agency Blue State, where he has worked for more than eight years, including a three-year stint as its UK managing director.  Patel, who has dual UK and US citizenship, previously

Total income at the end-of-life care charity Marie Curie was up by more than £9m last year, new figures show. The charity’s accounts for the year to 31 March 2020 show it recorded income of £165.6m compared with £159.3m in the previous year, a record high for the past five years. Spending rose slightly from

Age UK shed more than 400 jobs and closed about a third of its stores last year as it looked to make annual savings of £15m. The older people’s charity said it implemented the measures to help it deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to its latest accounts, for the year to the

A marketing director at a major insurance firm has been appointed to the top fundraising job at the British Heart Foundation. The charity has selected Direct Line’s Claire Sadler to become its executive director of marketing, fundraising and engagement. Sadler has spent more than three years at the insurance company and before that more than

Hosted on The Good Exchange platform, donations will be match-funded up to £250,000 to provide £500,000 for learning equipment across West Berkshire and beyond 8th January 2021 – Greenham Trust has today launched the ‘Laptops for Lockdown Learning’ appeal to give every child a laptop to learn under lockdown. Laptops for Lockdown Website Post Hosted

The Charity Commission plans to meet top brass at Unicef UK to discuss the contents of an independent review of the departures of its executive director and chair in quick succession amid bullying claims.  The charity yesterday published a summary of the review of the events surrounding the resignations of Sacha Deshmukh and Douglas Alexander,

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is facing a £13m fundraising deficit after projecting a 25 per cent income drop this year, according to its latest accounts.  The charity reported a slightly smaller total income of £88.3m for the year to 31 March 2020, the accounts show. Total spending dropped from £98.6m in 2018/19 to £82.2m last

A sight-loss charity is set to receive a possible £500,000 from a legacy almost 45 years after the benefactor died, following the recovery of lost paintings seized by the Nazis in the run-up to the Second World War. The Vision Foundation said Irma Löwenstein Austin, who fled Vienna for London to escape Nazi persecution, left