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| PUBLIC
NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SECTOR'S DUAL ROLE |
18/02/04 |
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The
NCVO has called for greater recognition for the fact that charities play
a vital role in the delivery of public services while remaining independent
from government.
New research shows that over one-third of UK charities' annual £20bn income
now comes from government has been published just as an NCVO opinion poll
shows eight out of ten people do not think there has been a decline in political
campaigning by charities.
The new study, launched at group's annual conference, claims high levels
of state funding have not prevented charities from expressing their independence
through campaigns to oppose or influence government policies and influence
public opinion.
Findings include 53% of respondents believing that charities political campaigning
activities have increased over the past five years, and 30% thinking that
they have stayed about the same.
NCVO's 2004 Voluntary Sector Almanac, also published at the event, reveals
the sector's single biggest source of money is government, providing 37%
of the voluntary sector's total income.
This is largely due to big national charities receiving payment for the
delivery of services in areas like health, training and education and care.
In contrast small local charities receive on average just 11% of their income
from government and 50% from the public.
Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, told delegates: "The UK
voluntary sector provides a vital safety net for the most vulnerable in
our society. It does this by both playing an increasingly important role
in the delivery of public services and constantly campaigning for changes
in government policies and public opinion.
"In order for charities to maintain the public trust and confidence
on which they depend they must continue to protect their independence from
government, which enables them to be innovative, influential and compassionate."
However, the opinion poll also suggests there is some public confusion around
the levels of funding charities get from different sources. On average,
people imagine government funding accounts for just 20% of charities' total
income. One in three respondents went so far as to think it makes up less
than 10%.
Conversely, the business sector's contribution is dramatically overestimated
at about 24%, whereas the actual figure is a modest 4.3% of charities' total
income.
Etherington commented: "Many charities need to communicate more effectively
to their donors how they help the most vulnerable in our society through
both the delivery of publicly funded services as well as on a voluntary
basis with the public's generous support in both time and money.
"Without charitable donations the vast majority of UK charities would
cease to exist, leaving the people they help abandoned. But this does not
mean that the voluntary sector's role in vital areas of the public sector,
where their specialist expertise is invaluable, should go unrecognised."
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