Charity

Charities have been advised not to rush out statements in the face of controversy involving their celebrity ambassadors. Speaking at the Third Sector Conference in central London, Rachel Walker, deputy head of celebrity and VIP at the end-of-life charity Marie Curie, discussed the potential risks that could arise for charities that work with celebrities.  Walker

Reform UK has pledged to reform inheritance tax so it could be donated to charity and halve the amount the UK spends on international aid. The party’s “contract with you”, published yesterday, promises that a Reform-led government would abolish inheritance tax for all estates worth less than £2m and charge 20 per cent above the

FitzRoy has promoted its operations director to chief executive, as its long-serving chief prepares to retire. The charity, which supports people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs, said Angela Murphy had more than 25 years’ experience in health and social care. Murphy, who will take up the reins on 1 July, has been

Funders should explore a systems-based approach to fund youth mental health charities and their work amid increased demand for services, according to a new report. The Youth Mental Health Crisis report, from the think tank NPC, says philanthropic funding is not keeping pace with the rising demand for youth mental health services. It says that

Charity leaders have cautiously welcomed Labour’s election manifesto but want more detail on how the party’s plans would be put in place.  The manifesto sets out Labour’s plans for economic growth and stability and aims to create a period of national renewal.  It makes few direct references to charities but the party promises to work

Autism Together has taken over the management of a recently reopened community farm and cafe. The Wirral-based charity has taken over the operation of Bridge Community Farm in the village of Overpool. Bridge Community Farm opened in 2015 as Bridge Wellness Gardens, forming as a charitable incorporated organisation. The farm was leased from the council

The outgoing chief executive of the Charity Commission has been made a dame in the King’s Birthday Honours.  Helen Stephenson, who will step down at the end of July after seven years in the role, said the honour was a “recognition of the essential role charities have in our society and the fantastic team who

Two digital support charities are merging in a bid to better support digitally isolated people and create a stronger impact. Citizens Online is being merged into AbilityNet on 1 July. Citizens Online has operated since 2000 to help organisations ensure their digital programmes are fully inclusive. AbilityNet, which was formed in 1985, focuses on helping

The grantmaker the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has rebranded to better reflect its mission of social justice, equity and long-term support for grant-holders. The charity said the rebrand was intended to make PHF’s mission more “accessible and engaging”. Important elements of the rebrand include a “vibrant” new colour palette, “inclusive” photography and a bespoke icon set.

The poverty relief charity Penny Appeal committed five breaches of the Code of Fundraising Practice, including misleading donors in two of its child sponsorship appeals, the Fundraising Regulator has found. The regulator found that three programmes breached the code on informing donors and treating people fairly, use of funds and complaints handling.  It comes after

The future cohort of chairs is a “real concern” for the sector and immediate change must be implemented to better support current and future chairs, according to a new report. The Future Charity Chair report, led by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School, has found that EDI and leadership development should be

The over-50s internship programme Charity Interns has relaunched as a community interest company called The Well Placed, after a six-month pilot programme. The scheme, which offers paid placements to interns over the age of 50, was previously hosted by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations but has relaunched as a community interest organisation. In the

The grantmaker Casa Stella has transferred its £3.2m in assets to the anti-poverty charity Turn2us as it prepares to wind up. Casa Stella, which was set up in 2008 to provide grants for women, approached Turn2us last year to ask the charity to take on the grantmaker’s endowment.  The anti-poverty charity finalised its agreement with

Millions of people took part in the Big Help Out over the weekend, organisers have said. Final figures for the second iteration of the volunteering event, which was held from Friday to Sunday, are not expected to be available until next week but more than 35,000 charities registered opportunities to take part this year.  The

The advocacy charity Pohwer has appointed Felix Davies, chief operating officer at the veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress, as its next chief executive.  He will take up the role on 2 September, replacing Pohwer’s interim chief, Vicky Browning, who took up the role in January after former chief Helen Moulinos stepped down. Davies, who

Baroness Delyth Morgan has been appointed president of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.  Morgan, who recently stepped down as chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, succeeds Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, who has been in the role since 2017. Morgan, who has been appointed NCVO president for the next five years, has led breast cancer charities for

Income at the Royal Opera House rose by £42m last year as it returned to normal operations after Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.  The charity’s latest accounts, for the year to the end of August 2023, show its income reached £170.7m over the course of the year, up from £128.9m in the previous 12 months. 

Lottery operators have called for the next government to remove the £50m annual sales limit on charity lotteries and to ditch rules stating a maximum prize cannot exceed 10 per cent of the value of tickets in a draw.  The Lotteries Council, which represents about 500 lottery operators who collectively raise more than £420m a

A former charity director has denied 25 charges relating to an alleged £1m Gift Aid fraud involving a defunct youth support charity. Wendy Macbean, 60, from St Johnston, Lifford, is accused of committing the offences between October 2017 and May 2020, in the name of the Foyle Youth and Community Association in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Nine charities that were part of the Charity Commission’s “double defaulter” class inquiry have been removed from the register over the past year.  The commission said its work through the inquiry, which includes charities that have failed to file annual returns or accounts for two or more years out of the past five, had resulted

A former employee of a Scottish social care charity has admitted to embezzling about £40,000 from the accounts of its vulnerable residents. Sense Scotland, which provides care for vulnerable adults and children with complex needs, has agreed to repay all of the stolen funds, after a former employee admitted taking the money from some of

A group of more than 30 charities has urged the next government to make environmental programmes and policies fairer for all. A report published today by the think tank NPC in collaboration with 32 charity partners, including Barnardo’s, the RNIB, the Wildlife Trusts and Girlguiding UK, contains a set of joint recommendations designed to ensure

Unicef UK’s income fell by more than 10 per cent last year from a record high in the previous 12 months that was boosted by “unprecedented support” for its emergency Ukraine appeal.  The charity’s latest accounts, filed with Companies House last week, show it had income of £160.9m in 2023, down from £179.5m in the

A fundraiser for the agency Appco UK, who was raising funds for Breast Cancer Now, took donations from a vulnerable individual despite having reason to believe he lacked capacity, the Fundraising Regulator has found. The watchdog has found that BCN’s contracted agency, Appco UK, breached the Fundraising Code of Practice’s provisions regarding engagement with vulnerable

Macmillan Cancer Support has secured a private prosecution against a pair of brothers who oversaw a raft of fraudulent claims worth more than £22,000 in grants from the charity.  Moses Kellie, 44, and his brother Elijah, 43, admitted acquiring criminal property in a prosecution brought by the charity.  Elijah Kellie operated 45 bank accounts which

Richard Kramer, chief executive of the disability charity Sense, will retire next year.  He joined the charity as deputy chief executive in 2013 before being promoted to the top job in 2018.  Sense said Kramer, who has also worked for organisations including Mencap and Turning Point, had “led the charity through a period of growth

A global type 1 diabetes charity has changed its name as part of a bid to more accurately represent the organisation’s work and the community it serves. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, which supports type 1 diabetes research and people affected by the condition globally, has changed its name to Breakthrough T1D. Type 1 diabetes

Almost two-thirds of people rate door-to-door fundraising negatively and half said they would be less likely to support charities again after being contacted by a door-to-door fundraiser, research from the Fundraising Regulator has found.  The report, which includes data from a survey of more than 3,000 UK adults, reveals that 62 per cent of respondents

The advertising watchdog has rejected more than 200 complaints that an advertising campaign by the Alzheimer’s Society was offensive and caused unjustifiable distress. The Advertising Standards Authority said today that three television adverts and one radio spot, put out by the charity in March and April, had not breached advertising guidelines.  The ASA said it

Charities must avoid instrumentalisation and tokenism in order to be truly anti-racist in their communications, a new report from the anti-racist brand strategy agency Brand By Me has urged. The summary of the report, which does not name any of the charities analysed, says the instrumentalisation of the global majority is a “widespread issue” in