Friday, February 28, 2014

Good Deeds Day-Kulanana Launched in Israel

Good Deeds Day-Kulanana Launched in Israel: The initiative – aiming to combine and leverage our different strengths – is an extension of two of our flagship projects; “Good Deeds Day” (run by Ruach Tova) and “Kulanana“, run by Merchavim. Over its first five years, “Good Deeds Day-Kulanana” aims to engage 400 Israeli NGO, business and government agencies – and through them some one million Israeli citizens – in on-going and sustainable “society building” projects to improve inter-group relations and strengthen the cohesion of Israeli society.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

BNP Paribas Wealth Management - BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index

BNP Paribas Wealth Management - BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index: How committed to individual giving are the wealthy from Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East? What are their common characteristics? Which causes are the most popular? In its second year, the “2014 BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index” measures the commitment of individual philanthropists. This year’s report focused more specifically on the importance of timing from their point of view and where they are on their philanthropic journey.

Regular SMS giving rules relaxed for charities

Regular SMS giving rules relaxed for charities: Rules around charities using regular SMS donations have been relaxed following a trial which found that few complaints, and much more money, was generated by a more relaxed regime.

Premium rate services regulator PhonepayPlus has announced that charities will now be able to enable their monthly SMS donors to ‘SKIP’ rather than ‘STOP’ their donations each month, with an offer to cancel now only having to be made every three months. Charities will also no longer need to get pre-approval from PhonepayPlus for transactions which are worth more than �4.50 within a week period.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Paying celebrities - where do charities draw the line? | Third Sector

Paying celebrities - where do charities draw the line? | Third Sector: World Vision says it rewards its 'artist ambassadors'; others say they never would. Annette Rawstrone explores the true cost of star supporters

Is it ever justified to pay a famous person to support or promote a charity's cause? Celebrity agents are happy to say that it is justified and that it does happen, but charities are more reluctant to be drawn on the issue.

Charities back international accounting standard

Charities back international accounting standard: Charity accountants around the world support the development of an international accounting standard for non-profit organisations, according to a report published today.

The report, entitled International Financial Reporting for the Not-for-Profit Sector, was commissioned by the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies as part of a study into international accounting standards. The report is based on 605 consultation responses, mostly from charities, accountants and regulators, representing organisations working in 179 countries

Monday, February 24, 2014

Car club raises $140,000 for Yellow Ribbon Fund | AsiaOne Ride

Car club raises $140,000 for Yellow Ribbon Fund | AsiaOne Ride: SINGAPORE - More than $140,000 was raised for the Yellow Ribbon Fund through a charity auction by members of the ExotiCars Club.

The charity auction was held during the ExotiCars Club Lunar New Year Dinner, which saw the participation of 140 ExotiCars Club members and their families.

In the charity sector, impact is everything | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional

In the charity sector, impact is everything | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional: Achieving good is about outcomes – the changes or benefits that result from what a charity or project provides. It means really making a difference. It's not just about the number of signatures on a petition or lives touched or mentoring sessions delivered, but the effect a service has on people's lives. And these effects have to be additional to what might have happened otherwise.

This is surely what drives us as a sector. And if we don't try to get a handle on it we cannot know if we are really making a difference or work out how to improve what we do – instead relying on anecdote and stories, and potentially misallocating precious resources.

New Canadian Budget Supports Online Charity Registration, Modernization of Lotteries - Press - AFP

New Canadian Budget Supports Online Charity Registration, Modernization of Lotteries - Press - AFP: New Canadian Budget Supports Online Charity Registration, Modernization of Lotteries

Budget 2014, introduced yesterday, includes a number of measures impacting Canada’s charities. It is worth noting that despite rhetoric to the contrary prior to the budget’s release, there were no specific measures targeting the political activities of Canadian charities. There is, however, a provision creating a new revocation offence for accepting donations from state supporters of terrorism.

Friday, February 21, 2014

SlideZone | nfpSynergy

SlideZone | nfpSynergy: Attributes of the ideal charity

Looking at the broad traits that the public feel an ideal charity should have, transparency tops the ranking, with 45% selecting at least one attribute related to it. Answers such as honesty and trustworthiness highlight how essential transparency and fairness are in people's ideal charity. Interestingly, this category has seen a steep rise of 12% since 2012. This could potentially be due to negative stories about charity wrongdoing in the media over the last year.

Facing the Ire; how a scandal in Ireland shows the true importance of trust in charities | nfpSynergy

Facing the Ire; how a scandal in Ireland shows the true importance of trust in charities | nfpSynergy: On top of a squeeze in their income from both voluntary and statutory sources, many domestic charities are also experiencing an increase in demands for their services as unemployment and repossessions push many over the poverty line. All in all, the last thing that an embattled Irish voluntary sector needed was a scandal to make people question their trust in charities. Unfortunately, last November this is exactly what happened.

Dryathlon raises �1m more than last year for Cancer Research

Dryathlon raises 1m more than last year for Cancer Research: Cancer Research UK’s January abstinence campaign, Dryathlon, has so far raised �5m, with individuals’ fundraising pages set to close at the end of this month.

Alistair Darling: Scottish National Lottery funding will ‘fundamentally change’ with independence

Alistair Darling: Scottish National Lottery funding will ‘fundamentally change’ with independence: peaking at a Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) event, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer said that Scotland’s charity and voluntary sector has “the best of both worlds” within the UK. Darling, who is the leader of campaign group Better Together, said funding received from the National Lottery could “fundamentally change” if Scotland is granted independence.

He said that the work of the charity sector is essential in improving the lives of people across Scotland.

He added: “It’s a positive example of where we benefit from the social union that we have as part of the United Kingdom.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Sightsavers starts general election lobbying with digital mosaic

Sightsavers starts general election lobbying with digital mosaic: Sightsavers is urging people ‘put themselves in the picture’ and add their social media profile to an online photo mosaic, calling on politicians to commit to disability-inclusive development policies.

As more people add their Twitter or Facebook profile photo to the mosaic it will reveal a larger image representing the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Prince Harry Races Classic Cars, Raises Awareness for Endeavour Fund Charity | E! Online

Prince Harry Races Classic Cars, Raises Awareness for Endeavour Fund Charity | E! Online: he 29-year-old royal visited the Goodwood Motor Circuit in Chichester, West Sussex for a track day on Saturday. Queen Elizabeth II's grandson met with injured services personnel who have benefited from and who are supported by The Endeavour Fund.

Per the BBC, the Endeavor Fund, which was created in 2011, "assists injured service men and women to help them rediscover their self-belief through physical challenges." Prince Harry's trek to the South Pole with the Walking With the Wounded was one high profile event that was part of the charity.

Charityworks- everyone who cares about charities should know it | one swallow makes a summer

Charityworks- everyone who cares about charities should know it | one swallow makes a summer: I am writing this post because I want more people to know about an amazing organisation called Charityworks. Charityworks is the UK non-profit sector’s graduate programme. I tell so many people about it that I thought I should put something on here so I can more easily share it.

I’m in my second year of mentoring on the Programme and I have also run learning sessions for both the previous and the current cohort. I really think that more people should know about it as it is such a positive thing for our sector and it tackles many of the things that I think our sector lacks.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Geared for Giving | Employers boost Payroll Giving by �7.5million

Geared for Giving | Employers boost Payroll Giving by �7.5million: The Association of Payroll Giving Organisations (APGO) has released figures today showing companies donated over �7.5 million in the last financial year (2012-13) by match funding employee’s donations through Payroll Giving– a huge increase of �1.5m on the previous year.

Friday, February 07, 2014

Charity tax relief is not an incentive, it's a right

Charity tax relief is not an incentive, it's a right: While the recent Public Accounts Committee report on gift aid makes some good recommendations, it seems to me that it fundamentally misunderstands the gift aid scheme.

Pope's Harley goes for $327,000 at charity auction | Nation & World | The Seattle Times

Pope's Harley goes for $327,000 at charity auction | Nation & World | The Seattle Times: Pope Francis' Harley-Davidson is hitting the road after an unspecified European buyer agreed to pay 241,500 euros ($327,000) including taxes and fees for the motorcycle at a Paris auction to benefit charity.

Charity changes governing document following concerns over 'excessive private benefits' for volunteers

Charity changes governing document following concerns over 'excessive private benefits' for volunteers: A disability support charity has changed its governing documents after a Charity Commission investigation found "serious concerns" about "excessive private benefits" for volunteers, including the payment of school fees, holidays and mobile phone bills.

Regulators could publish two Sorps

Regulators could publish two Sorps: Charity regulators may replace the current Sorp with two separate sets of guidance when a new version is published this year, according to the head of accountancy policy at the Charity Commission.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Shanghai hosts new charity park - Headlines, features, photo and videos from ecns.cn|china|news|chinanews|ecns|cns

Shanghai hosts new charity park - Headlines, features, photo and videos from ecns.cn|china|news|chinanews|ecns|cns: Covering an area of 23,000 square meters, Gongyi Xin-tiandi, or New Charity World, is expected to become a focal point for innovative charitable projects, according to Chen Jie, communication manager for Non-Profit Incubator, an NGO whose mission is to provide critical support for newly established NGOs and social enterprises.

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

HM Revenue & Customs 'failed to collect data on Gift Aid and its effect on giving' | Third Sector

HM Revenue & Customs 'failed to collect data on Gift Aid and its effect on giving' | Third Sector: A report by the Public Accounts Committee says that, as a result, the evidence for increased charitable giving is at best inconclusive

HM Revenue & Customs has failed to collect data to evaluate whether Gift Aid and reliefs on donations are encouraging more people to give to charity, the Public Accounts Committee has concluded.

Communicating Impact to Grantmakers: 3 Ideas from the Media Savvy | Blog @ Imagine Canada

Communicating Impact to Grantmakers: 3 Ideas from the Media Savvy | Blog @ Imagine Canada: The next grant proposal you submit may be one of hundreds, if not thousands, that a funder receives. After sweating over every sentence, it will become a needle in a haystack. So how do you ensure it sticks out?

Given the limited format of a grant application, articulating a noteworthy story isn’t easy. And you’re not alone: professionals in other fields face the same challenge. Researchers condense 100 page evaluations into one page executive summaries. Strategists distill the complexity of an organization into 50 word mission statements. And media relations specialists have only seconds to interest and educate a broad audience.

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

For SHKP, charity begins at Sky100 - The Standard

For SHKP, charity begins at Sky100 - The Standard: Raymond Kwok Ping-luen took a group of underprivileged children to enjoy the fabulous views from Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck.

Kwok personally guided the tour and briefed the hearing-impaired kids, and others in wheelchairs, about the International Commerce Center, where the Sky 100 is located.

Charities are 'drowning in fundraising data and failing to realise its potential' | Third Sector

Charities are 'drowning in fundraising data and failing to realise its potential' | Third Sector: Survey by the software firm Blackbaud and the consultancy nfpSynergy finds only 30 per cent of respondents feel they are doing a good job in utilising their data

Charities are "drowning in data" and struggling to realise the fundraising potential of the information they hold on donors, according to a new report by the software company Blackbaud and the research consultancy nfpSynergy.

Institute of Fundraising 'should gain chartered status within five years' | Third Sector

Institute of Fundraising 'should gain chartered status within five years' | Third Sector: At the London launch of the Sustainable Centre for Philanthropy, Adrian Sargeant of Plymouth University says such status would help to change the way boards see fundraising

The fundraising academic Adrian Sargeant has said he wants to see the Institute of Fundraising gain chartered status over the next five years.

He was speaking in London last night at the launch of the Sustainable Centre for Philanthropy, which will carry out research into sustainable philanthropy, educate fundraisers, develop fundraising theory and explore current issues in fundraising.

Younger: Commission barely has enough money to regulate effectively

Younger: Commission barely has enough money to regulate effectively: The Charity Commission barely has the resources to regulate the sector effectively, its chief executive Sam Younger told a Commons committee today.