Small local charities the most trusted

The public are more likely to trust local community organisations than national or international charities, according to new research.

An online survey of more than 2,000 adults found 56 per cent of respondents trusted local community charities. National charities were trusted by 29 per cent of respondents, and international charities were trusted by 17 per cent.

The Vitreous survey for the Open University Business School’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL) found local community charities were second only to doctors in the list of organisations or professions respondents trusted.

Forty-two per cent of respondents said they were likely to volunteer for a small and local community charity, compared to 29 per cent who would volunteer for a national charity and 19 per cent who would give time to an international organisation.

Forty-three per cent would donate to small and local community charities, while 17 per cent would donate to national charities and 14 per cent would donate to international charities.

CVSL has launched two free online interactive courses for charity leaders. Introduction to leadership in voluntary organisations and collaborative leadership in voluntary organisations are the first in what is planned to be a programme of online learning and development resources.

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