TheStar.com | Canada | Charity rules beefed up

TheStar.com | Canada | Charity rules beefed up: "Kevin Donovan
Staff Reporter

Canada's charity regulator has launched an aggressive crackdown on the abuse of donor dollars after years of inaction.

'We will use whatever tools we have to stop abusive charities from harming the public and the system,' said Terry De March, the new director general of the federal Charities Directorate."

Charity is a game of trust in which transparency will win | smh.com.au

Charity is a game of trust in which transparency will win | smh.com.au: "Australians like to think of themselves as generous. And when it comes to giving to charities, there is clearly no shortage of groups willing to tap into our largesse. So perhaps not surprisingly, fund-raisings by charitable groups is a lucrative business. Precise data is not available, but by one estimate as much as $7 billion a year is raised."

reportonbusiness.com: New privately owned bank aims for philanthropy with profit

reportonbusiness.com: New privately owned bank aims for philanthropy with profit: "New privately owned bank aims for philanthropy with profit

JOHN PARTRIDGE

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

December 19, 2007 at 12:17 AM EST

The dreams that brothers Herb and Steve Dunton have for the little bank they plan to launch early next September are pretty much as grand as its name: Equity Development Bank of Canada.

The new financial institution will have a strong commitment to philanthropy and to helping its customers help themselves, as well as to making a profit, the Abbotsford, B.C., real estate developers said last week after EDB received its letters patent from the federal government."

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Bristol/Somerset | Charity 'may offend pupils' claim

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Bristol/Somerset | Charity 'may offend pupils' claim: "Schools in Bristol are being advised that supporting a Christian charity may offend some of their pupils.

Samaritan's Purse collects goods in the UK before sending them to children in Eastern Europe and Africa.

Bristol City Council said schools adopting charities should not offend anyone on the grounds of equality, disability, race or religion."

Brazil: New record for nationwide Christmas food collection initiative

Brazil: New record for nationwide Christmas food collection initiative: "A nationwide Christmas celebration brought tears of joy and shouts of excitement from volunteers and national celebrities during the December 15 culmination of a Seventh-day Adventist Church initiative to help those in need.

'Tonight we did the unexpected and broke last year's record of collecting 2,500 tons of food for the needy. The result tonight is 3,200 tons,' announced Sergio Azevedo, the creator of 'Christmas Mutirão -- Sharing Hope,' the 14-year old joint action of thousands of volunteers in local Adventist churches across Brazil."

Yang Lan to Donate 4.5 Mln to Peking University_English_Xinhua

Yang Lan to Donate 4.5 Mln to Peking University_English_Xinhua: "Senior media figure Yang Lan has announced that her Sunshine Cultural Foundation will donate 4.5 million yuan, or about 600,000 US dollars, to Peking University in the coming three years."

VOA News - Donors Pledge Record $25 Billion for World Bank Poverty Programs

VOA News - Donors Pledge Record $25 Billion for World Bank Poverty Programs: "Donor nations have pledged a record $25 billion to help fight poverty in the world's poorest nations, which are home to two and a half billion people."

Going, going, gone -- from HK rich to RP poor - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Going, going, gone -- from HK rich to RP poor - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos: "MANILA, Philippines -- FROM HK$10,000 BIRTHDAY cards to cruises to Antarctica.

These were some of the items offered in a benefit auction that helped a Hong Kong charity raise nearly P30 million in just one night for slum dwellers in the Philippines.

The well-dressed crowd that bid for the items, members and supporters of International Care Ministries (ICM) who gathered at the JW Marriott Hotel on Nov. 15, raised HK$5.1 million (P28 million) for the very poor living in the slums of Negros, Bohol and General Santos City."

This students' village stay is different - Newindpress.com

This students' village stay is different - Newindpress.com: "The Volunteers'-an NGO headed by Kalenahalli N Nagesh, based in Tumkur, has been co-ordinating these camps. The foreign students' camp worked well for the mutual benefit of both the campers and the villagers.

In 2004, when the NUS students camped here earlier, they had contributed their mite for the development of the village school premises."

Channelnewsasia.com

Channelnewsasia.com: "Few Singaporeans dream of retiring young: survey Posted: 13 December 2007 1339 hrs
It might come as little surprise that Singaporeans' top dreams include travelling and making money.
What would raise eyebrows: The fact that they rate doing charity work even above owning a car or starting a business."

More news from the sector... | Voluntary Gateway

More news from the sector... | Voluntary Gateway: "December 6 was the official launch date of the Charities File web-site – a pan-Canadian project designed to increase the awareness and capacity of registered charities to file complete and accurate Registered Charity Information Returns (T3010A) on time."

TorontoSun.com - Toronto And GTA - T.O. facing 'serious challenges'

TorontoSun.com - Toronto And GTA - T.O. facing 'serious challenges': "The Vital Signs report helps the TCF foster an understanding of and promote dialogue about what emerging trends are in the city. 'Another aspect of Vital Signs is to guide our foundation in providing grant opportunities to philanthropists who work with us,' Bhardwaj explains. 'Vital Signs identifies needs of the community. 'We have a compendium document called Vital Ideas, which identifies all the programs in the City that are making substantial progress in addressing the needs that are raised in Vital Signs.' Their documents have as much bearing on mainstream Canadians as on South Asians, as on other newcomers. All residents of Toronto and the GTA need to understand the environment we live and raise our families in, Bhardwaj says."

iafrica.com | highlife | features Become a philanthropist?

iafrica.com | highlife | features Become a philanthropist?: "Philanthropy generally includes contributions of time, money and skills. However, when Inyathelo use the term 'philanthropy' they define it separately from charity. Charity is essential in our communities and it is a way people can assist others with their immediate and urgent needs. For example, people will support soup kitchens, provide funds and clothing for children in orphanages or support the aged."

The New Nation - Internet Edition

The New Nation - Internet Edition: "Our Government has received considerable amount of cash money and relief materials from the members of public of our own country and from foreign countries for the cyclone-affected people. These donations of money and relief materials would continue in future for some time to mitigate the sufferings of the cyclone affected people and to take necessary steps to rehabilitate them. In the past many natural calamities like flood, cyclone, tidal-bore, famine, etc hit our country and our former governments received huge amount of donation, aid, help and assistance from foreign countries as well as contributions from our own people. But unfortunately there had been numerous complains and allegations of theft, misuse, squandering and misappropriation of relief money and materials and there was no accountability and transparency."

The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News

The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News: "On 28 Nov, more than 200 Roche employees, dressed in red, gathered in Singapore to take part in the Global Roche Employee Aids Walk. They were from the Asia Pacific region including Malaysia, the Philippines and Australia. The company had arranged for a regional meeting to coincide with the event."

SiliconRepublic.com: EU encourages philanthropic contribution to research

SiliconRepublic.com: EU encourages philanthropic contribution to research: "EU encourages philanthropic contribution to research

04.12.2007 - A forum to increase philanthropic contributions to research in Europe is to be created, the European Commission has announced. The European Forum on Philanthropy and Research Funding will be initially established for a period of three years and will examine issues such as the research-funding policies of existing philanthropic organisations, legal, fiscal and regulatory issues and governance and ethical issues."

Marin Independent Journal - Beth Ashley: 12 women, one circle, $300,000 given away

Marin Independent Journal - Beth Ashley: 12 women, one circle, $300,000 given away: "Calling themselves Caritad Partners, the 13 women are heading into their second year of mutual philanthropy. Last year they gave away $300,000, split evenly between two organizations that serve women - Freedom from Hunger in Ghana and NamasteDirect in Guatemala."

CBBC Newsround | UK | Monster truffle gets record price

CBBC Newsround | UK | Monster truffle gets record price: "A huge truffle that was found by a dog in woods in Italy has reached a record price at an auction that took place in three countries at the same time! The edible delicacy weighs in at 1.5kg, nearly as much as a bag of sugar, and fetched £165,000."

Scoop: Volunteering Makes Good Business Sense

Scoop: Volunteering Makes Good Business Sense: "Volunteering Makes Good Business Sense Monday, 3 December 2007, 4:10 pm Press Release: Volunteering New Zealand 3 December 2007 Volunteering Makes Good Business Sense New Zealand businesses are increasingly talking about corporate social responsibility – how they contribute to their communities through time and money. Volunteering for a not-for-profit organisation is one way to help. Wednesday 5 December 2007 is International Volunteer Day, a day to celebrate the contribution that volunteers make to our society."

FIFTH BULGARIAN CHRISTMAS CHARITY LAUNCHED - News news

FIFTH BULGARIAN CHRISTMAS CHARITY LAUNCHED - News news: "FIFTH BULGARIAN CHRISTMAS CHARITY LAUNCHED 13:17 Mon 03 Dec 2007 - Elitsa Savova The fifth consecutive charity campaign Bulgarian Christmas launched on December 1 2007 on the initiative of, and under the patronage of President Georgi Purvanov and first lady Zorka Purvanova."