A new poll released today by ACEVO, the leading representative body for charity leaders, reveals that four out of five members of the public are concerned about how cuts to public services will affect the most vulnerable members of society. This is why, in a new report by ACEVO and in joint letters (signed by 370 leaders) to the Chancellor and the chief secretary to the Treasury, charity leaders are calling on Government to establish a new "Fairness Panel" to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected throughout the process of cuts to public services.

New research suggests that few young people know about charity trusteeship, and that charities are not doing enough to think creatively about how to attract them to the role. As a result the vast majority of charities are missing out on the energy, enthusiasm and fresh perspective that young people can bring to charity trustee boards. It also means that many young people do not have the chance to experience a role that, as one young trustee interviewed pointed out, can lead to a sense of achievement, new friendships and enhanced job applications.

Despite severe austerity measures and cuts to public services, more than six out of 10 people still think that it is morally right for the UK to help developing countries. New survey results published today by the Institute of Development Studies, a global charity, reveals that 62% of people think it is our obligation as human beings to help the world’s poor people. Nonetheless, the majority of respondents (64 %) think that poverty at home is the priority.

Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the voluntary sector umbrella body NCVO, has been appointed to the major civil society body of the EU, the European Economic & Social Committee (known as EcoSoc). Commenting on his appointment, Sir Stuart said: "I am delighted to be joining EcoSoc, and look forward to working with my fellow committee members to ensure the needs of European civil society are reflected in EU policy and legislation.

IRIS NFP Solutions has today announced a new release of its software for small and medium sized charities. Designed to support the sector through the twin challenges of uncertain Government funding and the need to participate in The Big Society, IRIS Donor Strategy 4.9 extends its successful CRM capabilities into the provision of web online communities, integrated accounts systems and new modules to address the challenge of volunteer management and multiple fundraising channels.

The number of Direct Debits which are returned unpaid to UK charities is falling, according to the latest figures from Bacs Payment Schemes (Bacs). The number of unpaid Direct Debits to charities was down by nearly 7% in the second quarter of 2010 compared to the corresponding period last year. This figure now represents just 1% of all donations made by Direct Debit. Mike Hutchinson, head of marketing at Bacs, welcomes the latest figures but is keen to remind charities that more can potentially be done to reduce the number of unpaid Direct Debits even further.

A sizeable chunk of coalition MPs: four in five of Tory MPs and a number of Lib Dem MPs, agree that “the provision of frontline services by charities will help cut costs” – with half (49%) of Tories and 7% of Lib Dems strongly agreeing with this statement, according to a new survey out today. This contributes significantly to views held by government critics in the sector that the sector is being asked to do things on the cheap under the facade of the Big Society. Only a quarter (26%) of Labour MPs agree, just 8% of them strongly. Indeed, half (49%) of Labour MPs actively disagree with the statement, 5% of them strongly.

The 2010 Charity Times Awards winners were revealed at a splendid awards dinner at the prestigious London Hilton in Park Lane London on Wednesday night, attended by over 480 leading individuals from the sector. IntoUniversity won the Charity of the Year with an income of less than £1m and BTCV won Charity of the Year with an income more than £1m. The Outstanding Individual Achievement Award went to Fiona Dawe, chief executive of YouthNet and Charity Principal of the Year was awarded to Philip Bartey, CEO of Autism Plus.

The Charity Commission has published a report on its inquiry into the charity Sivayogam finding against its chair and having connections with terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The charity runs two Hindu temples in London which provide religious facilities to the local Hindu, and in particular Tamil, communities. In addition, the Charity collects donations and sends these to educational or welfare organisations in Sri Lanka. The Commission opened a statutory inquiry after a number of concerns were raised with the regulator about the application of the Charity’s funds in Sri Lanka and the Charity’s governance arrangements.

Autistica, the UK’s largest autism medical research charity, has announced the appointment of Christine Swabey as its new chief executive with effect from October 1. Swabey will succeed Hilary Gilfoy, who has held the post for five years, and is reducing her workload for health reasons. Christine Swabey has enjoyed a highly successful career in both the private and public sectors. After leaving university she held director-level roles in the financial sector before taking on a portfolio of non-executive posts in the public sector.

In order to improve the accessibility and relevance of its best practice guidance, The Institute of Fundraising has launched checklists for each of its Codes of Practice. Each Code now has a checklist at the front that pulls out pertinent issues from the code in a series of questions, making information easier to find and providing a structure for going through the information. The checklists were developed in consultation with members of the Codes working parties, who are fundraising practitioners with specialist knowledge in each of the areas.

The Charity Commission has decided that it will not give consent to the charity Catholic Care to amend its charitable objects to restrict its adoption services to heterosexual prospective parents only. The regulator of charities in England and Wales has considered the evidence and the relevant law and concluded that it would not be justified in the circumstances for the charity to discriminate in this way. The Commission’s decision follows a High Court judgment in March 2010 to allow an appeal by the charity against a decision of the Charity Tribunal made in June 2009, which had upheld the Commission’s decision not to agree to a change of the charity’s objects.

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is today allocating up to £11.25 million in Lottery good cause money for a landmark social investment initiative - the Social Impact Bond (SIB). The funding from BIG will be used by the social investment organisation Social Finance to pilot the first ever SIB and also develop SIBs as a tool for preventing social problems across the UK. The SIB model has been developed by Social Finance and presents a new way to tackle social problems and lessen their impact on society and ultimately the public purse.

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts will lead a new cutting red-tape taskforce to flush out burdens on the voluntary sector Nick Hurd, minister for Civil Society, and Mark Prisk, minister for Business and Enterprise have announced. The Government says it is committed to making it easier to run charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.
Reducing bureaucratic burdens will free-up time and resources for these organisations to make a difference in their communities and help mobilise the Big Society. Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said: "This is a tough time for small civil society organisations and we want to make life easier for them. So I have asked for specific ideas on how we can thin the thicket of bureaucracy and regulation that too often gets in the way.

The Charity Commission has today published a report of the regulator’s assessment of concerns raised about the contribution of the charity Tomorrow’s People Trust to a general election manifesto, calling the charity's independence into question. The charity is ‘an independent employment charity which works nationally with the long-term unemployed, helping people overcome personal barriers so that they can move into long-term, sustainable jobs’. The charity’s contribution to the manifesto of a political party issued at the time of the General Election raised concerns that the charity may have or may have been seen as endorsing the political party.

The holy month of Ramadhan is a time when many community organisations and Mosques benefit from the generosity of Muslim people. Many charities are also raising desperately-needed funds to help the people affected by floods in Pakistan at this time. The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of Charities in England and Wales, is encouraging people who want to give to charity to check if the charity is registered with the Charity Commission.

Support charity CAN is collaborating with the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) on a research project to support the development of a Financial Services Authority-regulated global social stock exchange that will allow investors to trade exclusively in companies with social and environmental goals. The exchange, when it becomes operational, will be designed for companies, both large and small, that specialise in providing goods and services explicitly for a social purpose who need to raise significant amounts of capital for growth and expansion.

Clinks has announced the appointment of Dame Anne Owers as its new chair. She will take up the post in January 2011. Dame Anne Owers is prominent across the Criminal Justice System of England & Wales for her role as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (2001-2010) and as a committed human rights campaigner. Clinks is a charity which supports, promotes and represents the Voluntary and Community Sector working with offenders in England and Wales and has an income of £910,000. It aims to ensure the sector and all those with whom it works, are informed and engaged in order to transform the lives of offenders and their communities.

The Big Lottery Fund is today expanding its response to growing pressure on community advice caused by the economic crunch. New grants from BIG’s Reaching Communities funding stream sees 33 awards totalling close to £8 million targeted on support for communities and people most in need. Sanjay Dighe, chair of the Big Lottery Fund England said: “BIG continues to see the impact of the economic recession with many more applications for advice projects.

The UK’s largest children’s charity Barnardo’s reveals in new data that children are being damaged due to unprecedented delay in the courts in England and Wales. A five year long pattern of deterioration has led to family courts taking up to 65 weeks to rule if it is safe for children to stay with their parents. Vulnerable children are waiting on average more than a year (57 weeks) in unstable family homes or emergency foster placements before a county court decides if they will be taken into care. In the family proceedings (magistrates) court the average time is 45 weeks – more than 10 months.

New figures suggest that one in three operating charities have no funding in reserve. And the median reserve level for those in receipt of state funding is only one month’s worth of expenditure. The assets and reserves figures published today by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) suggest that drastic cuts could threaten the survival of many organisations providing vital services. The research also showed wide variation in reserve levels for different types of voluntary organisation.

A new Compact implementation service offering impartial, independent and expert advice has been launched by the Commission for the Compact.The Compact Implementation Consultancy Service (CICS) is a pilot project running until March 2011. The service is currently open to all local authorities, public bodies and voluntary sector organisations in the West Midlands that are using the Compact partnership working agreement at a local level.

Dividend yields across Europe have plunged since the beginning of 2009, according to data published today by S&P Indices. Between February 2009 and June 2010 the dividend yield on the S&P Europe 350 has fallen by 53%, while dividend cover, the measure of companies' ability to pay dividends from current earnings, has increased by only 14.9% over the same period. Within individual markets, Belgium saw the greatest fall in dividend yield, with a decrease of 81.6% and a massive increase in dividend cover from a lowly 0.62 to over 4 times.

The abolition of forced retirement is not only a ‘huge victory' for workers at risk of being forced out of their jobs because of their age, but is also a ‘landmark' for the UK society at large, as older workers, the UK economy, public finances and employers will all benefit from this change, said Age UK. The charity hailed the announcement that the Government is consulting on scrapping the Default Retirement Age (DRA) from October 2011 as a huge victory for hundreds of thousands of employees who are at risk of being forced to retire at or after reaching 65 for no other reasons but their age.

National charity Advance will be the only new Third Sector organisation to be awarded contracts in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Work Choice programme when contracts are confirmed this week. The charity which was named as a preferred bidder, has welcomed the opportunity to bring its expertise to help people with disabilities into work in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country. The new multi million pound Work Choice programme replaces existing employment programmes for disabled people who are furthest away from the labour market and is expected to go live in October.“We are proud of our unique service-user powered employment service that is already working for hundreds of people in Leicestershire, and in the South,” said Advance employment director Simon Beasley.

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities, has published its annual Customer Service report. The report shows as a result of more robust complaint handling procedures and general improvements in service delivery, a lower proportion of complaints were upheld. There was a reduction of 11% in the proportion of complaints upheld compared to 2008-9.

Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian agency, which has been working in Pakistan since 2001, has launched an emergency £4m appeal to deal with the consequences of the largest floods that have hit Pakistan since 1929. The appeal is seeking emergency funding for desperately needed food, clean water and shelter. Over 12 inches of rain has fallen in 36 hours causing huge flooding in northwest Pakistan.

Charity boards need to provide strong leadership and support to help charities survive the economic downturn and public sector cuts. A new report by charity consultancy and think tank, New Philanthropy Capital, highlights the importance of an effective board and calls on government to encourage more people to become trustees as part of the ‘Big Society’. The report, Trusteeship 2010, looks at governance in the voluntary sector and finds that recruitment, training and evaluation of boards are under-resourced and need to be given a higher priority by charities, funders and government.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced confirmed funding for four projects in Scotland, Wales and England. Sir Walter Scott’s home, ‘Abbotsford’, in the Borders; Newbridge Memorial Hall in Caerphilly; a Tudor dwelling house known as ‘The Walronds’ in Devon; and the 18th-century Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. Initial support has also been awarded for projects in Staffordshire, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Suffolk and Worcestershire. Carole Souter, chief executive of HLF, said: “The range of places that the Heritage Lottery Fund supports is tremendously varied – from the grandeur of Abbotsford in the Borders to the historic gem of The Walronds in the South West.

Following Prime Minister David Cameron’s speech setting out his vision for the Big Society, a new report outlines how social investment can help make charities, community groups and social enterprises meet the financial challenge of taking on this larger role in delivering local services. Understanding Social Investment is a collection of articles by a range of experts in the sector, which outlines how demand for finance is growing as civil society organisations look to increase their businesses and become more financially sustainable.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, and Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, have today written an open letter to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors asking them to contribute their ideas to help reduce the deficit. They are being asked to share ideas about how they can help reduce the deficit directly with the Office for Civil Society. Tackling the deficit and restoring confidence in the economy is a high priority. Significant savings have been made across all areas of Government, but the deficit reduction plan is not just about cuts. It is also about finding better ways of doing things.

The Charity Commission is seeking views on the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) it has conducted into the potential impact of its aim to have all of its services online by 2012. A consultation document is published today on the charity regulator’s website. The Commission has been developing its online services and the number of charities taking advantage of these is growing. Last year there was a 24% increase in take-up of our online services from the previous year, with over 75% of annual return or update submissions by charities made online.

The Charity Commission is taking action to help charities to be alert to scams or fraudulent activity which could affect the charitable sector. The Commission has been working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to identify relevant warnings on issues which could affect charities, and to offer advice. These include: Spoof websites - where fraudsters set up websites that mimic well established charities; ‘Boiler room’ fraud – where criminals target investors, persuading them to use their savings to purchase bogus stocks and shares...

Justin Davis Smith, chief executive of Volunteering England, welcomed the joint announcement of LOCOG’s programme to attract nearly 70,000 volunteers to help run the Games, and the Mayor of London’s call for 8,000 volunteer London Ambassadors. Davis Smith said: “It is a great day for the volunteering movement that the passion we share is the main focus of today’s celebrations for the two years to go until the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “The 2012 Games provide a once-in-a life-time opportunity for thousands of people to get involved in this huge global event.

Newton is encouraging charities to see the long-term benefits of investing in equity income in a recent paper entitled The case for equity income investing. With authorities around the world seeking to repair defective credit markets and to support economies in the aftermath of the global credit crisis, the rates of income payable on most asset classes have changed significantly, observes Newton. Most obviously, interest rates and the levels of income payable on government bonds have fallen precipitously. Near-term changes in asset prices are uncertain, but Newton recognises the long-term attractions of harnessing income from investing in equities.

The Charity Commission has published a report on its investigation into the Atlantic Bridge Education and Research Scheme, the charity founded by defence minister Liam Fox, finding it focused on political, not its educational, objectives. The Commission found that the charity, which also has the right-wing economist Patrick Minford as a trustee, failed on its educational objectives, which were not advanced by its activities, because of the way in which it promoted the ‘Special Relationship’ between the US and the UK.

Think tank Green Alliance has announced the appointment of a new deputy director, Tamsin Cooper. Cooper joins Green Alliance on 6 September. She moves from the Institute for European Environmental Policy where she led the Agriculture and Land Management Programme. Cooper, who has a PhD in geography from University College London, has played an active role in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, and has a detailed knowledge of EU institutions, political processes and the EU budget. Prior to joining IEEP she worked at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College.

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) opens its search for an organisation to set up and run a £200 million independent charitable trust that will help turn urban and rural neighbourhoods across England into better places to live. Today the first 50 areas each to benefit from at least £1 million good cause Lottery funding through the BIG Local Trust have been announced. BIG is calling for expressions of interest from organisations who wish to run the Trust by Thursday 12 August 2010. The money will be given out through local funding schemes in each of the Big Local Trust target neighbourhoods.

New research shows that community campaigns benefit greatly from the involvement of local councillors. This new joint publication from bassac and Urban Forum, Local Action: The Handy Guide to Communities Working with Councillors, is full of examples that show that councillor involvement is key to the success of local community projects. When researching for the guide both organisations were “inundated” with offers of case studies from local community groups.

The latest UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) report, published today, finds drug services of ‘little relevance’ to many in Britain’s diverse communities, including LGBT groups, disabled people and BME communities. The review The Impact of Drugs on Different Minority Groups: A review of the UK Literature, led by UKDPC Commissioner Professor Baroness Haleh Afshar, argues that a better understanding of drug use within diverse minority communities is needed to reduce drug problems and could also provide warning of ‘new’ or emergent patterns of drug use.

The Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index is down 9.66% so far this year. In terms of sectors, the Dow Jones-UBS Precious Metals Sub-index has the strongest year-to-date gain of 12.80%. Leading commodity analysts provided their market outlook for the remainder of 2010 this morning at the ninth annual Dow Jones Indexes Mid-Year Commodity Outlook. Oil prices will eventually see a down-turn. "Oil has been a pawn in the economic recovery story and is being artificially supported by historic economic stimulus and economic puffery," said Phil Flynn, senior energy and general market analyst, PFG Best Research.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, yesterday chaired the first Big Society Ministerial Group meeting involving representatives from across Whitehall departments. The Ministerial Big Society meetings will be held regularly and will drive a coordinated approach to departments’ work on the Big Society. It will progress commitments made by individual departments aimed at helping to build the Big Society, and also work together on cross-cutting issues. Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said: “Big Society is not about big government but about communities doing more for themselves. We want to ensure that every part of government is working together to ensure individuals and communities have the support and opportunities to change the things they care about.

The Prime Minister's announcement for 16 year olds to take part in National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots next summer, has been given a cautious welcome by the sector. Government-backed pilots for the scheme will start next summer and will provide around 10,000 places. Aimed at school leavers aged 16, the pilots will take place from June to September, following the end of the exam period, and will last for seven to eight weeks. NCS aims to give every 16 year old the chance to learn new skills that will help them to make a positive contribution to their community.

Triodos Bank has announced growth to its UK lending of 14 per cent during the first half of 2010. Loans to customers including the Glastonbury festival’s Michael Eavis have enabled the bank to increase its total UK lending to £282m, a £34m net increase on the end of 2009. The results mean Triodos is set to perform significantly better than last year, when the bank’s lending grew by 20 per cent or £41m over the year.

New research from Investec Bank reveals that donations to charities made by UK adults has fallen by 9.6% during the first six months of this year, when compared to the same period in 2009. Some 10.74 million people claim to have reduced their donations, compared to only 10% of the population who have increased them. Just over one in ten people claim that the amount of money they have given to charities so far this year is down by 50% or more on the same period in 2009.

The Commission for the Compact, the independent body responsible for overseeing the Compact, has published its second Annual Report for the period ending 31 March 2010. The Annual Report and Accounts details the Commission’s developments during 2009/10 which embeds the Compact’s partnership working principles further into the policies and practices of public bodies and voluntary and community organisations.

The public is becoming more discriminating about financial management in charities, according to new public opinion research commissioned by the Charity Commission. The research shows people are placing increasing importance on knowing how charities spend their money and what they achieve. The independent survey reveals that 42% of people say "ensuring that a reasonable proportion of a charity’s income reaches the end cause" is the most important single factor influencing their trust.

The Charity Commission has today published a report on its inquiry into the charity Independence South West, which runs a day care and respite centre for severely disabled adults in South West England, finding against the charity's chair. The investigation was opened after the Commission was anonymously informed that the chair of the charity was being investigated by the police in connection with alleged fraud against a public body.

The Institute of Fundraising’s Outdoor UK Challenge Events Code of Fundraising Practice has been updated to clarify guidance around ‘peak holiday times’, which the Code specifies that charity fundraisers ought to avoid. The guidance previously reads: “Organisers ought to avoid the peak holiday times e.g. school and bank holidays and summer solstice” Whilst the updated guidance has removed the reference to ‘school’ holidays. This recognises that the discrepancies between the timings of school holidays in different localities means that they might not always count as ‘peak holiday times’, or always have the same effect on participation levels in fundraising challenges.

David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ is an "intellectually flawed pipe dream" for a 1950s Britain, says Unite, largest union in the country. Unite, which has 60,000 members in the Not for Profit sector, said that the Prime Minister’s revival of his ‘Big Society’ pipedream failed to answer two vital questions. One, who is going to do all the volunteering when men and women now both have to work to pay the household bills and the increased taxes that the coalition government is imposing? Two, where is the cash coming from when the contracts that charities bid for and third sector money are being slashed...

Four charities battling to reverse educational failure are among the seven winners of awards totalling £70,000 presented by the Centre for Social Justice, the think-tank set up by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith. Family Links, Frontiers, IntoUniversity and MAPS were honoured for their pioneering work in reversing educational failure, mentoring and building positive relationships. At an awards ceremony on Wednesday night hosted by GMTV presenter Emma Crosby, seven small grassroots poverty-fighting charities dealing with entrenched social problems such as drug addiction, youth unemployment and family breakdown were singled out for recognition.

Youth in Focus, a new £30 million England-wide funding programme launched today by the Big Lottery Fund, will provide support for young carers as well as other vulnerable groups – young people leaving youth offending institutions and young people leaving care. The multi-million pound funding initiative will support projects that give these young people a voice and help them to access the advice and services that can support their day-to-day lives. There are currently 175,000 known young carers across the UK who look after a family member or loved one suffering from physical or mental illness, though it is thought there are thousands more hidden young carers.

The Prime Minister has set out how the Big Society will be ”the biggest, most dramatic redistribution of power” from the state to individuals, and "every penny" of dormant bank accounts in England will be allocated to the Big Society Bank. In David Cameron’s official launch of the Big Society in Liverpool today, he promised investment in social enterprises, charities and voluntary groups to help them run public services. Cameron said providing finance through the Big Society Bank was one of three "techniques" to deliver the Big Society vision, the others being decentralisation of power to local authorities and communities, and transparency.

One in three British adults (37%) has not heard of the government’s proposal for a ‘Big Society’, according to new research from YouGov. Big Society was a key element of David Cameron’s manifesto in the run up to the general election, highlighting his vision of community work and social enterprise. The scheme was officially launched on May 18 by the Prime Minister, encouraging people to become involved in their local communities and public services, however over half (53%) have no or very little knowledge of the proposals.

National charity Beating Bowel Cancer has announced the appointment of Mark Flannagan as its new chief executive. Flannagan succeeds Hilary Whittaker, the charity’s chief executive since 2001. His previous roles include director of policy and communications at the Royal College of General Practitioners, director of communications and campaigning at Crisis and campaigns director at Diabetes UK where he led the charity’s re-brand and launched the notable ‘missing million’ campaign.

The Charity Commission, has today published a regulatory case report into the Arts Council of England recommending the charity develops comprehensive training for trustees. The charity’s main activities are supporting and providing funding for the arts in England. The Commission became involved when the charity informed it that a grant had been awarded to one of the charity’s trustees without the necessary authorisation. The Commission’s involvement focused on how the unauthorised payment had occurred and what steps the charity was taking to ensure that a similar incident did not occur again.

Anne Marie Carrie, deputy chief executive and executive director family and children's services at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, has been appointed the new chief executive of Barnardo's. Carrie trained as an electrical engineer but soon changed careers to work with young people, becoming a youth worker and community centre manager then training as a drama teacher. She has held director posts in numerous voluntary and private organisations including the Health Education Board for Scotland, Women’s Aid and the Scottish Seabird Centre.

Minister for civil society Nick Hurd has confirmed that the Big Society Bank will be a wholesale provider supporting organisations that are already providing finance to the sector. Hurd made the announcement at an event organised by Information Exchange and UnLtd, the charity supporting social entrepreneurs. Hannah Terrey, head of public affairs and policy at the Charities Aid Foundation, welcomed the announcement. “We have been calling for the Big Society Bank to be a wholesale bank for existing providers and this was one of the key points in our consultation response so we’re delighted that Nick Hurd has confirmed that this will be the case.

The London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) is calling for greater transparency in the London Councils review of its London Boroughs Grants Scheme this year. The Grants programme, which provides valuable funding for over 400 organisations per year, has an extensive positive impact on the lives of Londoners and the voluntary and community organisations that serve them, particularly those suffering from the most disadvantage. LVSC is calling for London Councils to employ honesty in the programme review, which is aiming for a "repatriation" of grants to local boroughs.

The Institute of Fundraising is to begin the process of recruiting a new chief Executive as Lindsay Boswell announces he is to leave the umbrella body after ten years. Boswell will join FareShare, the charity supporting communities to relieve food poverty, in October. The recruitment process will start immediately, managed by Olga Johnson from Harris Hill. IoF chair, Paul Amadi, said: "Lindsay has transformed the Institute from ICFM to the leadership voice for the fundraising profession that it is today. After ten years he is taking up the exciting challenge of a new role and we wish him all the best.

Ambitious plans set out by secretary of state for Health Andrew Lansley to reform the NHS during this Parliament and for the long-term, have been broadly welcomed by the sector. The White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, details how power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals. Professionals will be free to focus on improving health outcomes so that these are amongst the best in the world. Improving the quality of care will become the main purpose of the NHS. Patients will get more choice and control, backed by an information revolution, so that services are more responsive to patients and designed around them, rather than patients having to fit around services. The principle will be "no decisions about me without me".

Too many business owners are becoming trustees of charities without understanding the legal implications, according to some finance experts. There are more than a million charity trustees in the UK but as few as one in four charities runs induction training. Charity trustees have a legal responsibility for the management and decision making of a charity. Legislation imposes obligations upon trustees, highlighting the trend towards greater responsibility and accountability.

The Carbon Footprint Fund (CFF) is set to launch an investment range dedicated to helping charities reduce their carbon footprint while achieving a good tracker-style investment performance. The IFSL Carbon Footprint UK 350 Equity Index Tracker Fund and the IFSL Carbon Footprint Global Equity Index Tracker Fund, developed in conjunction with investment manager BNP Paribas will be using bespoke FTSE benchmarks - the UK 350 Carbon Optimised Index along with a Global (ex-uk) Carbon Optimised Index which the FTSE is proposing to calculate benchmarks created for the two funds.

The Charity Commission’s latest Annual Report, published today, highlights examples of charities that are collaborating with others, as well as highlighting the work the regulator has done to provide additional support for the smallest organisations. Figures from the report also demonstrate the increasing role that technology is playing in enabling the Commission to provide a quicker and more cost-effective service for charities, with a 24% increase in take-up of the Commission’s online services and more than 40 million page visits to the Commission’s website.

Save the Children has announced that Justin Forsyth has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Save the Children UK. Throughout his career, he has worked to overcome poverty, suffering and injustice around the globe. He was at Oxfam for 15 years, latterly as the director of campaigns and policy as well as being one of the founders of Oxfam International. He helped to establish ‘Make Poverty History’ and in his most recent role, worked in Number 10 for two Prime Ministers.

Rathbone Investment Management has announced it is to host its first charity symposium for charity clients on 14 September 2010. The event – Charity finances under the microscope: Examining long-term prospects – will be held at the Royal Society in London. “The importance of the charity sector cannot be underestimated, but in an era of spending cuts and economic uncertainty every penny matters and charities will need to work hard to protect their investments,” said Ivo Clifton head of charities at Rathbones.

Fundraising campaigns such as a tie in with Hovis bread and a sponsored sprint up a tower in London - and individual fundraisers who have risen swiftly through the ranks - have been given a massive vote of confidence. At an awards ceremony as part of the Institute of Fundraising’s annual National Convention, many examples of excellent fundraising were recognised. Taking place at the Hilton London Metropole, Edgware Road last night the ceremony was hosted by award winning BBC sports presenter John Inverdale. A number of highly respected and influential fundraisers including Gill Raikes, director of Fundraising at the National Trust, and Louise Parkes, director of fundraising, Shelter
acted as judging panel for the high profile event.

The Charity Commission is today providing an update on its work in relation to charities demonstrating and reporting on the benefit they bring to the public, as set out in the Charities Act 2006. The update relates to two areas of work: the publication today of four assessments of arts charities; and completion of the work in connection to assessments into the public benefit of 12 charities conducted in 2009, including charities advancing religion, independent charitable schools and charitable care homes.

The Charity Commission is encouraging charities and their professional advisers to take advantage of the wide range of the regulator’s services that can be accessed quickly and conveniently through its recently redesigned website. The plans are explained in the latest copy of CC News, the Commission’s newsletter. CC News will in future only be sent out by email and published on the Commission’s website. Charities and trustees are being encouraged to provide the Commission with their email addresses in order to continue receiving it.

New research has found that public sector and voluntary organisations involving local people in decisions about how money is spent in their area should follow relevant Compact commitments. Produced by the Commission for the Compact in collaboration with the Participatory Budgeting Unit, the research report analyses how the Compact partnership working agreement applies to participatory budgeting projects. It demonstrates which specific Compact commitments apply to participatory budgeting and when to implement them.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has responded positively today to Nick Clegg’s announcement that the public will be consulted on laws, regulations and infringements to civil liberties. Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive of NCVO, said: “NCVO warmly welcomes the fact that the coalition government is looking to engage the public in improving civil liberties and reducing inappropriate regulations. We would also urge our members to contribute their ideas to the consultation website.

As government budget cuts start to bite, a new survey shows a substantial drop in charity leaders’ confidence in the financial situation of their organisations. And a growing percentage expect the general situation of their organisation to worsen over the next 12 months. The Charity Forecast Survey, published today by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), shows that confidence levels stand at an all-time low since the survey began two years ago.

Cancer Research UK's new two-year partnership with Network Rail got off to a flying start, raising almost £200,000 in the first three months of the partnership. Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, has offices and depots across Britain, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Swindon, Milton Keynes and York. Altogether, its 36,000 staff are aiming to raise a massive £1 million over the next two years to help beat cancer. Since the partnership launch in April, employees across the country have been busy taking part in all kinds of fundraising activities to raise money towards the charity’s life-saving work.

Mayfair Capital Investment Management’s Property Income Trust for Charities (PITCH) has completed its latest acquisition in the form of the Debenhams’ Department Store in Southport. The price paid, £8.3 million, reflects an initial yield of around 6%, whilst the lease prescribes for annual uplifts of 3% per annum until 2014 and 2.5% per annum to 2019. Thereafter, reviews will be based to the higher of 2.5% per annum or open market rental value.

As the Government looks to charities and individual generosity to help tackle the challenges of the economic deficit, financial analysis of the UK’s top 500 charities’ suggests a decrease in voluntary income as a result of the economic downturn. The annual financial data of the UK’s top 500 charities found that there was a 1.1% drop in the major charities’ voluntary income in 2008-2009 as a result of the economic downturn. The annual financial data of the UK’s top 500 charities found that there was a 1.1% drop in the major charities’ voluntary income in 2008-2009 as a result of the economic downturn.

The Chancellor’s announcement yesterday on welfare reform threatens to heap misery on more disabled Scots, according to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). George Osborne said that he wants to cut welfare costs, in part by speeding up plans to transfer Incapacity Benefit claimants to a new benefit system which concentrates on assessing their ability to work. CAS spokesman Matt Lancashire said: “We support the principle of helping sick and disabled people into work where they are capable of working. But the process of assessing their ability to work must be fair. This is not currently the case, and that must be sorted out before it is applied to yet more people.

Charity Bank has announced the first step in an expansion of its services with the strategic alliance with Investing for Good, the specialist social investment advisor. Geoff Burnand and Caroline Mason, co-founders of Investing for Good have joined Charity Bank as chief investment officer and chief operating officer, respectively.
Malcolm Hayday, chief executive of Charity Bank said: “The strategic fit with Investing for Good is very strong and our combined strengths will hasten the development of a broad range of social investment services at the most critical juncture for financial services in a generation.”

The Charity Commission has updated its guidance on reporting serious incidents to coincide with the launch of the Annual Return 2010. Trustees should report serious incidents to the Commission as soon as they become aware of them. They may delegate this to employees or other representatives of the charity, but the responsibility rests with the charity’s trustees. The updated guidance explains in more detail the Commission’s role as regulator compared to that of other agencies. It also clarifies why trustees need to report cases of actual or suspected harm of beneficiaries to the Commission as well as to other agencies which have a regulatory interest.

The Charity Commission has today published updated guidance on fundraising for charities. Charities and Fundraising is for use by charities to help them carry out fundraising activities that comply with both legal requirements and best practice. Although fundraising is self-regulated by the sector there are elements of it that are subject to legal and regulatory requirements. For example, charities must ensure that all funds are used for the purposes for which they were raised. This guidance sets out where specific requirements apply on how to fundraise.

A new report from EIRIS, the London-based non-profit investment research specialists, shows that leading European companies representing €1.2 trillion by market capitalisation are failing to address the various climate change risks they are exposed to. Climate change has the potential to seriously impact shareholder value and will affect businesses across every sector of the economy, especially in the medium to long term. The EIRIS 2010 European Climate Change Tracker report focuses on the activities of 300 companies listed on the FTSE Eurofirst Index and analyses both the extent of their climate change impacts and also the quality of their responses to climate change.

New research from the Third Sector Research Centre and Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy challenges the belief that the biggest charities are becoming increasingly dominant. Over the past decade, the charity sector has grown substantially in terms of income and number of charities. Yet there is a perception amongst many that the largest charities are capturing an ever-increasing share of the pie. This new research indicates that the picture is far more complex.

The sector has revealed its unease at the Con-Lib Coalition's Emergency Budget. Acevo chief executive Stephen Bubb has highlighted how the most vulnerable will be worst hit by the Emergency Budget and the Charity Tax Group has warned that the increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January 2011 will increase the ax burden of charities by at least £150 million per year. Urban Forum chief executive, Toby Blume, warned the Coalition Government’s emergency budget will hit poorer people hardest, and will place “tremendous strain” on services provided by charities and community groups.

Acevo chief executive Stephen Bubb has criticised today's emergency Budget, warning it will have an enormous impact on charities and hit the most vulnerable. Responding to today’s budget Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, said: “The scale of the challenge facing charities as a result of this Budget is enormous. The spending cuts outlined today will impact on frontline services.

The increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January 2011 will increase the irrecoverable tax burden of charities by at least £150 million per year, warns the Charity Tax Group (CTG). At a time when charities are being asked to do more as part of the Big Society initiative to supplement and replace provision of social welfare and other services by the State, this will be wholly counter-productive as it will directly impede their vital work, warned the CTG.

The humanitarian response sector is eager for its best staff to join the ranks of the professionals – according to a new study which says 90 per cent of aid workers would support the creation of an internationally recognised profession. The study produced by ELRHA – a network of aid agencies and UK universities - to explore how the humanitarian community could raise standards within aid work through training and certification, aims is to improve the level of service that aid agencies deliver to the people they work with.

Alun Michael MP has been elected as chair of the influential All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Community and Voluntary Sector. Taking over from Tom Levitt MP, who stepped down at the general election, Michael paid tribute to the former chair’s stewardship of the group and pledged to continue his good work in raising the profile of the issues affecting the voluntary sector in Parliament.

Jeremy Hughes has joined the Alzheimer’s Society as chief executive from the internationally recognised Breakthrough Breast Cancer where he was chief executive from January 2005. Under his leadership, Breakthrough Breast Cancer brought a strong people focus to cancer research, support and care in the UK. Hughes was instrumental in providing visionary leadership, galvanising the charity’s research platform and its authority on campaigning and policy.

The ACEVO Taskforce on Regulation has released its high level report - Public Impact Centred Regulation for Charities. As the sector increases in size and complexity, and becomes Government’s focus for encouraging Big Society, more enabling regulation will be vital for charities to meet this growing role effectively. This report urges the forthcoming BIS/OCS review to create a thriving and more accountable sector through articulating a positive vision of 21st century charity regulation.

A new study from the University of Kent has revealed that, despite people’s widespread beliefs that charities exist primarily to help the needy, the majority of donors tend to support organisations that promote their own preferences, help people they feel some affinity with and support causes that relate to their own life experiences. Most people also base decisions on their perception of which charities are competent – including their being ‘well-run’, ‘efficient’ and with ‘low overheads’ – and their attempt to have the greatest impact or get the biggest 'bang for their buck'.

The Charity Commission has published a report on its inquiry into the Mohiuddin Trust, (formerly known as Al Ehya Trust) revealing a number of problematic issues in the running of the charity. The charity provides financial and educational support to four educational establishments in the earthquake areas of Kashmir and Pakistan. The inquiry looked at a number of issues, including potential misapplication of the charity’s funds, the management of conflicts of interest relating to a loan to a company connected with two of the trustees and the trustees’ role and financial management of the charity.

The Trustees of Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) today signed papers to place the charity into administration as a result of a cash flow problem created by late payment of legal aid by the Legal Services Commission. The administrators, BDO, will then assume responsible for managing the business. The legal representation of more than 10,000 vulnerable asylum seekers and victims of trafficking, including nearly 900 separated children, is now at risk. RMJ also represents over 10 per cent of the detention population and many foreign national prisoners.

The National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, known also as NACC, is to introduce a change of name and logo. Having put the new name and logo to the membership at the AGM in Newcastle on 22nd May, the charity becomes Crohn’s and Colitis UK today. For some years, there has been concern that the name of the charity does not promote awareness-raising or publicity. Because of the length, the charity name was frequently abbreviated to NACC, which did not inform the public or new members and supporters that the charity offers support to the estimated quarter of a million people across the UK who have Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease (known, together, as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD).

Chief Executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, Hilary Whittaker, has announced that she will be stepping down from her role at the end of June 2010, after almost a decade at the charity. Whittaker joined Beating Bowel Cancer as Chief Executive in 2001. During her tenure at the charity, Whittaker has worked tirelessly to save lives, improve outcomes for bowel cancer patients by promoting early diagnosis and to improve awareness of this hidden disease, which is the country’s second biggest cancer killer. Whittaker has campaigned for many years for the introduction of national bowel cancer screening.

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has received a knighthood in recognition of his work on behalf of the voluntary and community sector. Etherington described the knighthood as an unexpected honour and one which demonstrated recognition of the importance of civil society. He said: “It is an honour and a privilege to work with voluntary and community organisations. Our sector makes an immense contribution to the lives of individuals and communities, making a positive difference to society. For me, this knighthood is recognition for all those whose hard work, dedication and commitment we sometimes hear too little about.”

Leading lights in the sector have met with the Government and welcomed assurances over the funding of the sector from the National Lottery. Stephen Bubb, chief executive of ACEVO, Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, and Kevin Curley, chief executive of NAVCA, met with John Penrose, minister for Tourism and Heritage, yesterday to discuss the proposed changes to lottery funding. This will see funding for the Big Lottery Fund reduced from 50% to 40% of National Lottery income, with the proportion of funding going to arts, heritage and sport distributors increased from 16.6% to 20%.

The Charity Commission suspended the chief executive of a disability charity revealing his employers knew of his offences as a convicted sex offender but refused to carry out a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. The Commission received a complaint jointly from two Councils relating to the Charity. It was alleged that the charity trustees had knowingly employed a convicted sex offender and refused to carry out Criminal Records Bureau ('CRB') checks in the belief that such checks are an invasion of privacy despite having signed a contract with one of the Councils which stipulates that charity staff should be CRB checked. The allegation related to the convicted sex offender 'A', who had been employed by the Charity as its Chief Executive Officer from January 2009 until 'A' was suspended in April 2009 by the Charity Commission and subsequently by the Charity.

The newly launched RBS SE1001 Data Report will reveal the first year of results from the first ever index tracking the growth of social businesses in the UK. The report shows that social enterprises in the community enterprise sector (including trusts and transport) recorded the sixth highest average growth of 30.72 per cent3, out of the eight sectors on the SE100 Index (the highest was the environment, recycling and renewables sector with an average growth of 49.73 per cent). However, the sector was third highest in terms of turnover, with an average turnover of £3,207,590 (the highest was health and social care with an average turnover of £4,240,991).

Volunteering England, the volunteer development charity, has launched its Value Volunteer Management Campaign to increase awareness of the value and importance of investing in volunteer management. Volunteering England also launched a Volunteer Management Portal http://www.volunteering.org.uk/vmportal that acts as a gateway to the world of volunteer management with links to over a thousand resources across England. For the first time, information on support, training and development opportunities for people managing volunteers is available to view in one single place. Both these initiatives were funded through Capacitybuilders' Volunteer Management Programme.

In a meeting between members of the sector forum on Gift Aid, Justine Greening MP and Nick Hurd MP this afternoon ACEVO chief executive Stephen Bubb called on government to stop further holds ups and take action on Gift Aid reform. Over the past few years ACEVO and its members have become deeply frustrated by the previous government's evident lethargy on Gift aid reform. Speaking on today's meeting Stephen Bubb said: "Whilst we welcome the coalition government's commitment to reform Gift Aid and we're glad that they called us together so quickly I didn't just jump off a red merry go round to jump on a blue and yellow one. We need action from the new government. Not more chat."

Charity shops' profits increased in the first quarter of 2010, despite sales falling off for many, new data from the Association of Charity Shops suggest. The Association has collected quarterly sales data from its members for some time. This year - for the first time - it has also started to collect data on reported profits. On average, income for January-March was only marginally higher (0.4%) than for the same quarter in 2009. But, the same charities reported profits were about 8% up for the quarter. Some charities saw a slight fall in sales.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has called for a radical shift in the relationship between citizens and the state, when delivering his first keynote speech to leaders of charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises. At the Action Planning 'Leading your charity through a time of change conference' in Central Hall Westminster yesterday, the Minister spoke of the need for a 'Big Society' approach to overcome today's economic challenges, social breakdown and deprivation.Local communities are to have greater ownership of local problems, but also more power to change them, and public services to be answerable to those who use them.

The Charity Commission has today published four updated sets of financial guidance for charities and their advisers covering risk management; financial difficulties and insolvency; reserves and internal financial controls. The four sets of guidance are: Charities and Risk Management (CC26); Financial Difficulties and Insolvency (CC12); Charities and Reserves (CC19); Internal Financial Controls (CC8). The guidance has been revised to reflect new developments and the challenging economic climate that charities now face. It covers the main points of financial management, planning and control in the context of charity law and good practice.

Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced an investment of £17m - treble the amount it originally set aside - in 54 projects under its Skills for the Future programme. The money will deliver 808 placements and adds-up to 780 years' worth of paid training opportunities for people across the UK seeking a career in heritage. It will not only support traditional conservation training but also a wide variety of more contemporary skills, such as managing volunteers and using social media to get people involved in heritage, that will help reinvigorate and broaden the appeal of the heritage industry to job-seekers.

Social care charity Quarriers has appointed Paul Moore as its new chief executive. He joins the Scottish based charity from Action for Children, North of England, where he spent four years as strategic director. Speaking of his new appointment, Moore commented: "Quarriers has made a significant impact on the lives of many people both here in Scotland and also in services delivered south of the border. I want to continue its good work and drive the charity forward." Originally from Dumbarton in Scotland, Moore has a wealth of experience working with young people, holding previous senior positions in Cumbria Council as head of children services and as a group manager (children services) with Liverpool City Council.

The Charity Commission has been made aware of a scam involving people being telephoned by individuals claiming to represent the Charity Commission. In the phone calls these individuals claim to be from the "debt collection department" of the Commission and they demand payments for various services and advertisements. Some of the bogus calls have demanded payments of thousands of pounds for various services and advertisements. The Commission has been contacted by a number of people who have received calls of this nature and has already reported this matter to the police.

New research published today shows that traditional commissioning models are inadequate. Published at a time of budget cuts and efficiency savings, the report highlights the need to measure outcomes and value for money in the widest possible way, by focusing not just on the benefit of the service delivery to the individual end user but on the wider social value created as well.
The research is timely because the Government's vision for a 'Big Society' includes reforming public services and enabling the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to play a greater role in public service delivery.

Guinness has introduced a social entrepreneurship programme to the UK, inviting people with a business head and a social heart, aged between 25 and 35 to enter the Bring It To Life Awards. The Awards, with UnLtd and Rathbone, will work with people who have an urban regeneration idea that makes a positive difference to their local community and provide recipients with the support, skills and funding to create positive social ventures.

Nick Hurd, minister for Civil Society and over 50 MPs from around the country will gather in London today to say 'Thank You' to the millions of volunteers across the UK as part of the national Volunteers' Week celebrations. The event is organised by Volunteering England, the volunteer development charity, to mark the end of national Volunteers' Week, which runs annually from the 1 to 7 June. Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said: "Volunteering is a good way of getting involved and making a difference in local communities. The work of volunteers often goes unnoticed and that is why Volunteers Week is a great way to recognise and celebrate the work of those who are helping to improve our society.

Volunteer Development Scotland has called on Scotland's third sector to take urgent action to plug the growing gap between supply and demand for volunteering opportunities and adopt a more modern approach to attract new, and retain existing, volunteers. In a move coinciding with this year's Volunteer's Week (1-7 June), the nation's Centre for Excellence in volunteering is urging organisations to recognise, and take action, in response to the potentially bleak outlook where 41% of former volunteers have expressed no intention to ever volunteer again.

The Institute Of Fundraising has announced that newly-appointed minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd is confirmed as the keynote speaker at the opening session of its National Convention, which will take place over a three day period from 5th-7th July. National Convention is the Institute's flagship event, bringing around 1700 fundraisers from all areas of fundraising together over a three day period.

Charities including Amnesty International, Liberty, and Barnado's have joined faith leaders, legal and human rights experts in an appeal to save Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) from closure. In an open letter to the Justice and Home Secretaries, they have warned that thousands of vulnerable people will be left without legal help unless RMJ is paid promptly for the legal work it has done. The open letter states...

The Shakespeare Globe Trust has announced the appointment of Neil Constable as its new chief executive. His appointment is effective from 11 October 2010, and there will be a brief hand-over period with the current chief executive, Peter Kyle.
Constable has been executive director of the Almeida Theatre since March 2003, joining just before the successful re-opening after a major £5.5million capital redevelopment. Before joining the Almeida, he worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company for 16-years, including holding the senior management positions of London Manager at the Barbican Centre and General Administrator.

Slashing the Charity Commission budget won't help create the Big Society, say voluntary sector experts. Andrew Phillips, the Liberal Democrat peer and leading authority on charity law, has criticised cuts to the Charity Commission's budget. Speaking at the recent 19th annual Charity Law conference, jointly organised by Bates Wells & Braithwaite solicitors (BWB) and the Directory of Social Change (DSC), Lord Phillips said: 'It is scandalous that the Charity Commission has had such huge cuts in its staffing, especially considering the amount of extra work created by the 2006 Charities Act.'

Helen Cantrell, the new head of SOVA (Supporting Others Through Volunteer Action) the voluntary organisation that encourages social inclusion, has said that she intends to change the face of volunteering and make SOVA into a household name. Cantrell comes to SOVA with a pedigree in the field of social justice and the socially excluded sectors, spanning the Criminal Justice systems and and treatment services.

The Sector has given its verdicts on the Queen's speech, with a cautiously optimistic mood representing the views. Responding to the Queen's Speech, Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said: "The Government has recognised that the voluntary and community sector must play an important role in realising our shared vision of the good society. "But our organisations will need to receive the right support and resources, if they are to play their full role in civil society and to deliver high quality, responsive public services.

Organisations including the Scouts, Girlguiding UK, and England and Wales Cricket Board have today backed Volunteering England's calls for more adult volunteers to help run children's and young people's activities. Over 25 leading charities and voluntary organisations annually join forces with Volunteering England to mark Volunteers' Week which runs from the 1-7 June. This year the campaign is not only celebrating the millions of volunteers across the UK but is also calling for more volunteers to get involved.

STOXX , the provider and creator of European equity indices, today announced the results of the first semi-annual review of the STOXX Europe Christian Index. All changes will be effective as of the open of European markets on June 21, 2010. In the STOXX Europe Christian Index, 22 components will be added while 11 components will be deleted. This increases the number of components in the index to 545 from 534.

The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) has launched a new business tool, Capacity Manager, to help third sector bodies manage their spending on overheads more efficiently. The online tool can be used to examine all the main types of overhead costs and can help judge the effectiveness of spending in different areas of business. It can assist managers to benchmark their spending against similar businesses, as well as make a case to funding and commissioning bodies to support investment.

Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, has visited Paddington Development Trust to see first hand the work of social enterprises and the benefits they bring to local communities. On his first visit as Minister for Civil Society, Hurd met with Jackie Rosenberg, deputy CEO of the Paddington Development Trust and Steve Wyler, CEO of the Developments Trusts Association.

Sport, the arts and heritage will get more National Lottery funding, but less will go to the Big Lottery Fund, which supports community groups and projects that improve health, education and the environment, under plans outlined by new Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Hunt said: "The lottery was set up to fund grassroots initiatives, not as a pot of money for ministers to dip into. At times like this it is even more important to the arts, heritage and sports sectors which is why I am wasting no time in making these changes."

More local services will soon be housed in pubs across rural England as the Big Lottery Fund today announces funding to help public houses offer much more to their communities than a 'pie and a pint'. A grant of over £470,000 has been awarded to Pub is the Hub, a not-for-profit organisation that helps support the needs of communities. The grant will be used to offer independent, specialist advice on community ownership and the diversification of pubs to provide local services, such as village shops, Post Office services, IT training, school meals or community centres.

George Blunden has been appointed as chairman of Charity Bank, the only regulated bank in the UK that is also a registered general charity. Blunden said: "As a financer by background and a community worker at heart, I am delighted to be appointed Chairman of Charity Bank. I am privileged to be joining Charity Bank at such a critical point in its development and look forward to working with the Board and management team to further our mission to finance charities and other social profit organisations that address society's needs."

CFDG unveiled a prototype for their new and improved website at their Annual Conference. The prototype was made available for participants to try. Michael Dykes, CFDG's Membership and Information Manager, said: "We recognise the importance of the web as a way to reach our members, and have designed the new website to improve audience engagement and to provide better service to our members."

Research by the Third Sector Research Centre suggests that the role of voluntary organisations in criminal justice may be hampered by resentment from the statutory sector. Research points to the many benefits that third sector providers can bring to criminal justice provision. Their ability to develop positive relationships with service users, to engage them in developing services and to build links with the wider community are just some of these. TSRC conducted interviews with key players in the criminal justice arena, from both the third and statutory sectors.

The Lib-Con coalition Government is proclaiming a new era of people power as the Tories pre-election Big Society vision has been put at the centre of the new Government today. At a round table event in the Cabinet Room in Number 10, a group of civil society community activists and leaders met with the Prime Minister David Cameron, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude and minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd to debate the Big Society programme.

The Charity Commission has today published its new Welsh language scheme, which sets out the Commission's approach to providing services in Welsh. The Welsh language scheme details how the Commission provides the opportunity to communicate in Welsh in these and other situations. The scheme also sets out the Commission's undertaking to publish Welsh language guidance and other core material. Harry Iles, Head of the Charity Commission's Wales office, said: "The Charity Commission is fully committed to providing our Welsh speaking customers with the same high standard of service that we provide in English.

The Pensions Trust, the multi-employer occupational pension fund in the UK for the Third Sector, reveals that nearly three quarters (72%) of charity workers believe investment in companies that operate responsibly is one of the most important pension attributes. The Pensions Trust, working with Queen Mary, University of London and with design input from Mercer, has undertaken one of the largest surveys of charity workers views on pensions in the UK.

Small local charities and voluntary organisations around the UK have felt the impact of the economic downturn and subsequent recession as keenly as any business

Nick Hurd will be the minister responsible for charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations in the Cabinet Office, following an official announcement today by the Prime Minister's office. He will be known as the Minister for Civil Society within the new Office of Civil Society, which replaces The Office for the Third Sector. Speaking to Cabinet Office staff, Nick Hurd, alongside the Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, has announced that Government policy will focus on three fundamental issues...

Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, has congratulated Nick Hurd on his appointment as the new charities minister, and highlighted some important issues DSC wants the new Government to address. Allcock Tyler said: "Nick's predecessors have set the bar miserably low but I hope he can make this role a key one within government and work to meet the needs of the sector and the communities it serves in the broadest sense."

Over four fifths (82%) of the public say they are concerned about charities having to close, stopping their services, due to the economic malaise - according to data out today. 43% say they are "very" or "extremely" concerned. Not-for-profit sector research consultancy nfpSynergy's Charity Awareness Monitor regularly surveys a representative sample of 1000 16-plus year olds throughout mainland Britain, asking them a range of charity-related questions - including on issues that concern or worry them about the charity sector itself.

Dr Catherine Walker has been revealed as the new head of research for GuideStar UK. Graham Leigh, head of GuideStar Data Services, said: "Catherine is a leading expert in the world of voluntary sector research, with a distinguished background in both academic and applied research. "With her on board we can demonstrate to our clients and to charities that we can provide high quality, meaningful data on the third sector. We're absolutely thrilled that she is joining the team."

Nuffield Health, the largest not-for-profit independent healthcare provider in the UK, today reported a positive first quarter performance during which revenues totalled £140.1 million; £1.1 million ahead of expectations. EBITDA performance was also good, with Q1 profit at £17.4 million; £0.3 million ahead of 2009 on a like-for-like basis. The charity, which last year helped more than 750,000 people improve their health, also saw the first signs of improvement in its fitness and wellbeing services as a result of its strategy to bring healthcare expertise to the traditional gym and fitness market.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group have sent a letter to the new Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. This letter follows on from the election manifesto released by CFDG in March, and summarises some of the most pressing issues being felt by their members at this time. CFDG will be following up from this letter in the coming months, after more detailed discussions with their members in order to identify new priorities arising after the formation of the Coalition Government.

ACEVO chief executive Stephen Bubb has revealed that he wants the sector to work on helping the new government deliver a "Big Society" but warned there needs to be much realism, given Government are likely to impede on the sector. He said: "And so a new chapter begins for the sector. This result offers a great opportunity to work with the coalition Government to deliver stronger communities and a bigger role for the sector in delivering citizen focused services.

More sector bodies have reacted to the new government, with The Social Investment Business noting the new government needs to take into account the contribution done by the third sector and Charity Finance Directors' Group focusing on the Conservatives' Big Society idea. Commenting on the formation of a coalition government of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties Jonathan Lewis, chief executive of The Social Investment Business noted...

The NCVO has invited sector leaders to a summit to discuss what the new government means for the sector. Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), said: "We have witnessed a significant change in the political landscape. It is now our responsibility to work effectively with this new coalition government. "We particularly welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to the Big Society he reiterated last night. We look forward to helping him refine that vision and clearly set out the role our organisations can play within it....

The Network of National Volunteer-Involving Agencies (NNVIA), made up of 46 agencies that include: The National Trust, Age UK, Attend, CSV and The Refugee Council is calling on the new Government to establish a Task Force to report to the Prime Minister on improving citizen involvement across government services. The Network, as part of its manifesto for change wants greater public involvement in tackling crises that include child protection, care of older people, youth offending, environmental protection and community justice.

Think tank Green Alliance has announced the appointment of a new director, senior policy adviser and trustee. Matthew Spencer joins Green Alliance later this month as director. Currently head of government affairs at the Carbon Trust, Spencer was previously founding chief executive of Regen SW (the renewable energy agency) and a director of Greenpeace UK. On his appointment, Matthew Spencer said: "I'm delighted to join Green Alliance at this time of change for British politics. The next few months and years will bring both hope and fear for everyone who cares about our environment.

Charities and non-profits from across Europe are meeting this week to begin a new pan-European peer-to-peer support scheme. The project is the first major programme by the newly established European Network of National Civil Society Associations (ENNA). It will allow up to 250 organisations from across five European countries to forge new relationships with similar groups, share learning and improve the way they work. The formal launch of the scheme is taking place at a three day conference in Berlin. It started yesterday, on Sunday May 9, known as Europe Day, when people celebrate peace and unity in Europe.

A free conference on June 1 brings together key voices across the charity sector to share how organisations can overcome barriers to volunteering and give proper recognition to the positive impact of volunteers. The event draws together two years reviewing the roles of volunteers and the support they are offered, and the findings of regional Policy Action Community Teams (PACTs) charged with finding the best ways to target people who are under represented in volunteer roles. Recognising and maximising the potential of volunteers makes good business sense and this conference will show organisations how and why.

Geoff Mulgan, director of The Young Foundation and former director of policy for Tony Blair and chief adviser for Gordon Brown, will speak about the recent election and the emerging climate for charities, as the keynote speaker at the Charity Finance Directors' Group Annual Conference. This year's Conference, entitled Austerity and Innovation, will be an invaluable opportunity for charity finance professionals to hear the latest on how the sector has been impacted by the recent recession, and about new ideas regarding the potential for adaption to these changes.

Following support from advisory firm Deloitte, the Clore Social Leadership programme is now offering a new Specialist Fellowship, the Fellowship for Finance. The Clore Social Leadership Programme is a new initiative to identify, connect and develop emerging talent in the third sector. The Programme aims to support aspiring leaders in the third sector who are working for the benefit of individuals and progressive social change in communities across the UK.

Charities have given their verdict on last night's election. The Directory of Social Change (DSC), a charity which supports an independent voluntary sector through campaigning, training and publications, has offered its views about what the hung parliament means for the voluntary sector. Debra Allcock Tyler, DSC's chief executive, said: "A lack of clear leadership could be a recipe for gridlock and delay.

The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has published its annual report announcing £20.6 million had been invested in tackling disadvantage in 2009. One of the UK's leading grant makers, the independently run Foundation supports charities that help disadvantaged people play a fuller role in the community. During 2009, the Foundation funded over 900 small to medium sized charities tackling nationwide-wide issues through local community work. Over 1,800 jobs and 6,900 volunteering opportunities (often leading to employment) have been supported in the last three years throughout England and Wales.

Last week, Better Banking wrote an open letter to all party leaders, signed by over 500 organisations and sector leaders, asking them to tackle poverty by ensuring fairer banking services for all. Since then, over one in 10 Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PCCs) have also lent their support to the campaign, including Chris Huhne (Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson) Chris Leslie (director of the New Local Government Network and former Labour Minister for Constitutional Affairs and) and Caroline Lucas (leader of the Green Party).

Research by the Directory of Social Change (DSC) indicates that over one-third of applications to UK charitable grantmakers in the last year were ineligible. More than 361,000 out of a total pool of nearly one million applications were rejected because they didn't meet the funder's stated criteria. For example, applications for work in England going to a trust which states it only funds in Scotland, or a foundation which funds respite breaks for carers receiving requests to support scientific research.

Newton Investment Management has announced the launch of The SRI Fund for Charities. The Fund will be launched on 17 May 2010, managed by Gemma Woodward, who will be supported by a dedicated charities investment team where the average length of investment experience is over 20 years. Newton has created The SRI Fund for Charities to meet the socially responsible investment (SRI) needs of charities that have within their investment policy or their governing document specific ethical or SRI criteria relating to their own charitable objectives.

Think tank New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) believes that Social Return on Investment (SROI) has the potential to be a useful tool for understanding and increasing charity effectiveness, but is held back by the low levels of evidence in the charity sector. NPC in its latest position paper Social Return on Investment, authour Lucy Heady argues this lack of evidence is particularly acute for charities who do a lot of campaigning or whose outcomes are largely subjective, such as improvements in well-being.

The notion of a hung parliament has weighed heavily on the pound over the past few months but surprisingly the impact recently has been relatively muted. Over the past couple of weeks, developments in the eurozone have stolen focus, which has worked in favour of the UK currency. How the market will react to a hung parliament remains a subject of debate though, in particular, how sterling might be affected. Commenting, Duncan Higgins, senior analyst at Caxton FX, said, "The problem lies in uncertainty."

Two leading charities: Child Poverty Action Group and the Equality Trust, have said that the major test for all three leaders is how firmly they will commit to fairness in cutting the deficit. All the party leaders have been written to and asked to commit to a Fairness Test that would proof tax rises and spending cuts against greater inequality of incomes, assets and access to services. Imran Hussain, head of policy, rights and advocacy for Child Poverty Action Group, said: "We need not just openness about the deficit, but fairness from the party leaders tonight.

One in five British consumers say they punish socially irresponsible companies through their shopping choices. Within the committed Fairtrade consumer sector, more than two thirds say they will always or often punish companies for not being socially responsible and nearly a third of mainstream consumers are likely to reward companies for being socially responsible. And Britons overwhelmingly expect fair pay and fair treatment for workers in developing countries, and the vast majority, 86%, feel a personal responsibility to ensure workers are fairly compensated.

One week before the election, the Social Enterprise Charter now has 105 signatures from across the political spectrum. Party leaders David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Caroline Lucas have each signed the charter, but with 31 signatories, it is the Liberal Democrats that have the largest presence, followed by Greens at 30, Labour at 25 and Conservatives at 10. The Social Enterprise Charter calls for MPs and parliamentary candidates to demonstrate their support for social enterprises and sign up to the statement that social enterprises are...

Forcing older workers to retire cost the UK last year an estimated £3.5 billion in lost economic output, new figures by Age UK reveal ahead of tonight's TV showdown among party leaders on the economy. With an estimated 120,000 older workers forced to retire in 2009, new research by the leading older people's charity now shows the policy is draining billions of pounds from the economy every year. Forcing over a hundred thousand employees out of the job market has opened up an estimated £3.5 billion gap in lost economic output, says the Charity.

Ten award-winning charities will tonight each receive £25,000 in recognition of their outstanding work in addressing some of the most difficult health issues and improving health care in some of the UK's most deprived communities. The GSK IMPACT Awards, a partnership with independent health charity The King's Fund, celebrate the vital contribution made by the voluntary sector to improving health care in the UK. The winners - which range from a project working with young homeless people to a service offering support to women and girls who have experienced gendered violence including childhood sexual abuse and rape - will be awarded their prizes at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London tonight.

Stress in the not for profit sector workplace will come under the microscope as Unite launches a campaign which will involve more than 2,500 of its reps surveying their members. Unite, the largest union in the country, announced the launch of its year-long campaign to eradicate stress today, 28 April which is also International Workers' Memorial Day. Recent Unite research revealed that more than 90% of voluntary sector staff feel their well-being is being undermined due to the financial crisis facing charities.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group, in partnership with ACEVO is publishing The Tax Implications of Charity Trading, written by Pesh Framjee and members of the charity tax team at Horwath Clark Whitehill. This comprehensive guide is a must have for any third sector organisation raising funds through trade or considering this as part of their future development. In the economic downturn the importance of trading and fundraising is becoming more apparent, with charities looking for new and innovative ways to gain essential resources.

STOXX, a global index provider and creator of European equity indices,has launched the STOXX Europe Christian Index. The new index measures the performance of companies selected from the STOXX Europe 600 Index according to the values and principles of the Christian religion. The STOXX Europe Christian Index is designed to act as a proper benchmark for actively managed funds, and to underlie exchange-traded funds and other investable products that enable investors to participate in the performance of European companies which are compliant with Christian moral and social doctrines.

A new National Numeracy Trust is needed to tackle the problem of poor maths skills amongst children and adults. Count me in, a new report by charity think tank and consultancy New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), finds that government intervention is not enough and that more needs to be done to change public attitudes to maths and improve standards in schools.

The Institute of Fundraising's Telephone Fundraising Code of Fundraising Practice has been updated. This is to take into account feedback gained from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at a telephone symposium hosted by the Institute of Fundraising and Fundraising Standards Board on 4 March 2010. The Code further defines the difference between administrative and marketing calls.

The annual CFDG and Hays Salary and Employment Survey, with more than 25% of CFDG members taking part, gives a detailed picture of the impact of the recession on the sector. David Membrey, acting chief executive of CFDG, said: "The results of the survey show that the sector's response to the recession has had an impact on salaries, recruitment and staffing levels in 2009, as well as on hiring policies and pay reviews going forward through 2010."

Yorkshire Cancer Research, the largest regional medical charity in the UK, has announced the appointment of Mark Stevens as its new chief executive. Mark Stevens will take over on 1st June from Elaine King, who is to retire from the charity after serving as YCR's chief executive for the past 15 years. Professor Anthony Robards, deputy chairman of Yorkshire Cancer Research commented: "Mark is the ideal person to build on the excellent work undertaken by Elaine King and her team over the last few years. The recruitment committee was impressed with his varied background in business and his commitment to the future of YCR which was well-supported by a range of innovative ideas.

The National Trust is reorganising its internal structures in the second phase of its ambitious plan to engage the public better, raise membership, increase its relevance to the whole nation and devolve more decisions to properties. In its strategy document - Going Local - published in February, the Trust outlined a programme to help its 180 Property and General Managers to bring their properties to life, reach out to local communities and facilitate local initiatives. The aim is to raise membership from its current record of almost 3.8 million to 5m by the year 2020 and 'to make everyone feel like a member of the National Trust' by forging stronger links with neighbouring communities.

A number of charities are believed to be flouting the law by not paying the National Minimum Wage (NMW) when staff 'sleep-over', Unite, the largest union in the country, has said. Unite, which has 60,000 members in the Not for Profit sector, said many members are required to work shifts which incorporate a residential element, often known as 'sleep-ins'. If, during sleep-in time, a member is working or at the employer's disposal, ie, available to work should an emergency occur or work has to be carried out, this will constitute working time for the purposes of the Working Time Regulations 1998.

New research revealing the importance of voluntary organisations in delivering services has prompted charity leaders to warn they should not be seen as a soft target for public sector spending cuts. Comprehensive data published today by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) shows the voluntary sector's earned income from delivering statutory contracts has increased to £9.1bn, up 128 per cent since 2000/01.

The UK economic outlook may still be uncertain but according to figures from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) philanthropic activity is beginning to rise. In the first quarter of 2010 The Charities Aid Foundation, one of the UK's biggest providers of charitable trusts, opened 51 new Charitable Trust Accounts with a total of £70million in donations. In the same period in 2009 donors put £20million into new CAF Trust Accounts. The charity is now opening as many accounts each month as it was in early 2008 before the recession began.

NCVO has revealed it is disappointed with the Liberal Democratic manifesto for lacking a coherent vision of how the sector fits into supporting society. The four main themes of Liberal Democrat manifesto are fair taxes, more chances for children, a fairer and greener economy, and cleaning up politics. But Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "We are disappointed it does not present a coherent vision for the role the voluntary sector plays in supporting and strengthening communities.

The Charity Commission has confirmed that it has already received a number of complaints against charities' alleged involvement in party politics during the Election campaign, despite the guidance it issued before the campaign began. This guidance has been available on the Commission's website since January 2010 and demonstrates that there is a very fine line for charities to tread between now and polling day. While charities can campaign around a political issue, they should not be seen to be supporting any particular political party.

Britain's economy has returned to modest growth, but for many charitable organisations funding is still in perilous decline. Government has predicted that charities could lose 25% of their funding in 2010 and the Charities Aid Foundation is reporting that four out of ten charities are already operating on less income than they budgeted for. The Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) was created to give small charities the strategic support they need to stay open and be there for the people who needed their help.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is "pleased" with the Conservative Party Manifesto's commitment to civil society, but the Charities Aid Foundation is reserving judgement. Part of the Conservative "big society" plans involve allowing parents and charities to set up new academy schools, and giving communities the right to buy their local pub or post office. Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "We are pleased to see that civil society is at the heart of the Conservative manifesto.

Three months after a devastating earthquake rocked Haiti, international development charity Progressio says the crippled Caribbean nation must not miss the chance to build a more "just and inclusive society" based on the concerns and desires of the Haitian people themselves. Drawing on extensive consultation with partner organisations on the ground in Haiti, Progressio's advocacy coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lizzette Robleto said: "The earthquake which hit Haiti was a huge tragedy but it was also a chance for the Haitian people to take control of their own destiny, and to construct a new nation based on new ideals."

The Labour manifesto, which sets out plans to give people a greater voice in public services and allow the takeover or merger of under-performing schools, hospitals and even police forces, has been given a lukewarm response from the sector. The main commitments relating directly to the voluntary sector are: put the Commission for the Compact on a statutory footing, and ensure greater support for the Compact at local level; plans for a National Youth Community Service, with the goal that all young people contribute at least 50 hours to their communities by the age of 19;

The Institute of Fundraising has appointed two new trustees, Jo Swinhoe, director of fundraising and marketing at the Alzheimer's Society, and Gill Raikes, director of fundraising at the National Trust. The two new trustees have been co-opted onto the Institute's trustee board to strengthen the board's ability to deliver its strategic aims and objectives. Two thirds of the board are elected by the membership and up to one third can be co-opted to add complimentary skills, experience and knowledge. Institute trustees stand for three years and can be co-opted for a further three-year term.

The public are more likely to perceive smaller charities as being "friendly" but "amateurish"; and larger ones as being "professional" but "wasteful", according to data out today. However, smaller charities may just have the edge - from a "loyal hardcore" - when it comes to attracting donors. Not-for-profit sector consultancy nfpSynergy's Charity Awareness Monitor regularly surveys a representative sample of 1000 16plus year olds throughout mainland Britain every year, asking them a range of charity-related questions: including gauging what impact the size of a charity has on public perceptions and on claimed propensity to donate.

BTCV, the world's largest environmental volunteering charity, has welcomed the commitment from the Conservative Party for a National Citizen Service. Each year BTCV supports over 30,000 young people in practical environmental tasks that improve local places. We know from our own experience that young people from all backgrounds are willing to be involved in hands on projects that bring benefit for their local community. One example is that climate change is among the top five global concerns of young people, and poor environment is one of their top five local concerns. But they often do not know how to get involved and do not feel they have anything to offer.

Top trusts and foundations are giving more money despite a drop in income, according to research from the latest edition of The Guide to the Major Trusts, an resource for charity fundraisers published by the Directory of Social Change (DSC). Despite a collective reduction in income and around £4 billion being wiped off the value of their assets, the top 400 UK trusts awarded a combined total of around £2.53 billion in 2007/08, the year for which most recent figures are available.

John Bennett has been appointed the first chief executive of the newly formed Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition.The Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition intends to be widely recognised as the legitimate voice of the broad social enterprise movement in Wales. It has an ambitious business plan, for which it has the financial support of the Welsh Assembly Government. John Bennett said: "I am flattered, excited and indeed honoured to be appointed as the Coalition's first CEO."

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is calling on voluntary and community groups to take advantage of Britain's election fever and ensure their priorities are on the agenda for local and national candidates. While there are stricter rules about charities being non-partisan and non-political in the run-up to a general election, the NCVO is reminding groups that they still can - and should - campaign to ensure their voices are heard. Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said: "This is a key period for charities to raise awareness among would-be MPs or councillors about their beneficiaries' needs and ensure they are on the political agenda.

Research by Santander reveals that hospices are the local charity of choice for those giving to good causes, with a fifth of those surveyed opting to donate to hospices over other types of charity. Children's charities were chosen as a close second (18%), followed by health (14%) and animal (13%) charities. Arts & culture, education and human rights seem to be less of a priority, each receiving only 1% of the share. This trend is mirrored by the results from Santander's Community Chest, which resulted in £56,800 donated to 142 hospices across the country.

The Royal British Legion has been ranked as the most effective charity at campaigning in an independent survey of MPs. This is the second consecutive quarter that the charity, which campaigns for the whole Armed Forces family, has topped the nfpSynergy poll. As well as being ranked as 'very effective' by more than half of all MPs (51%) and as 'somewhat effective' by just over a third (34%), the Legion has come top in the list of charities that have most impressed MPs over the last six months. A majority of MPs also name it as the charity that first comes to mind on issues affecting the Armed Forces. The Legion attributes MPs' growing support largely to its 'Time to do your bit' campaign.

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has commissioned a major new study into the reform of Gift Aid. The work, which will be carried out by the independent, public policy think-tank ResPublica, will consider how technology can be used to transform and simplify the Gift Aid process so that charities and donors can maximise the potential of this tax relief. CAF estimates that around £750 million of relief goes unclaimed each year.

The King's Fund has launched the 'election check-up', a light-hearted online game that challenges visitors to its website to test their knowledge of party policies on health. The two-minute game has been developed to highlight key health issues for the general election campaign and the information resources hosted on the Fund's dedicated election micro-site. The Fund has also published Health priorities for an incoming government. This short manifesto-style document sets out the three areas that The King's Fund believes the next government should focus on: the financial challenge facing the NHS, improving the quality of health care and promoting well-being and independence.

The Charity Commission has today published two new sets of guidance for charities and their advisers on statutory inquiries and regulatory compliance casework. The new guidance, available on the Commission's website, aims to help charities understand better what it means when the Commission conducts investigations into charities, either through a statutory inquiry or a regulatory compliance case. The Commission opens statutory inquiries under section 8 of the Charities Act 1993 only in cases of significant risk and serious regulatory concern.

After a four years as director of Green Alliance, Stephen Hale is leaving to take up the post of deputy advocacy and campaigns director at Oxfam International in Geneva on April 30. The organisation has grown dramatically in size, reputation and above all influence during his time as director. Hale said: "The past four years have flown by. I am immensely proud of Green Alliance's achievements during that time and our success in collaborating with organisations across the voluntary sector to exert influence on our political leaders. I know the organisation will continue to go from strength to strength and look forward to watching this from my new vantage point at Oxfam International."

ACEVO has announced James Purnell will join the ACEVO board from January 2011, following expected approval by ACEVO members at the ACEVO AGM that month. He will be paid a nominal sum for his advice. The move comes as Purnell, who recently announced he would be stepping down from politics, continues to expand his portfolio of civil society-related activities. He has become increasingly involved in the work of think tank demos and advocacy group London Citizens.

The Charity Commission has published a report on its investigation into the Garfield Weston Foundation, finding lessons to be learned for the sector that charities must remain independent from party politics. The Garfield Weston Foundation is a grant-making charity with wide general charitable objects. It had an investment income of £38,508,000 in the financial year ending 5 April 2009. During the same period it made grants totalling £26,183,000. The concerns which led to the opening of the investigation relate to political donations made by Wittington Investments (WIL), an investment company in which the charity held a controlling interest.

The Conservative Party has today launched its manifesto for the third sector pledging new funding to social enterprises, voluntary sector grants and a "Big Society Bank". Conservative Party leader David Cameron announced his "Big Society" plan to fix the ills caused by "broken Britain". "It is a guiding philosophy," Cameron said, "a society where the leading force for progress is social responsibility, not state control". The answer Cameron stated, lay in a new localism, the encouragement of social enterprise and Conservative plans for a "national citizens service"

Cancer Research UK has announced the appointment of two new trustees to its Council: Michael Pragnell and Professor Anton Berns. Michael Pragnell is expected to succeed David Newbigging as chairman of Cancer Research UK in November. He was the founder chief executive Officer of Syngenta AG, a company in crop protection and plant bioscience, and was formerly CEO of AstraZeneca plc's crop protection business. Professor Anton Berns is the director of Research at The Netherlands Cancer Institute and Professor of Experimental Genetics of Inherited Diseases at the University of Amsterdam.

The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) has appointed Shankar Vipulanandarajah as its new fundraising manager. The role will involve managing relationships with major service providers, overseeing the implementation of the fundraising components of a new database and leading the surge capacity for fundraising during future appeals. Vipulanandarajah had previously worked in senior fundraising and supporter care positions at Christian Aid, one of the DEC's members, for nearly five years. His most recent role was as supporter services manager where he oversaw all emergency fundraising appeals and Christian Aid Week, raising up to £60m per year.

Charities should encourage people to increase donations to ensure they keep pace with inflation, according to research published today. The research by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) investigates long-term trends in charitable giving. The report shows how charities could be missing out on extra earnings by failing to prompt people who make donations by direct debit or payroll giving to increase their donations each year to keep up with inflation. Donations that stay at the same level are unlikely to keep up with the pace of inflation and lose value. For example, a £10 donation made in 2000 was worth 8.46 in real terms by 2008, losing 15 per cent of its value.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group has announced the appointment of Caron Bradshaw as CFDG's new chief executive. She is currently head of charity and voluntary sector at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, and will start at CFDG in the early summer of 2010. Charles Nall, chair of the board of trustee said: "We are delighted to welcome Caron Bradshaw as our new CEO at CFDG. We believe that her appointment heralds an exciting and energetic new period for CFDG, and we look forward to working with her very much as CFDG increases its influence on policies affecting the sector."

Government grants to reduce the 9% gap in volunteering in the UK, between disabled people and the rest of the population have been announced today. Amongst the grant recipient is Whizz Kidz, a children's charity in London. It has received £5,000, which it will use to enable young disabled volunteers to volunteer, either in their headquarters (helping with fundraising, communications, and administration) or at Whizz Kids' wheelchair skills training schemes and Ambassador clubs.

The Charity Commission has endorsed the Standard of good practice of the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) as part of the Commission's Quality Standards Endorsement Programme. ACRE is the national umbrella body for the Rural Community Action Network, which comprises the separately registered charities, Rural Community Councils (RCCs). The Good Practice Quality Standard defines good practice for the Network and provides challenging assessments of how well RCCs are run.

A new report Total Place: A whole area approach to public services was published by the Department for Communities and Local Government yesterday setting out a transformation the way public services will be delivered in future. The Total Place report sets out the changes being introduced following wide-ranging testing of the approach in 13 pilot areas and presents a series of commitments that will give greater freedoms and flexibilities to support a new relationship between government and places.

ACEVO was celebrating today after the Government reversed its NHS preferred provider policy, meaning Third Sector organisations will be able to compete on equal terms to run health care provision. The Department of Health has published three pieces of guidance today: the revised Principles and Rules for Cooperation and Competition, the revised PCT Procurement Guide, and Commercial Skills for the NHS.

Angela Smith, Nick Hurd, and Jenny Willott have shared contrasting views about the role of charities in campaigning for change, in response to questions posed by the Directory of Social Change (DSC). Among a series of five questions on key policy issues, DSC asked the Minister and Shadow Ministers for the three main political parties 'how would life be different for campaigning charities?' if their party won the election.

The chancellor's 2010 Budget received a cautiously positive response from the sector. The Government announced in the 2010 Budget Report that following a judgement by the European Court of Justice in January 2009, UK charity tax relief's will be extended to charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs in the EU and in the European Economic Area countries of Norway and Iceland. In his Budget, the chancellor also announced the budget deficit had gone down from £178bn to £163bn, and cut growth forecasts. On public spending, he announced £5 billion in savings

Sport Relief 2010 has so far raised a ground breaking £31.6 million producing the highest total in Sport Relief history, which will be spent by Comic Relief to help those living tough lives here in the UK and across the world's poorest countries. The night of TV saw a peak audience of 9.4 million. The Sport Relief campaign ran for nine weeks culminating with the Sport Relief Weekend from 19 to 21March. The sportrelief.com website peaked at more than 400,000 unique visitors a day and in total attracted over 3.15 million unique visits during the entire campaign.

Philanthropists today have a new community to help "unleash philanthropy", and their efforts are being backed by the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown. The dedicated new site is among several initiatives fostered by the honorary, government-appointed Ambassador for Philanthropy Dame Stephanie Shirley, including getting donor advised funds/charity accounts in banks, a philanthropists' summit to advise government, and a forum on internet giving.

As charity leaders await the outcome of the final Budget before the General Election, a new survey shows they are increasingly concerned about the state of the sector. Published today, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations' Charity Forecast Survey shows the lowest proportion of sector leaders have confidence in the "general situation" of their organisation since the survey began and increasingly believe they will have to reduce staff numbers in the next three months.

Research published today by the Charity Commission gives a new perspective on the extent to which cuts in public sector spending may affect larger charities when many public service delivery contracts between charities and public sector bodies end in March 2011. The figures are from the Commission's latest Economic Survey of Charities, the largest representative survey on the effect of the downturn on charities. The independent research shows that almost a quarter of charities with an income of £100,000 or more consider public sector funding to be their most important source of income

The new Government Funding Guide published by the Directory of Social Change tracks 150 local authorities and £2.2 billion of funding from over 200 central government departments. Each chapter provides a breakdown of how each level of government funds the voluntary sector. Government funding is complex and each level of government different. The guide provides an overview of government policy and funding practice to make it easier to connect with statutory funders. The Government is the largest provider of funding to the voluntary sector. Understanding how it supports the sector should be any fundraisers first priority.

ACEVO chief executive Stephen Bubb issued the Conservative Party challenges between the rhetoric and reality of the party's promises towards the sector post election, with the shadow chancellor responding with his own challenges to what the sector must do. The three areas Bubb highlighted, were: for the government to energise the third sector; gearing up on current spending; and how to deal with the challenge of localism versus a political focus on national centralism.

The Charity Commission has published a regulatory case report into the charity UCARE, concluding that political speakers had taken part in its charity events.
The purpose of the Commission's investigation was to determine if the charity had improperly supported a politician and/or political party, in particular by allowing only Labour MPs to speak at events held by the charity, or whether donations to a political party had been made by the charity or by the trustees on its behalf.

In a report published today, the Institute of Directors (IOD) argues that at least £25bn of annual efficiencies can be made in the public sector within three years through a radical restructuring of public sector procurement (£15bn saving) and greater use of shared services and outsourcing (£10bn saving). The report cites the UK public sector procurement spend is £220bn a year, equating this to 0.75 per cent of global GDP; one third of Government expenditure, costing each person in the UK £3,500 on average a year.

Social Finance, the London-based social investment organisation, today launched with the Ministry of Justice the first Social Impact Bond (SiB). This is designed by Social Finance to raise capital for investment in the social sector. Financial returns to investors will be based on improved social outcomes. This first issue will fund social organisations working to reduce reoffending rates of short sentence male prisoners leaving Peterborough Prison. The Ministry of Justice has agreed to make payments to investors in the event that re-offending is reduced below an agreed threshold.

Last night saw the official launch of a joint manifesto by Community Alliance, the Social Enterprise Coalition and ACEVO. The Time is Now outlines the case for an expanded role for the third sector and calls on government to get four things right in order to support a thriving civil society. The four points are: one, smart investment in an age of austerity; use funding vehicles best suited to the desired outcome and continue to develop social investment; two, improved public service markets and the democratisation of commissioning; ensure a level playing field and transparency in public procurement; three, a supportive architecture; sustain a department and minister with sole responsibility for the third sector, streamline regulation and invest in building the sector's capacity;

A scheme to bring millions of neighbours together for community 'lunch-ins' on July 18th this summer has been awarded £1million from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG). The Eden Project, the founders of The Big Lunch, have been given the Big Lottery Fund support to expand and build on the success of last year's scheme to involve even more people doing lunch with the neighbours. The Eden Project says its research shows that among the people who took part last year an overwhelming majority felt closer to their neighbours, safer in their communities and as a result are actively looking to take part again in 2010.

The Sarasin & Partners Compendium of Investment has been published. This reference work was created to help make trustees of charities to be more aware of the implications of managing the investments of charities and to give them a better understanding of how to go about establishing an investment policy and the process of appointing an external investment management firm. Richard Maitland, partner and head of charities at Sarasin & Partners, said: "Becoming a trustee is an honour not to be taken lightly; a group of people are, by way of invitation, confirming your knowledge, leadership skills, wisdom and willingness to put a good cause before profit.

A report released today suggests theological backing for voting on company pay. The report was commissioned in response to the growing public concern at excessive pay awarded to many senior corporate executives. Despite comments on pay by church leaders, there was little theological backing for an ethical position on executive pay. Consequently, the Church Investors Group, which has representatives from a range of Church denominations in the UK and Ireland, commissioned leading theologians, Rev Dr Richard Higginson and Professor David Clough, to provide a specifically Christian contribution to public debate

The Charity Commission has published a report on its inquiry into the Al Ikhlas Foundation, finding against one of the charity's trustees. The investigation was opened following the arrest of one of the charity's trustees, Abbas Taj, as a result of his alleged involvement in an arson attack. The Commission's inquiry looked at a number of issues, including that trustee's suitability to continue in his role, the make-up of the trustee body and the trustees' governance of the charity. The charity had previously been the subject of an investigation by the Commission

A charity think tank is calling on the Government to launch an Impact Fund to help charities measure their results and prove the success of their work. New Philanthropy Capital also believes new standardised frameworks for reporting results, developed in partnership with charities, would put a greater focus on outcomes and evaluation and save the state an estimated £150m a year. In its manifesto published today, NPC draws on its experience of working with hundreds of charities, funders and donors over the last eight years.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is to write to the police forces with the most disproportionate use of stop and search tactics to raise its concerns over possible breaches of the Race Relations Act. The Commission today published a comprehensive review into the use of stop and search across England and Wales, which concludes that a number of forces are using the tactics in a way that is disproportionate and possibly discriminatory. The review into 42 policing areas during the past five years has found that few police forces have made improvements

New, fairer funding arrangements, a review of the current settlement for older people and reforms to the benefits system are among the proposals put forward in a major new report on the social care system by The King's Fund today. Securing good care for more older people updates the review of social care led by Sir Derek Wanless published by the Fund in 2006. The new report concludes that a revised version of the 'partnership model' proposed by the Wanless review is the fairest way of funding social care in the future.

The Big Lottery Fund is delivering its single biggest wave of community funding today with £41 million rolling out across England to a total of 143 organisations. The multi-million pound funding is from BIG's flagship programme, Reaching Communities, which supports work with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded groups. Sanjay Dighe, chair of the Big Lottery Fund's England Committee, said: "The impact of today's £41 million good cause funding will be felt in energetic and worthwhile community projects across the country. The range of community action it represents across the 143 organisations is truly inspiring.

Just two weeks after the Directory of Social Change took ownership of GuideStar, a new service has been launched. The Funder's Snapshot from GuideStar Data Services helps funders get a quick and simple update in their field of giving so they can be smarter and more proactive in directing their funds. Drawing on the most detailed repository of data on English and Welsh charities, the Snapshot offers a bespoke report on charities eligible for funding and helps funders decide:
are there enough qualifying charities who could receive our donations?
are they doing the kind of work that matches our funding objectives?
are they already sufficiently funded by others?

This Thursday (18 March), senior members of the Shadow Cabinet will present their ideas for the voluntary sector at summit of third sector leaders. The Third Sector Conservative Summit is being hosted by ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) in conjunction with other key charity partners. It will take place at Millbank Tower, London all day beginning at 10am. Shadow chancellor, George Osborne will open the summit and speak on the Conservative's vision for charities in delivering key public services.

Assurances by Third Sector Minister, Angela Smith to look again at how funding contracts are administered has been welcomed by Unite, the largest union in the country. The minister's statement came during a lobby of Unite Not for Profit sector activists who are under increasing pressure in the workplace due to the short term nature of the contracts awarded to voluntary sector organisations.
Rachael Maskell, Unite's national officer, not for profit sector, welcomed 'the very positive response' from Angela Smith in agreeing to explore, on receipt of further information from Unite: the information requested from commissioners i.e. auditing and reporting requirements, to see if greater consistency would assist organisations and staff...

The Private Equity Foundation (PEF) has announced a partnership with TowerBrook Capital Partners and TowerBrook Foundation to back two new charitable youth initiatives in London. Some of the hardest to reach young people in Hammersmith and Fulham will benefit from a £300,000 commitment by TowerBrook to existing PEF charity, Tomorrow's People. TowerBrook has also backed PEF's pilot of renowned US youth volunteering scheme, City Year, in the capital and has invested £420,000 alongside PEF's £1 million donation to the start-up.

Barnardo's has announced that Jane Stacey will be taking over from Chris Hanvey as the new director of Operations and deputy chief executive. Stacey will be taking on this role within the charity from April 1, 2010, leaving her current position as Barnardo's director south west. She has worked for Barnardo's for 13 years, as director for Cymru overseeing a major transition in Wales when the country achieved National Assembly status and creating a clear Barnardo's Cymru identity.
Later as director south west, Stacey was responsible for significantly expanding the number of Barnardo's services to meet the needs of disadvantaged children and families throughout the region.

At Lambeth Palace on Wednesday afternoon, multi-faith leaders came together to share a vision with the Global Poverty Project: a vision of a world without extreme poverty within our lifetimes. The Global Poverty Project's presentation, 1.4 Billion Reasons, launched at a high-level UN summit in 2008, was co-delivered by Elisha London, expert in International Development and UK country manager of the Global Poverty Project and senior development education coordinator for Islamic Relief, Samia Ahmed. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gave an introduction where he said: "All great faiths share the idea that human dignity is inalienable, and human dignity requires that people have control over the circumstances in which they live so that they can shape meaningful lives with constructive relationships.

Funding Central, a free website highlighting thousands of funding and finance opportunities for third sector organisations, has generated £1.5m in grants and contract funding in its first six months. Thousands of voluntary organisations and social enterprises have benefited from the new website, which also provides valuable advice and information on developing skills to draft winning tenders and successfully apply for grants or loan finance. So far, 100 charities have received funds of between £800 and £85,000 with many more applications pending. A survey of site users shows more than 70 per cent rate the "search" options as good or very good and 63 per cent think the advice section is good or very good.

Community groups across the UK will be offered support to develop their links with communities in some of the world's poorest countries, thanks to a programme launched yesterday. The new fund, the Global Community Links programme will offer workshops and grants of up to £10,000 for not-for-profit organisations involved in a link with a community in the developing world. Funding will enable participating community groups to use their links to increase understanding of global poverty in the UK and encourage their local community to act to reduce it.

O2 today unveiled Think Big, a £5million pound scheme designed to back young people making a difference in their communities. Research has shown that 46 per cent of adults believe there is a negative view of young people in society, and to counter this perception, this programme aims to inspire young people by putting £300 directly in their hands. In addition to the cash, young people will receive training, support and mentoring in partnership with some of the UK's leading youth charities to help tackle the issues that really matter to them. Research commissioned by O2 from New Philanthropy Capital demonstrates that a little investment can make a big difference in the hands of a passionate, skilled and engaged young person.

Karen Edwards has been appointed chief executive of Bolton Lads and Girls Club after starting her career there as an unpaid volunteer more than 15 years ago. Karen takes over the role from Jerry Glover, who will now lead the OnSide North West project to replicate BLGC in new youth clubs across the region. Karen began volunteering at the club in 1995 on Thursday and Friday evenings after deciding she wanted to work with young people.
Within six months, she had embarked on a part-time youth work qualification and spent her spare time planning activities for young club members to enjoy, admitting she "got hooked" on the positive atmosphere and opportunities the club brought.

The Charity Commission's new best practice recommendation on environmental responsibility and sustainability is highlighted today in the joint Ministerial and Third Sector Task force report on climate change, the environment and sustainable development. The Commission's Board recently approved the addition to both its publications Hallmarks of an Effective Charity, and The Essential Trustee, which now say that trustees should have regard to the impact of their charity's activities on the environment. The recommendation goes on to say that trustees should consider ways in which their charity can take an environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its work, which is consistent with its purposes even when its purposes are not specifically related to the environment.

The recession has had a dramatic and adverse effect on ethnic minority charities, depriving already disadvantaged communities of essential services, says a report released today by the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO). CEMVO's Report on the Impact of the Economic Downturn on Black and Minority Ethnic Third Sector Organisations reveals 45% of all Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) third sector organisations have had funding cut by local authorities and other funders since the beginning of the recession in 2008, despite a 77% increase in demand for their services over the same period.

Socially responsible investing (SRI) can boost charity investment portfolios, rather than be to their detriment, according to investment managers at Newton Investment, revealed a London roundtable today. Criticising the view that there is a trade-off between lower investment returns and SRI, Amanda Young SRI officer at Newton said the reverse was true - SRI could produce better returns in the long run. Young said: "SRI and sustainability are long-term horizons, there are usually five-year time frames and beyond, so rather than seeing negative returns they can be seen as the other way around, with SRI offering better returns on long-term level."

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Dow Jones Indexes signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the creation of a series of indexes that could be licensed as the basis for investible products. It is envisioned that the flagship of this index series would be a blue-chip index to be called the Dow Jones Global Fund 50 Index. The announcement was made at the international conference on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development organised by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and the French development agency in Paris. Both, The Global Fund and Dow Jones Indexes, hope to benefit from this collaboration.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) has launched its election manifesto, A level playing field, asking for proportionate, effective regulation; the opportunity to deliver innovative public services; a tax system that recognises how charities operate and does not unduly penalise them; and the development of a social investment wholesale bank. David Membrey, CFDG's acting chief executive, said: "The issues we raise focus on reforming processes and regulations in order to effectively help charities do what they do best: focus on fulfilling their missions." CFDG is asking that the Government focuses on better assessing the impact of regulation on charities, and that they allow both primary and non-primary purpose trading to be undertaken within charities (thus dispensing with the need for trading subsidiaries)

The Charity Commission has today published a guide for trustees of charities who have learning disabilities to assist them in understanding their role. Being a trustee has been produced in Easy Read format by the Commission in partnership with the learning disability charity Mencap and in response to calls from the sector to produce such a guide. The Easy Read guide covers many of the key aspects of the Commission's existing CC3 Essential Trustee guidance and is intended to be used by trustees with learning disabilities. Easy Read format is becoming more widely used by organisations to support and include people with learning disabilities. The guide follows the format of Easy Read with communicative images, easy words and larger text, and highlights where trustees may need further assistance with more complex aspects of being a trustee.

Ownership of www.guidestar.org.uk, the free public website, and GuideStar Data Services (CIC) has been transferred from GuideStar International to the Directory of Social Change. This combines the most detailed repository of information about charities and the voluntary sector with the largest publisher of information for those who work in it. Ben Wittenberg, director of Policy & Research at the Directory of Social Change, said: "We believe this combined entity can refresh and strengthen the sector and we are excited about how GDS' service providing bespoke information on the sector will support DSC's mission of connecting people and working towards social change."

The Charity Commission has today published a report on its statutory inquiry into the charity Viva Palestina highlighting concerns over the running of the charity. The Commission opened an investigation in early March 2009 following various public fundraising events regarding the Lifeline for Gaza appeal, also known as Viva Palestina. The charity's initial activity was to launch an appeal for, and to facilitate, a convoy of vehicles carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in February 2009. The charity's website claimed that the appeal had raised £1 million. The Commission appreciated that the charity was established and operating quickly, in response to an immediate need in Gaza. However the Commission had a number of regulatory concerns.

Karin Woodley has been appointed as the new chief executive of ContinYou, one of the UK's leading community learning organisations. Woodley will take up her new post on March 8. From 2005 to 2009 Woodley was chief executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust - a national charity committed to furthering the personal development of young people whose life chances are constrained by economic, cultural and social hardship. Since leaving the Trust, Woodley has been instrumental in establishing another charity - Sheila's Trust, which specialises in providing support to the families of dementia sufferers.

Wanda Hamilton will join the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) as its new group director of fundraising in June. Hamilton previously worked as chief executive of AMD Alliance International, based in Canada, promoting awareness, treatment and research into macular degeneration. Hamilton said: "RNIB is one of the UK's most admired charities, and a best- practices leader globally. I am tremendously honoured to take up the challenge of sustaining the excellent achievements of the past, while building new opportunities for partnership and support of the essential work the charity does on behalf of blind and partially sighted people."

More than 90% of voluntary sector staff feel their well-being is being undermined due to the financial crisis facing charities. The survey results by Unite, the largest union in the country with 60,000 members in the Not for Profit sector, were announced as its members were due to lobby Parliament on Tuesday, 9 March about the sector's future. The survey shows that the way contracts are awarded in the voluntary sector - short term with the emphasis on cost-cutting - is having a detrimental effect on the sector's 750,000 employees and the services they deliver to clients and service users.

Today a coalition of children and young people's charities will launch United We Stand: A Voluntary and Community Sector Manifesto for London's Children and Young People. The 15 strong London Child Policy Forum includes major national charities such as Barnardo's, the NSPCC and Save the Children plus pan-London networks such as London Play and London Youth. Never before has such a range of voluntary and community groups come together with one voice to demand action from the capital's politicians.

Charities should be encouraged to consider publishing expenses of individual trustees and senior managers but disclosure should not be mandatory, according to a report by an independent expert group. The group, set up by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Charity Finance Directors' Group in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal, acknowledged disclosing charity expenses was "desirable" but concluded there was not "sufficient evidence" for a "wholesale expansion" of public reporting. Published this week, the report concludes an inquiry into the issue.

David Cameron has become the latest MP to sign the Social Enterprise Coalition's charter, adding his name today to a growing list that includes Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs. The Social Enterprise Charter calls for MPs and parliamentary candidates to demonstrate their support for social enterprises and sign up to the statement that social enterprises are: transforming the communities we live in; flying the flag for ethical capitalism; and helping to rebuild the UK economy as we emerge from recession.

Citizens Advice Scotland has appointed Howard McKenzie as its new chief executive. He will take up his post on March 22, succeeding Kaliani Lyle, who has held the post since 1999. McKenzie, 54, is a qualified manager with 30 years experience in the business and education sectors. Originally a tenant dairy farmer in Dorset, he became a qualified teacher, teaching agriculture, special needs education and management. He worked in a variety of colleges in England before moving to Motherwell College in 1995 where he managed the curriculum, ICT and finance.

The Social Investment Business, the UK's fastest growing social investor, has unveiled its first impact report. Investing in the future provides an overview of the organisation's activity over the last 18 months and concludes that the demand for social investment is extremely high - even in the current challenging economic climate. The report shows that the case for social investment is made: In the last 12 months The Social Investment Business has received over 3,000 applications for investment (worth more than £500m) through the Government funds it manages

The Charity Commission has published a report on its Inquiries into Dedicate and Raise A Smile finding that an unacceptably low amount of money actually reached the charities. The Inquiries were carried out concurrently because of close links between the personnel of both charities. The Inquiries were opened as a result of concerns relating to the way in which the charities' trading subsidiaries, Dedicate (DTL) and Raise A Smile Campaign (RASCL), were operating. DTL and RASCL engaged in fundraising activity on behalf of their respective charities, and also on behalf of other charities, mainly through the sale of advertisements in their charitable publications.

A new campaign was launched today encouraging Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) third sector organisations to evidence the value and benefits of their work. Launched by Voice4Change England (V4CE) and Charities Evaluation Services (CES), the Promote Performance campaign is the result of performance support project with 10 organisations from the BME third sector across England. The campaign comes at a crucial time when cuts in public spending and an increased expectation of accountability from stakeholders means that BME third sector organisations need to better demonstrate what they do and think about the most effective way to deliver to increase their chances of survival and sustainability.

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the National Bullying Helpline. The inquiry comes in response to increasing public concern about the charity, including over 160 complaints made to the Commission this week. Concerns have been raised about the protection of confidential information held by the charity as a result of the operation of the charity's confidential helpline for victims of bullying. The Commission has a statutory responsibility to promote public trust and confidence in charities, and is aware of the potential impact on other charities that run confidential helplines.

New results from research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) into the Haiti Disaster Emergency Appeal reveals the decline in newspapers' influence on donors. Stories and adverts in newspapers encouraged only six percent of those who gave to the Haiti appeal which compares with 12 percent during the DEC Burma appeal of 2008, and 11 percent during the DEC Asia-Pacific Appeal of 2009. Television coverage remains the media which inspires most people to donate at 75 percent, which is eight percentage points higher than with the DEC Asia-Pacific appeal in 2009.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) is to set up a charity banking forum. The Forum will provide space for a twice yearly dialogue between CFDG members and representatives from the banking industry which, in addition to discussing a range of issues of mutual interest and concern to both sectors, may develop joint projects for the benefit of the sector. The move to set up the new body came out of a meeting held yesterday, hosted by CFDG, which brought together a selection of CFDG members, a range of banks, representatives from the Payments Council, the Charity Commission, the Treasury and the Office of the Third Sector, to look at the implications for charities of the phasing out of cheques.

The voluntary sector has a key role to play in tackling climate change by "humanising" the issue and "showing what it means to particular people in particular places", according to Greg Clark MP. The Conservative Shadow Secretary for Energy and Climate Change told hundreds of charity representatives that all organisations needed to consider climate change as an integral part of their work rather than as a an issue specifically for "green" groups.

Five days paid leave for volunteering, more mutuals, co-operatives and credit unions and the right of the voluntary sector to campaign are at the heart of an election manifesto, launched by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) today. Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, set out his vision of the "good society" and the roles the voluntary sector and government should play to make this reality to more than 650 delegates at the body's flagship annual conference in London. As the UK's largest umbrella body representing the views of more than 7,500 charities, NCVO's manifesto is an important document for all political parties.

An England-wide scheme delivering wheelchair skills training to children and young people with disabilities is one of dozens of initiatives today taking a share of £11.8 million in lottery good cause funding from the Big Lottery Fund. Excursions for visually impaired people and support for foster families are also among the 40 projects receiving funding today from BIG'S Reaching Communities programme. The multi-million pound roll-out to voluntary and community organisations will help their work with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people across England.

Sterling has fallen against a basket of currencies this morning, after Bank of England Governor Mervyn King took questions on the February Inflation Report in Parliament this morning. The euro rose to a 12 day high against the pound to 0.8824 and was down a cent against the dollar to $1.5421. King was joined in parliament by fellow MPC members Charles Bean, Spencer Dale, Kate Barker and David Miles, who said that "recovery is most likely to be slow and protracted, leaving output below its previous peak for some time."

New research by the Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG), the Institute of Fundraising (IoF) with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) shows charities remain cautious about the future despite the economic upturn. However, although the majority still expect a fall in overall income in the next 12 months, charities are more positive about the future than they were in May 2009. The research is the latest in the Managing in a Downturn survey series, undertaken amongst CFDG and IoF members in November 2009. In the May 2009 survey finance directors were more concerned than fundraising directors in most areas of income.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is holding a series of 'curry club' meetings to uncover future leaders in the voluntary and community sector. NCVO has launched a Leadership 20:20 programme to explore some of the major issues affecting progression in the sector and shape new ways of supporting and guiding emerging leaders. The programme begins with a series of informal meetings across England's nine government regions, which will be held in local curry houses. Participants will take part in debates about the sector and present their views in an informal setting.

The Charity Commission has today published its Single Equality Scheme following a consultation process. This is the Commission's first Single Equality Scheme, which replaces the Commission's Race, Gender and Disability Equality Schemes. The scheme expresses the Commission's new diversity vision which states that "We should act inclusively, upholding equality law, treating everyone fairly, and seeking to provide and promote a culture which delivers the best outcomes for the diverse society in which and for whom we work". The Commission, like all public bodies has statutory duties to promote race, gender and disability equality, but has chosen to voluntarily extend its duties to age, religion and belief, sexual orientation and carers.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust has sold its £1.9 million stake in UK-listed mining company, Vedanta, due to serious concerns about its approach to human rights and the environment, particularly in the Indian state of Orissa. Other investors which follow the Trust's ethical policy, including the Marlborough Ethical Fund and Millfield House Foundation, have also sold their shares, taking the total divested to £2.2M. The 77,600 Rowntree shares were sold following nine months' engagement over the company's actions. Vedanta plans to mine bauxite from a mountain in Lanjigarh and the Niyamgiri Hills, in the state of Orissa, which are sacred to the Kondh tribal people who live in the area.

Harnessing the third sector will enable the economy to recover faster and better, according to the Scottish voluntary sector manifesto launched at The Gathering 2010 in Edinburgh today. The manifesto, Doing Things Differently, prompts Government to rethink public service provision and identifies how savvy spending with the third sector could contribute to social and economic recovery. As well as providing care for the elderly, enthusing and training young people, preserving our natural and cultural heritage, and giving people opportunities to create art or play sport, the voluntary sector generates over £4.1billion a year and provides employment for 130,000 people.

The manifesto aims to raise the profile of social enterprise in the run up to a general election and show how social enterprise can meet public demands for a more ethical approach to business. The Manifesto states that social enterprises are critical to rebuild the economy, because "as businesses based on the principles of mutualism, coproduction and participation, social enterprises offer a more accountable and sustainable business model. They offer a model where people are given a direct voice in running their organisation; where public assets can be locked into community ownership; and where people can transform their lives and the lives of those around them."

Thousands of charities are being urged to join a national campaign for a global tax on banking transactions to raise billions for those in need. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has called on its more than 7,500 charity members to join a campaign for a Robin Hood Tax. The campaign calls for an average 0.05 per cent tax on transactions between banks globally, which would raise billions of pounds that could be used to protect public services in the UK, fight poverty and tackle climate change.

One month after the devastating earthquake in Haiti the survivors' urgent needs for medical care, food and clean water are increasingly being met. The need for more emergency shelter, and latrines to help prevent the spread of diseases, remain urgent priorities. The latest estimated death toll issued by the Government of Haiti stands at 230,000 people, with 300,000 believed to have been injured and 1.2m needing emergency shelter. UK members of the Disasters Emergency Committee and their partners have played an important role in establishing 59 hospitals in Port au Prince

The Charity Commission has today published a report on its investigation into Eelapatheeswarar Aalayam. The investigation was opened following complaints of alleged links between some of the trustees and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, (the LTTE), an organisation that is proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. In light of the allegations of links between some of the trustees and a proscribed organisation, the Commission opened its investigation into the charity to consider whether there were concerns about those individuals' suitability to hold their position, whether the trustees had discharged their duties and responsibilities to the charity about handling the allegations and whether they were ensuring that the charity and its reputation were protected.

At least £100 million a year is to be invested across England by the BIG Lottery Fund in a new improved version of its flagship Reaching Communities programme for each of the next five years. The new funding which will be introduced this spring comes with two distinct improvements. First, applicants seeking smaller sums of money will enjoy a simpler application and assessment process. Second, a two-stage decision making process for larger bids will ensure that all applicants will learn sooner whether their project is in with a chance of receiving funding. For those invited to the second stage, the likelihood of success will be much higher, making work on completing a full application more worthwhile.

A new drive to stop bogus charity collectors costing charities millions, was launched today by charities minister Angela Smith. The Association of Charity Shops estimates that charities lose between £2.5 million and £3 million a year through theft and people mistakenly giving clothing to commercial companies in the belief they are charities. The 'Give with Care' campaign, aims at helping households across the country ensure their charity donations are going to genuine causes.

How to Connect with Donors, a report published by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), found that sophisticated donors want charities to demonstrate their effectiveness and to adopt new forms of communication. The online survey of over 200 CAF and non-CAF donors asked them for their views on how the recession affects charities and what they thought charities could do to alleviate the effects of the recession. A key recommendation is in the use of new forms of communication: over three quarters (77%) said that charities should change how they communicate with donors. New media such as social networking (70%) and email (65%) were recommended as tools which charities should use more of in the recession.

Two Institute of Fundraising codes, covering face-to-face and telephone fundraising, have been updated with additional guidance. The face-to-face Code includes updated guidance about cold calling control zones. It includes the detail that fundraisers wishing to carry out cold calling in a cold calling control zone ought first to establish whether fundraising is permitted in the zone. If it is not, then they should seek further information from the local trading standards service so that they can assess whether the zone has been established in accordance with the spirit of the trading standards Institute guidance on cold calling control zones.

Volunteering and training charity, CSV has appointed Sir Jon Shortridge as its new chairman. Shortridge is an experienced public servant and leader and was Permanent Secretary in Wales for over nine years.He also worked in Whitehall. He began his career as a social researcher and town planner for 15 years. Speaking about his appointment he said: "I'm looking forwards to chairing CSV through challenging times ahead, when people will be expecting more for less and when 11 million people tell researchers that they would volunteer if only they were asked. I'm excited by the prospect of helping CSV to develop how it operates in an environmentally sustainable way."

Charities are being urged by the Charity Commission to send their accounts and annual returns on time this year. Last year 80% of charities did send their documents in on time but the remaining 20% did not meet their deadlines. The regulator is launching a regional press campaign to encourage local trustees to ensure their charity files on time. Nearly one in five charities that are required to send their accounts and Annual Returns to the Charity Commission send them in after the ten month deadline.

The Charity Commission has welcomed the Government's decision today to withdraw from the Children, Schools and Families Bill the proposal to deem academy schools exempt charities. The Commission had consistently argued for the removal of this provision in the Bill. The charity regulator had warned that the proposal would have reduced the accountability and transparency of academies, creating confusion and seriously risking damage to public trust and confidence in academies and in charity more widely.

UK charities must plan and prepare for the impact of climate change now to ensure they are ready to cope with changing demands on their services in future. New guidance for voluntary and community groups encourages them to think beyond reducing their own carbon footprint to consider how the people and communities they help may need extra support to deal with flooding, heat waves and rising costs brought on by climate change. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, together with Green Alliance and Global Action Plan, have completed a pilot project with four major UK charities

Three quarters of people say that trust in the charity and/or sector influences their decision to give, according to an online survey. Trust in the organisation is more important than trust in the sector with 56% saying that trust in the charity and 42% reporting that trust in the sector was an influencing factor. Trust in the organisation and/or the sector is most important for Scots where 82% reported that trust is a key influencer in their decision to give to charity, compared to 71% of people living in Wales & the West of England.

As the economic downturn has worn on, the Scottish public has increasingly felt that charitable donations made north of the border should also be spent there, according to new data out today. Scottish males, those from higher social-demographic groups, 25-34-year olds and non-donors have especially driven this more philanthropically insular trend. These are the latest key findings from not-for-profit sector research consultancy nfpSynergy's Scottish Charity Engagement Monitor, yielding regular insights into what the Scottish public thinks about a range of charitable and social issues.

A joint bid by partners of the European Network of National Associations for Civil Society (ENNA) has secured over £275,000 funding from the European Commission. This three year funding will build knowledge, skills and expertise between ENNA members and strengthen the co-operation within civil society organisations across Europe. The new funds will also enable ENNA to push forward the creation of a European Charter. This will act like the UK Compact to ensure that the EU works effectively with the voluntary sector, strengthening transparency, accountability and good practice. The network will also focus on joint campaigns so that voluntary organisations are heard in the EU, following the recent changes in the Lisbon Treaty to give people more choice in EU decisions.

Charities are in danger of neglecting leadership potential, as they chase a shrinking funding pool, a director of a major initiative on social leadership said today. Dame Mary Marsh, director of the Clore Social Leadership Programme, who will be speaking on 12 February at the HR Society's President's Forum, believes that while the challenges in the not for profit and charity sectors are significant, a lack of planned and supported development opportunities will hamper third sector leadership and therefore its capacity to deal with a rapidly changing environment.

The Social Investment Business announce availability of £16m Capital Funding Package through the Department of Health's Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF). The Social Investment Business today announced a capital funding programme worth £16m to support social enterprises in health and social care looking for grant funding to help with capital costs, such as the purchase or refurbishment of a property or an upgrade to their IT or purchase equipment. Capital grants of between £100,000- £450,000 are now available from the Department of Health's Social Enterprise Investment Fund...

Sterling reached a five month high against a broadly weaker euro yesterday, hitting a day high of €1.1625. Mounting worries about sovereign credit risk within the euro zone have undermined the euro, as tumbling Greek government bonds highlighted the market's concerns over their ability to pay back its soaring deficit. Mark Bolsom, head of the UK trading desk at Travelex, the FX Payments group, said: "Sterling was also bolstered by Bank of England MPC member Andrew Sentance's bullish comments yesterday. The markets took comfort in his apparent assurances that Quantitative Easing will not be extended past its current level of £200 billion."

Donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) have topped £50m two weeks since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti. This represents an average donation of over four million pounds each day since the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal was launched. According to a recent survey of over 1,000 adults carried out for the Charities Aid Foundation, almost half the UK population (48%) have already donated to the Haiti disaster appeal. Of those who haven't given yet, nearly two thirds (62%) say they might, or plan to in the future.

The Social Investment Business is closing the Futurebuilders Fund to new applicants following huge demand from the third sector for social finance. The Social Investment Business has been receiving £60-90m worth of enquiries over recent months. Stephen Bubb, chairman of The Social Investment Business, said: "The Futurebuilders Fund has confirmed the sector's appetite for affordable loan financing - even in these challenging economic times. Futurebuilders has shown what can be achieved through social investment. Now it's time to get cracking and set up The Social Investment Bank."

Government funding for voluntary agencies that provide support to victims of sexual violence will be streamlined with the establishment of a one-year combined fund for 2010/11. The fund has been created by merging the Office for Criminal Justice Reform Victims Fund and the Government Equalities Office Special Fund, in order to simplify the application and administration process for voluntary organisations in the sector. The combined fund will mean there is a single application and monitoring process.

Conservative MP Oliver Letwin has questioned charities' role in lobbying Government for change at the NCVO's Campaigns Conference. Letwin, chairman of the Conservative Policy Review, said: "I regret that so much of the effort in some parts of the voluntary sector is devoted to campaigning. What I treasure about the sector is not the campaigning. The special contribution of the sector is to do things, change things." However, he saw a much greater role for charities in delivering services and called them a "foundation stone" for society.

Neil Hunt is to leave as Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Society after nearly seven years in the role. Ruth Sutherland, chief operating officer of Alzheimer's Society will become acting chief executive until a replacement is appointed. Neil Hunt explained: 'I have decided that after nearly 7 years in post, now is the time to seek new challenges. The dementia agenda has changed beyond all recognition in recent years. No longer will this condition be ignored in the way it once was. I am confident that as a health priority we see a new determination to address the challenges it brings to individuals, families and to us all as a nation."

The British public have shown overwhelming generosity in response to the Haiti appeal for help and a survey of over 1,000 adults carried out for the Charities Aid Foundation shows that nearly half the UK (48%) population have already donated to the Haiti disaster appeal. Of those who haven't given yet nearly two thirds (62%) say they might, or plan to in the future. The research, undertaken on behalf of the Charities Aid Foundation by GfK NOP, shows that of those who gave, 55% were women and 45% were men.

The Charity Commission has today publishing updated guidance for charities on complying with the law before local and national elections. The guidance, Charities and Elections, is for use by trustees during the period between the announcement of an election and the date on which the election is held.The updates to the guidance include advice from the Commission on how charities should approach engagement with minority parties. Charities undertaking political activity are not required to engage with representatives from every party on the political spectrum, but any express decision not to engage with a particular party must be based solely on the interests of the charity.

A third of charity managers and trustees across the country are unaware of the Government's recently introduced requirements to vet staff and volunteers. According to a new study published today by insurer Ecclesiastical, 32% of those surveyed said they were not aware of the new requirements to vet staff and volunteers introduced by the 2006 Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act. Cultural charities were the least aware with 45% of managers and trustees saying they did not know about the new rules. For youth charities the figure dropped to 20%.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a set of proposals to change employment policies and open up more work opportunities for older Britons and address the challenges of an ageing workforce. The proposals include abolishing the default retirement age, the extension of the right to request flexible working to all, overhauling employer recruitment practices to prevent discrimination and improved training and development.

As the economic downturn wears on, people are more likely to cut back on charitable donations, according to data out today. Not-for-profit sector research consultancy nfpSynergy's Charity Awareness Monitor surveys a representative sample of 1,000 adults throughout Britain each year, asking a range of charity-related questions - including what areas of their household budgeting they most expect to cut back on in the year ahead. Overall, whilst claimed propensity to cut back in the coming 12 months on giving to charity (34% Nov 2008; 41% May 2009; 42% Sept 2009) has broadly increased...

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced a £3m grant for the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland and £3.7m for Liverpool's pioneering Florence Institute for Boys. In addition, it has given initial support for projects at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough, Roman Maryport in West Cumbria and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "Heritage means different things to different people but what is really important is these places reflect the UK's multi-layered and fascinating history."

An extra £33.5 million was made available by private philanthropists to support local communities in the teeth of last year's recession, according to record-breaking figures released today by the Community Foundation Network (CFN). Monies from central and local government, business and others meant that in total £56million was made available to support grassroots organisations. The number of individual donors setting up charitable funds to support local group rose by a record breaking 60% over the course of the year, with 1,765 major charitable funds now managed by Community Foundations, with an average value of just under £80,000.

The Institute of Fundraising has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of the use of cheques by charities both large and small. It is also to put pressure on the Payments Council, urging the body not to begin the phasing out of cheques earlier than 2018, and before a viable alternative has been found. There are many charities - in particular, but not exclusively - those who rely heavily on an older supporter base, which receive more than 70% of their income by cheque. These charities have expressed real fears that those who currently donate this way may stop giving altogether if they are no longer able to do so by cheque.

Nearly a week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal total has increased to £25million, with social networking sites being highlighted as playing a major role. As part of the on-going work in Haiti, DEC member agencies work has included: Christian Aid and its partners have set up tent hospitals and are providing medical equipment and supplies to the Haitian refugees injured by the earthquake at the Haitian border in Jimani. Social networking sites have been noted for playing a crucial part in raising funds and awareness, especially in the 36 hours following the launch of the DEC's Haiti earthquake appeal.

The National Coalition for Independent Action today released an open letter to the chief executives of the five national bodies, which have endorsed the revised National Compact, launched on December 16. The full text of the letter reads: Dear Stephen, Debra, Stuart, Kevin and Justin, We write this open letter to you, having been confronted by your ringing endorsement of the 'Refreshed Compact'. Over here at the NCIA we have long taken a critical view, both of the Compact and the industry that has been created to promote its goodness and effectiveness. Nothing has changed in that department.

PAPYRUS, the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide, has appointed Udeni Salmon as executive director to provide leadership to the staff team and volunteers, working with the trustees to secure the future of the charity. Salmon joins PAPYRUS from The Leonard Cheshire Foundation where she was head of volunteering support. "This is an exciting stage in the charity's evolution," commented Anne Parry, chair of PAPYRUS.

The UK inflation rate has come in at an annualised rate of 2.9% for the year to December, which is the fastest rate for nine months and well above consensus expectations of around 2.6% and compares to a figure of only 1.9% in November. Most of the rise can be attributed to the anniversary of last year's cut in VAT and in addition there is evidence that retailers did not indulge in the heavy discounting of the previous year when the financial crisis was at its peak. Next month, it is expected that inflation could rise to as high as 3.5% reflecting the re-imposition of the 17.5% rate of VAT.

The Board of the Directory of Social Change has appointed Nick Seddon as its new Chair - at 31 the youngest ever. Seddon is already known in the voluntary and charitable sector for his authorship of the controversial book Who Cares? published by Civitas. Seddon has been a social policy features writer for the Guardian and contributor to the Economist magazine. A graduate of Cambridge University, he has been a research fellow at Civitas and is currently head of communications at Circle Health.

The Helplines Association (THA) has expressed satisfaction that the Department for Work and Pensions has reached an agreement with mobile phone networks to ensure that people can call seventy of their 0800 numbers free from mobile phones. Mobile networks already offer free phone calls to charity helplines starting with 080880 such as Macmillan, the MS Society and the NSPCC. These helplines are vetted by The Helplines Association. The mobile providers have partnered with THA in this scheme since 1998.

A joint bid by NCVO and some of its European counterparts has successfully secured £168,000 of funding for the European Network of National Associations for Civil Society (ENNA). The money will help fund the 'Participation for Change' project, the first of its kind across Europe, will carry out co-mentoring for civil society members and partners in key countries across Europe. Umbrella bodies: OFOP (Poland), BBE (Germany), NENO (Estonia) and CNVOS (Slovenia) were also invovled in the bid and events are now being planned in London, Berlin, Talinn and Brussels.

A survey has revealed that charity donations fell by 10% during 2009 as the public reacted to the recession. Around 71% of people said they gave money to a good cause during the year, donating an average of £110.20 each, according to Investec Private Bank. Londoners donated an average of £175. But one in five people said they had reduced the amount they gave compared with 2008, while only 11% of people claimed they had increased their donations.

The Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) will be holding an election debate on 24 February, giving its members an opportunity to raise their issues with key political figures in the run up to the general election. The debate will have a 'Question Time' format and will be chaired by Kim Catcheside, BBC Education Correspondent and CFDG trustee. Questions from CFDG members will be directed to a panel of spokespeople on the third sector from the three major parties

Research by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and employee benefits adviser, Foster Denovo shows almost three quarters (73 percent) of charities have not as yet assessed the impact of legislative changes to their pension strategy. This compares to a figure of 84 percent in the same survey carried out in November 2008. And, the proportion who are not aware of the legislative changes has reduced since last year's survey from 16 percent in November 2008, to 12 percent in November 2009.

The UK's deficit on trade in goods fell to £6.8billion in November compared to the revised £7billion for October. Analysts had predicted a more modest decline of £6.9billion. It is the narrowest deficit since August 2009 and reflects the weakness of the pound over the past few months. The depreciation of the currency has made British goods cheaper abroad, which has brought about a solid increase in exports. Meanwhile, imports have slowed as they became more expensive for UK traders.

The Institute of Fundraising has launched a campaign urging its members to volunteer on the boards of charities. This is in response to member feedback indicating that charity trustees often do not understand fundraising, and can be unrealistic in their expectations of fundraising staff. According to the Institute, more fundraisers serving on trustee boards would not only ensure fellow fundraisers are supported, but also grow the individual's understanding of how boards of trustees think and work.

Charities are among the toughest places to work in Britain, according to research from Cardiff University and the University of Glamorgan into workplace practices. Professor Duncan Lewis of Glamorgan's Business School said: "Third sector respondents reported being 2.5 times more likely to experience intimidating behaviour from people at work and were four times more likely to report being humiliated or ridiculed in connection with their work. It could be anything from having your views and your opinions ignored to having somebody constantly checking up on your work, or being given unmanageable workloads."

State Street has announced the results of its UK Charity Fund Universe for 2009, with estimates for the WM UK Charity Fund Universe suggesting charity trustees will enjoy returns of around 19 percent. "In isolation, it was a stellar year for risk assets, both equity and corporate bonds, while the safe havens of cash and government bonds languished," said Jeanette Patrizio, vice president of State Street Investment Analytics. "However, the returns in the latest year represent only partial recovery of the significant investment losses that were rooted in the collapse of the credit market and the sharp economic recession it precipitated."

Welfare to work charity Careers Development Group (CDG) has voiced its optimism at improving trends in the labour market, revealing 7% growth in its job outcomes for the long term unemployed in the period between January and October 2009. This follows on from today's announcement by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) of a fifth month of higher staff appointments, and early indications point to the trend continuing through November and December. The REC's Report on Jobs revealed the sharpest acceleration in the growth of permanent placements since July 2007 and cited a further increase in permanent staff salaries as signs that the recovery is quickening.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is leading a national campaign, called 'What Do You Believe In?' to encourage people to support causes they care about. Liz Atkins, head of public policy at NCVO, said: "Volunteering is a great way to give to causes you believe in and make a real difference to people's lives. It's free, fun, rewarding and can dramatically improve your career prospects by giving you new experiences or the chance to hone professional skills." A total of 73 per cent of adults in Britain volunteer in some way with 17.7million people volunteering formally at least once a year through specific groups or organisations.

The Alzheimer's Society is calling for political party election manifestos to address serious failings in dementia care, after a survey found less than a quarter of people with dementia are receiving all the help they need.The charity's survey of nearly 1,500 carers and people with dementia found major concerns about the standards of care being provided. Only 23 per cent of respondents said all their care needs were met while less than a quarter (24 per cent) felt staff providing care had the skills and understanding necessary. Only 12 per cent of carers always had access to short breaks.

John Kingston, founder director of Venturesome, the Charities Aid Foundation's social investment arm, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Voluntary Sector in the New Year's Honours list. Kingston has been instrumental in creating and developing a social investment market in the UK, and Venturesome's influence continues to be pivotal. Kingston said: "It really is a great privilege to be honoured for work that I love doing and wish to acknowledge the many committed people I've been lucky enough to work with over the years."

BBC Children in Need has launched a small grants programme to complement its main grants scheme. Successful organisations will receive up to £10,000 over three years, an amount that Children in Need deems enough to achieve "significant and valuable work". Comprising four rounds per year, the first deadline for applications is January, with decisions expected in April. David Ramsden, BBC Children in Need CEO, said: "The small grants programme is an especially important part of our grant making; it helps us to connect with organisations which are at the heart of local commnities."

The British Polio Fellowship has announced the appointment of its new chief executive, Dr John Hooper, who joins the organisation from the Institute of Clinical Research. Dr Hooper joins the team to help promote the organisation's support to those with polio and those affected by PPS. The British Polio Fellowship was founded in 1939 to help people with polio and has been raising the awareness of Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) for a number of years.

Amnesty International has appointed Salil Shetty as its next secretary general. Shetty, an Indian national, has been the director of the United Nations' Millennium Campaign for the past six years and the chief executive of international anti-poverty NGO ActionAid before then. Chair of Amnesty's International Executive Committee, Peter Pack said: "We are thrilled that Salil will be joining us and leading Amnesty International as we renew our fight to end injustice - campaigning with those imprisoned because of their ideas, those on death row, those being tortured, and those who have their rights denied because they live in poverty."

The Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) has announced its plans to support its members' management of the phasing out of cheques. The plans will be rolled out in 2010 and include issuing guidance to advise members on best practice to enhance the efficiency of their finance functions, lobbying the banks to ensure that they offer the best service to charity customers whatever payment method is used, working with the banks to develop effective and appropriate alternatives for charities and their donors, and undertaking research to assess the impact of the change on the charity sector.

The Charity Commission has today published the results of its inquiry into Catz Club, revealing over-ambitious growth left the charity in deficit. Catz Club is a charitable company set up to advance education and provide for the recreation of children of school age. It ran breakfast and after-school clubs across the country during school hours and school holidays. This included using inter-active numeracy and literacy computer software to run activities. The inquiry found that, having received a grant and loan package from Futurebuilders, Catz Club had embarked on a path of rapid expansion.

Communities across England are taking delivery of a package of Christmas grants of more than £7 million from the BIG Lottery Fund. The season's celebrations are being given a big lift in 32 communities which are each receiving a slice of a total funding announcement of £7,828,298 for their work with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people across the country. The funding is from BIG's Reaching Communities programme. Sanjay Dighe, chair of BIG's England Committee, said: "We are delighted to bring the good news to 32 fantastic projects, just in time for Christmas. Receiving grants this month are groups offering support to people suffering from serious health conditions, those aiming to improve the natural environment on their doorsteps and scores of others."

The Aristotle Onassis International Prizes in Law and in Humanities, created in 2008 by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and under the auspices of Institut de France have been awarded. The Law Award was given to Lord Thomas Bingham of Cornhill, Lord High Steward of the University of Oxford, member of the British Academy and in Humanities, jointly to Mr Jean-Yves Empereur research director at CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) and the founder of the Centre for Alexandrian studies, Alexandria, and Sir John Boardman, Honorary Professor of Art and Classical Archaeology of the Lincoln Chair, University of Oxford, member of the British Academy.

A social enterprise called Citizen Society is developing a new way for politicians to connect with disengaged Brits online. The concept is a free to use online public opinion bank - termed the 'oPob.' - which launches in January 2010. It will use the idea of social media to empower the voices of people who aren't usually heard and help them to become more involved in the democratic process. Citizen Society hopes to collaborate with organizations such as the National Association of Citizen's Advice Bureaux in England and Wales and UK Online to move towards establishing the user base.

A new chapter in partnership working between government and the third sector opened today with the publication of a refreshed national Compact. The Compact is the longstanding agreement that sets out shared commitments and guidelines for effective partnership working between government and the third sector in England. The original Compact was agreed in November 1998 and this new version has developed following extensive debate and consultation. This Compact highlights the shared principles which Compact partners should follow when engaging in partnership working, and records all the Compact commitments

With rising unemployment and fewer job vacancies, the current financial crisis has seen renewed policy emphasis in both Europe and the UK on volunteering as a route to employment, according to a new report from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC.) The Value of Volunteering - which features contributions from academics, representatives from the UK government, third sector organisations and volunteers themselves - outlines fresh UK government initiatives to use volunteering to help people into jobs, and offers powerful examples of how volunteering can change people's lives for the better.

Stephen Bubb, chief executive of ACEVO has responded to a letter on Gift Aid from Ian Pearson MP, economic secretary to the Treasury welcoming what he hopes will be 'concrete proposals for reform' presented in their next meeting. In the letter Bubb expresses the vital need for immediate action following the announcement in the pre budget report, of the rise in national insurance which will put added pressure on charities.

Responding to Government research carried out amongst higher-rate taxpayers about possible changes to Gift Aid John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation has put his case for Gift Aid. He said: "Gift Aid provides a vital source of income for UK charities worth around £900m each year but as the Government and charities recognise it needs to be reformed so that we stop losing £750m per year. Under the current system there is too much paperwork and the rules and systems are too complex. We ourselves have a whole warehouse full of declarations. Surely there must be a better way?"

Angela Smith appeared before Parliament on Wednesday 9 December, apologising for her recent decision to divert funding from the Campaigning Research Programme and breaching the Compact. She stated that this was an "isolated breach" of Compact Principles. NCVO subsequently met with Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, in order to raise its concerns about the way in which the decision was taken.

The Black Training & Enterprise Group (BTEG) has launched a report on The State of the Caribbean Voluntary and Community Sector in England based on a national survey of 75 Caribbean voluntary and community organisations (CVCO) across England. The research sets out the important work the Caribbean voluntary and community sector (CVCS) does and highlights the barriers it is facing. Jeremy Crook, BTEG Director, said: "The CVCS plays a vital role in helping to support members of the Caribbean community."

Alistair Darling announced in his Pre-Budget Report today that the Government would commit up to £75m for the creation of a Social Investment Wholesale Bank and that the bulk of funds would come from dormant bank accounts. The bank will supply funds to existing and emerging financial retailers (such as Charity Bank and Triodos), who would then provide finance packages to charities. Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "This is a useful first step."

Volunteering England, the volunteer development agency, is calling for evidence in January 2010, following the first meeting of the Volunteer Rights Inquiry Panel. The Panel will consider the scope and scale of the issues that face volunteers as reports of serious incidents have threatened to undermine the goodwill and altruism that motivates volunteers.

Charitable donations through online fundraising site Bmycharity, have doubled since the site moved to a commission free model. Donations in November, usually a slow month for fundraising, surpassed £546,000, up from £274,000 a year before. Average donation values have also increased by more than £5 from £54.24 to £59.26 as donors respond to Bmycharity's "Free my charity" campaign.

In a keynote speech to Urban Forum's annual conference, Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman, Vince Cable MP, said the long term health of the UK economy needs more community banking, a greater role for credit unions and community-based financial institutions. Speaking at Urban Forum's annual conference, It's The Stupid Economy, Cable said the banking sector was too large in the UK, compared with other countries, such as Germany and France, and needed "a more diverse, competitive, banking sector, which includes stronger mutuals, local community banks and credit unions."

Remember A Charity has launched a new campaign to target professional will providers. The campaign focuses on the importance of will providers' clients knowing all the options available to them when writing or updating their will, using the theme "Without you, your clients will never know all the choices available to them". Remember A Charity aims to help professionals give clients the option to leave a gift to their favourite charity.

A group of third sector bodies have met with Treasury officials to continue discussions on Gift Aid reform and in particular the group's proposals for a change to an "opt out" system. Currently Gift Aid is an opt-in system - donors have to say they are eligible and willing to add Gift Aid to their donation.

New research from the Centre for the Study of Philanthropy, Humanitarianism and Social Justice (CPHSJ) at the University of Kent has revealed that UK philanthropy, and the desire of wealthy donors to sustain their giving, have remained robust despite the economic downturn.

The excessive City pay culture is seeping into the remuneration packages of charity bosses and should be curbed, Unite, the largest union in the country, has warned. Unite, which has 60,000 members in the not for profit sector, is concerned that some chief executives are earning more than the Prime Minister's annual salary of £197,000.

It has come to NCVO's attention that the Government plans to announce today that it is pulling the £750,000 funding for a Campaigning Research Programme to help small charities campaign and advocate for change. Their efforts were to be monitored as part of research on how small organisations can campaign effectively and how best they can be supported.

NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington has called on politicians from all sides for an "honest discussion" over the future role of the voluntary sector. Speaking at NCVO's Autumn Conference in Manchester, Etherington said he expected to have an open and frank discussion with all political parties about how they see the sector's involvement in creating the good society in the run-up to the election.

The catch-all clarion call of 'choice' undermines charities, their staff and the services they provide, Unite, the largest union in the country, has warned. Unite, which has 60,000 members in the sector, said that politicians, health authorities and local councils were using the mantra of 'choice' to drive down the employment conditions for not for profit staff and disrupt the seamless delivery of services

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has committed £1m of investment into Venturesome's funds. Of this investment, £500,000 has been allocated to Venturesome's Bridging Fund, £250,000 to Venturesome's Development Fund, and £250,000 to the Innovation Fund

The Commission's guidance on public benefit has been well received by charities - 92% of those who have used it found it useful and two thirds (66%) of them found it easy to understand. Nearly a quarter of trustees (22%) who are aware of the requirement say their charity has revisited its aims as a result.

Rolande Anderson, a director general at the Office for National Statistics, has been appointed the director general for the Office of the Third Sector and the Social Exclusion Taskforce.

The Commission for the Compact has today published guidance for local authorities on managing budget revisions that can be due to the loss of expected income or pressure from increased demand for services

Charities will lag behind the rest of the UK economy in recovering from the recession, with the full impact of funding cuts yet to hit, according to a survey of charity leaders. The NCVO survey shows 77 per cent of respondents believe economic conditions within the voluntary sector will be negative for the next year. This is a small reduction of just 11 percentage points on the survey's most pessimistic figure from February 2009, when 88 per cent thought the sector economy would get worse.

Although the majority of charities have proved their resilience and maintained a stable income over the past 12 months, they still need to review their business basics and take proactive action if they are to survive long-term, according to a survey from accountancy firm Baker Tilly. Managing charity finances through uncertain times reveals that charities are anticipating another tough 12 months and many face hard decisions in respect of rationalisation, joining forces, selling assets and securing funding

The Institute of Fundraising (IOF) is backing the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) in the light of reports of differences of opinion about face-to-face fundraising between the PFRA and Wandsworth Council

Charitable trusts and foundations realise now is not the time to turn off the tap of support for Britain's charities, according to new research published today by the Charity Commission

Futurebuilders England has cut the interest rates on its key funds for those third sector organisations looking for immediate investment

Over half of large UK charities have an ethical investment policy, according to a survey conducted by the Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) and the EIRIS Foundation

The Commission for the Compact, the independent body responsible for overseeing the Compact, has published its first Annual Report and Accounts for the period ended 31 March 2009

Small and medium-sized charities that missed out on the Government's £15.5m targeted support fund will need to quickly reassess and take action to survive, says charity financial management expert Kate Sayer

The Office of the Third Sector today published a consultation document on a draft Consolidation Bill, which would bring together provisions of the Recreational Charities Act 1958, Charities Act 1993 and most of the Charities Act 2006 into a single piece of legislation

ACEVO has appointed Liam Cranley to the role of Head of ImpACT. Liam's role will be to coordinate and integrate the activities of the ImpACT Coalition across ACEVO

Figures released by Volunteering England show a further rise in volunteering enquiries in 2009.

Voluntary sector umbrella organisation, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has today warned that vital local services could disappear overnight if the voluntary sector is seen as an easy target for government cuts

New research published today reveals that employees in the Third Sector have among the highest levels of trust in their senior management teams

Keith Hickey, chief Executive of the Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) is leaving to become the resources group director at the Royal National Institute for the Blind

The Charity Commission is urging local charities to become more accountable to donors and the public

The Government's commitment to social investment was given a boost today by the Minister for the Third Sector, Angela Smith.

Some voluntary sector organisations expect to both increase the services they offer and their expenditure, the national council for voluntary organisation's (NCVO) latest quarterly charity forecast survey reveals

New research from the Charity Commission has revealed that just 9% of charities have considered collaborating, forming a consortium or merging with other charities in response to the economic downturn.

Big business is maneuvering to increase its influence on international climate change negotiations which could make the difference between an ambitious UN deal in December and a fatally flawed one, says international agency Oxfam

The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) announced today that Peter Holbrook will become its new chief executive officer following the departure of Jonathan Bland in the New Year

Donations made to the UK's 170,000 charities have dropped by 11 percent to £9.9bn (£1.3bn in real-terms) according to UK Giving 2009, published today by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The chief executives at RNIB, NSPCC, WWF-UK, Save the Children and British Red Cross, and the UK director of fundraising at Barnardo's, have signed up in support of changes to Gift Aid proposed by the Institute of Fundraising.

Britain's charity and voluntary organisations are the "best in the world", says Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector.

The Charity Commission has published its Revised Model Memorandum and Articles of Association for Charitable Companies

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations today launched its new website and online communities at: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

Research published this week by Capacitybuilders highlights the importance of identifying the support needs of third sector organisations through effective diagnosis, and avoiding a 'one-size fits-all' approach to support provision.

Climate change has knocked out every other issue from the environmental activists' agenda in the last nine months, said a new report on NGO campaigning published today

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is to be part of a consortium, along with Digital Public and RNIB, running the Office of the Third Sector's £2 million pilot fund in London, the West Midlands and the North-West, to help support people with disabilities to volunteer.

Charities, including independent charitable schools, could have up to five years to make any necessary changes if they are not currently meeting the public benefit requirement which now applies to all charities, the chair of the Charity Commission Dame Suzi Leather has affirmed to schools

An England-wide scheme to provide a listening ear to adults who suffered trauma in their childhood is amongst 40 projects receiving funding today from the Big Lottery Fund.

More than a quarter of charity chief executive officers (CEOs) have had their pay frozen in the past year according to a new pay survey by the Association of Charity Chief Executives (ACEVO)

The King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson has commented on the publication of performance ratings for all 392 NHS trusts in England.

Chris Pond has announced that he is stepping down from his role as chair of Capacitybuilders, due to an increase in the time commitment required by his role as director of financial capability at the Financial Services Authority.

The Charity Commission is reminding charities and their trustees of all the services they can access online on the Commission's website to avoid postal delays.

Euclid Network (EN) supports the announcement of the European Commission's (EC) public consultation on the review of the financial regulation, following its campaign to reform European funding for the third sector, but warns it is just the beginning.

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter has appointed Campbell Robb, the current director general of the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, as its new chief executive

Richard Hawkes has been appointed the new chief executive of disability charity Scope. Hawkes, who succeeds Jon Sparkes, will join the organisation in early January

Funding Central has launched an area dedicated to supporting funders, commissioners and loan finance providers with the aim of - helping to bring the two groups together to improve the quality of funding bids and tenders

Online campaign site Louder.org.uk has been launched by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations for campaigners of all levels, from international NGOs to individual grassroots activists

A group of third sector bodies have met with Treasury officials to continue discussions on Gift Aid reform and in particular the group's proposals for a change to an "opt out" system

The consultation on refreshing the Code of Good Governance is now half way
through its duration and has received 170 responses.

Official third quarter GDP figures from the Office for National Statistics, show the UK economy contracted by an estimated 0.4% in the three months to September.

The Government has announced new proposals to try to ensure that credit and store card companies give people a fairer deal, in the latest of a series of reforms designed to make financial services work for consumers

A number of charities and voluntary organisations are going to be taking a major step forward, thanks to a new grant from the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office today

London Advice Services Alliance, a charity which provides ICT and advice services for the third sector, reveals the results of its latest research looking at current challenges and possible solutions for the third sector.

Nine social enterprises are on the shortlist for the English heat of the national Social Enterprise Awards.

Productivity across the UK is being significantly undermined by people coming to work with poor mental health as a result of stress and conditions such as anxiety and depression

The Charity Finance Directors' Group and a group of finance directors from leading charities recently met with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to discuss current taxation issues faced by charities

Officials in central government departments and non-departmental public bodies are taking part in a new national survey to measure the levels of awareness, knowledge, use and understanding of the Compact

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