Charity

More than a third of charities are facing increased demand during lockdown while more than half report fewer donations, new research shows.  And in Scotland, one in five charities say they run the risk of a “critical threat to their financial viability”. The Charities Aid Foundation asked more than 400 charities on 21 and 22 May

Charities should consider environmental factors when considering whether to accept donations, according to new guidance from the Institute of Fundraising.  The membership body has today published Environmental Change: A Toolkit for Fundraisers, which sets out measures that charities should consider in their fundraising activities to minimise their environmental impact.  The guide says that when thinking

The National Emergencies Trust has apologised after it mistakenly issued a job advert seeking grant advisers with “protected characteristics” and “lived experience in marginalised communities” who would work for the charity for free.  In a Twitter thread posted on Friday morning, the anti-racism campaign group CharitySoWhite shared a screenshot of a job specification for the

The union Unite has said staff have lost confidence in senior managers at Oxfam GB after the charity announced plans to cut 200 jobs as part of a money-saving restructure. The charity, which employs slightly more than 2,000 people in the UK, said yesterday that it had begun talking to staff about the changes, which

The Fundraising Regulator has upheld a complaint against a charity that continued to contact a person with dementia despite repeated requests for communication to stop. The regulator yesterday published its adjudication of a complaint against the Church Urban Fund, the Church of England charity that supports local communities. The report says that the complainant completed

Oxfam GB is expected to cut more than 200 jobs in a bid to make savings of about £16m a year. The charity, which employs slightly more than 2,000 people in the UK, said it had begun talking to staff about the planned changes, which would help it to fulfil its strategy over the next

Women and girls across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are facing a terrifying mix of, increased domestic violence, increased care burden, lower access to income and jobs, and potential social unrest as a result of the coronavirus outbreaks finds a new CARE International and UN Women joint report. The LAC region has the highest

Dawn Austwick is to step down as chief executive of the National Lottery Community Fund at the end of the year. Austwick, who joined the grant-maker in October 2013 from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said it was time for her to “seek out new adventures and a different lifestyle”. She said she had made the

A group of 15 major voluntary sector organisations has called for the creation of a “data collective” that will enable charities and other sector bodies to more effectively share information about the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the think tank NPC, the British Red Cross and Citizens Advice are

Three BAME sector figures have resigned from an equity working group organised by the National Emergencies Trust, expressing concerns that their presence was simply to “validate decisions that had already been made”, Third Sector has been told. Yvonne Field, chief executive and founder of the Ubele Initiative, philanthropy adviser Derek Bardowell and Sado Jirde, chief

Unsecured creditors, including some former employees, of the collapsed telephone fundraising company GoGen received less than half of 1 per cent of what they were owed, papers show. GoGen ceased trading in July 2015 with the loss of 485 jobs after being the subject of a national newspaper investigation into fundraising practices.  Previous documents showed

Three-quarters of data breaches recorded by charities last year were accidental rather than because of a malicious attack, new figures show.  Analysis by the law firm JMW Solicitors of data published by the Information Commissioner’s Office over the past year found that there were 447 data breaches involving charities in the year to the end of

Grant-making charities overwhelmingly believe there is a power imbalance between them and the organisations they fund, but not enough is being done to change it, a new report has revealed. Beyond Words: Power & Trust in UK Grant Making, published today by the Grant Givers Movement, a membership group for grant-makers, surveyed more than 140

The Charities Aid Foundation has given out its first 500 grants from its Coronavirus Emergency Fund, totalling more than £2.3m.  CAF launched the total fund, comprising more £5m of funding from CAF and an additional £1m from private individuals, trusts and businesses, in late March, offering grants of up to £10,000. Latest headlines However, the

The National Trust has announced plans to begin a phased reopening of some of its gardens and parklands in England and Northern Ireland from next week.  In a statement, the charity said it expected to operate the open properties at one-third of their usual visitor capacity and all visitors would be required to book tickets

A hospice charity plans to open a drive-through donation point to collect items for its network of shops before they reopen.  St Barnabas Hospice, which operates 26 stores in Lincolnshire, said it feared its shops would be inundated with donations once they reopened, which might begin to happen in early July.  The charity’s comments were

A group of peers will examine the role that voluntary sector organisations have been playing in providing public services during the coronavirus outbreak.  The House of Lords Select Committee on Public Services announced today that it would launch a probe into lessons for public services from the Covid-19 pandemic and wanted to receive evidence from

NHS charities will receive at least £100,000 from a new tennis tournament featuring the top male GB players.  Andy Murray will feature in the behind-closed-doors event, which is being co-organised by his brother Jamie and will raise a minimum of £100,000 for NHS Charities Together.   The Battle of the Brits tournament, which will also feature

The National Lottery Community Fund received a record number of funding applications on the day its coronavirus emergency fund opened, the grant-maker has said.  On Friday, the funder opened applications for the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, which will distribute an initial £200m of emergency government support for the sector in England.  It is part of

Charity shops could be hit by a “double whammy” of a high number of donations and reduced workforce as they begin to reopen, the chief executive of the Charity Retail Association has warned. But Robin Osterley told Third Sector there was a “real hunger” among staff and volunteers to open their doors after the government announced

The think tank New Philanthropy Capital has proposed a scheme that would allow charities to receive legacy income sooner and donors to see the effect of their gifts during their lifetimes. A feasibility study into accelerated legacies, produced by NPC and the law firm Bates Wells, published today, suggests charities could access legacy gifts as soon as

The bakery brand Hovis has donated almost 50,000 loaves of bread to the food distribution charity FareShare during the coronavirus crisis. Hovis donated almost 30,000 loaves to the charity in April, and more than 19,950 in the first three weeks of May. The company has had a partnership with FareShare since 2017, and increased the

The RNLI has called on the government to restrict access to beaches after the charity faced a wave of criticism for not having resumed its full lifeguard service as lockdown restrictions eased.  The lifeboat charity has been attacked on social media after it was reported that two people died over the weekend near beaches where

The Charity Commission has appointed Nick Baker, deputy chief constable at Staffordshire Police Force, to its new role of chief operating officer. Baker joins the regulator having previously served in a number of senior leadership roles within Staffordshire Police Force, including as the National Police Chiefs lead for digital forensics and technical surveillance units, and

The National Lottery Community Fund will begin accepting applications on Friday for £200m of emergency government support to help charities through the coronavirus pandemic.  The government first announced a £750m emergency funding package for the voluntary sector on 8 April, but charities have been critical of the length of time it has taken for funds

Comic Relief and Children in Need announced today they had already handed out £13m of the £70m raised through the Big Night In, the first live television event jointly organised by both charities, along with the BBC.  The live event, recorded under lockdown conditions, featured sketches involving Prince William and Stephen Fry, and stars of

Too many charity chief executives are abdicating responsibility for cash-flow problems to fundraisers, delegates at Third Sector’s Fundraising Conference have been told.  Speaking in a panel session at the online conference this week, the fundraising consultant Leesa Harwood said too many charity leaders failed to understand that financial issues caused by the coronavirus crisis were

Too many charities have no idea whether their staff have confidence in their whistleblowing arrangements and do not look for feedback from those who have raised concerns, the whistleblowing charity Protect has found.  A report from the charity, based on research conducted with 20 not-for-profit organisations, says it uncovered weak spots around how charities handled

Charities must move away from “racist power plays” that portray the people they work with as victims who are unable to help themselves, delegates at Third Sector’s online Fundraising Conference have heard.  In a hard-hitting speech that concluded the two-day event, Gabby Edlin, founder and chief executive of the period poverty charity Bloody Good Period,

19 May 2020 (New York) – Civil society leaders have condemned the failure of the UN Security Council to agree a resolution on Covid-19 and to back the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire. Almost two months since the UN Secretary General issued his urgent appeal, and on the back of a campaign