RSPCA begins appeal against High Court ruling on legacy - Third Sector

RSPCA begins appeal against High Court ruling on legacy - Third Sector: "Animal charity says it is obliged to try to uphold the will of Christine Gill's mother, who left her farm to the organisation

The RSPCA has launched an appeal against a High Court ruling over a legacy worth more than �2m.

Christine Gill won a long court battle against the charity in October 2009 in a case concering her parents’ 287-acre North Yorkshire farm, which was left to the RSPCA in her mother’s will."

Do people tell the truth when we ask if they give to charity? | National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Do people tell the truth when we ask if they give to charity? | National Council for Voluntary Organisations: "Do people tell the truth when we ask if they give to charity?
Submitted by Karl Wilding on Mon, 29/11/2010 - 12:58
Karl Wilding
29th November 2010

Karl Wilding, NCVO's Head of ResearchI've recently taken a short break from blogging - busy times at NCVO Towers - but an academic journal dropped on my desk that made me want to write a quick response. The article is on 'donor misreporting', a polite turn of phrase that highlights that people may not be accurate or truthful when asked how much they give to charity. NCVO and CAF will shortly be publishing our annual estimates of charitable giving, based upon, er, surveys of individuals. So is the research we are about to publish rubbish?"

US nonprofits report improvement in donations - Taiwan News Online

US nonprofits report improvement in donations - Taiwan News Online

Charities hit by very naughty cut | Herald Sun

Charities hit by very naughty cut | Herald Sun: "Margaret Winterhalder, who is the treasurer of Adelaide-based Charity Connections which gives 79 per cent of the sale price of its Christmas cards and gifts each year to one of 45 charities says some card wholesalers use charities as a marketing tool.

'A lot of card wholesalers are getting on the bandwagon and pressuring charities to lend them their name and I bought one packet of cards that said they returned only 8 per cent of the wholesale price of the card to the charity,' she says.

'That could be as little as 3 cents per card."

For a growing number of Canadians, charity begins at phone

For a growing number of Canadians, charity begins at phone: "Text-to-give campaigns are one of the biggest philanthropic success stories of 2010, with mobile relief efforts for Haiti having raised tens of millions in micro-donations across North America — more than $750,000 of which came from Canadian phones. Nearly a quarter of all money raised by the Red Cross after the Tennessee floods was text donations, while The Children's Miracle Network surpassed $20,000 in $5 mobile gifts in a single day.

This week, with the one-year anniversary of the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada, fundraising professionals across the country are gathering in Toronto to discuss the trend, which many welcome as a Hail Mary against greying donors."

Walkathon raises S$210,000 for nursing home - Channel NewsAsia

Walkathon raises S$210,000 for nursing home - Channel NewsAsia: "The Home Nursing Foundation (HNF)'s second Charity Walkathon kicked off at East Coast Park on Saturday morning.

HNF was able to up the ante this year, raising some S$50,000 more compared with the amount raised in its first walkathon last year."

Charity show raises $900,000 for less privileged children in Indian community - Channel NewsAsia

Charity show raises $900,000 for less privileged children in Indian community - Channel NewsAsia: "SINGAPORE : The Project Give Charity Show on Saturday night raised more than S$900,000 for less privileged school children in the Indian community."

gulfnews : Philanthropy is not just about money, says Juma Al Majid

gulfnews : Philanthropy is not just about money, says Juma Al Majid: "Philanthropy is not just about money, says Juma Al Majid

Juma Al Majid believes every person has a duty to help educate another person to rid the world of illiteracy"

Ottawa gives Bill Clinton foundation special designation - The Globe and Mail

Ottawa gives Bill Clinton foundation special designation - The Globe and Mail: "he federal government has quietly given Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation a special designation that will allow it to receive indirect support from Canadian taxpayers.

The government’s move means the former U.S. president’s charity, called the William J. Clinton Foundation, can now issue tax receipts to Canadian donors and receive grants from Canadian charities."

Twitter Enables DIY Disaster Relief in Indonesia | Fast Company

Twitter Enables DIY Disaster Relief in Indonesia | Fast Company: "Indonesians, who were the victims of earthquakes, a tsunami, and volcanic eruptions last month, are finding help from an unlikely source: Twitter.

Indonesia is a country composed of 17,000 islands, and organizing aid relief efforts has proved a challenge, particularly in regions where infrastructure was destroyed, reports Reuters. So enterprising and tech-savvy citizens are taking measures into their own hands, coordinating relief through Twitter. Twitter is extremely popular among Internet-using Indonesians, 21% of whom use the site (compare that to 12% for the U.S.)."

Take a walk on the kind side - The Standard

Take a walk on the kind side - The Standard: "One dog year is equivalent to seven human years, but where are those years going? It seems only a blink of an eye in time since Hong Kong Dog Rescue was gearing up for its annual Peak to Fong 2009, and now it's that time of year again.

Operating a no-kill, rehoming rescue center for dogs is a costly business. So HKDR, a registered charity, is dependent on donations for day-to-day running costs. But it needs something extra to raise the larger amounts to help cover the recent move to a new rehoming center in Tai Po and a mini-center in Ap Lei Chau."

GuideStar database passes into private sector hands - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

GuideStar database passes into private sector hands - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "The GuideStar public website, which was set up with �2.9m of public money in 2004, may soon cease to be free if its new private sector owner deems it uneconomical to support.

In the latest development in the long-running saga of GuideStar’s ownership, Wilmington Group plc announced on Friday that it has acquired the assets of GuideStar Data Services CIC (GDS), including the free-to-access public website and the database of financial information about charities, from the administrators Maidment Judd. No price was disclosed."

Government infosec requirements "too onerous" for charities - Civil Society - IT - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Government infosec requirements "too onerous" for charities - Civil Society - IT - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "Charities delivering public services are struggling to deal with the data security requirements being imposed on them by government, according to leading charity IT chiefs.

Sources told Civil Society IT they were wary of speaking out for fear of prejudicing their relationship with commissioners, but confided that government departments are under pressure to comply with the Hannigan Report on data handling and as a result are sending it out to charity contractors in a non"

Manipulating the charitable mindset - The Globe and Mail

Manipulating the charitable mindset - The Globe and Mail: "Let's call it corporate givernance.

By this time of year, about 80 per cent of large Canadian companies have launched their annual charitable fund-raising campaigns, the explicit goal being to spur a big pot of pooled donations from their employees. Behind the scenes, there is also the hope that raising money together will foster group cohesion and motivate people to work better as teams. So what if there's in-house competition for resources and recognition? At least there's this common cause, so pony up!"

Recession increases need, decreases charitable giving - thestar.com

Recession increases need, decreases charitable giving - thestar.com: "Need for social services is increasing in Toronto, but the continuing recession means that donations are not keeping up.

“The papers may say the recession is over, but trust me, for the people who use food banks, it’s not,” says Gail Nyberg, director of the Daily Bread Food Bank, one of the agencies involved in identifying recipient families for the Santa Claus Fund gift boxes."

Plus-sized women pose nude for charity

Plus-sized women pose nude for charity: "Plus-sized women pose nude for charity

Eleven overweight women from Singapore posed nude for a calendar to raise funds for a young Vietnamese leukaemia patient, reported China Press."

Million pound donations on the up - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Million pound donations on the up - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "Over �1.5bn worth of �1m-plus donations were made in 2008/2009 according to the annual Coutts Million Pound Donors Report. The report, produced by Dr Beth Breeze from the University of Kent and now in its third year, uncovered 201 donations of this size over the 2008/2009 financial year in comparison to 189 in the year previous."

Charitable disbursements: Ethical behaviour and spending

Charitable disbursements: Ethical behaviour and spending: "Ethical behaviour is often assumed when one deals with a registered charity, but what does ethical behaviour mean when charities fundraise and spend? Can charities spend their money any way they want? How does changing federal law dealing with charitable disbursements protect the charitable ethic? For the purposes of this article, posit that ethical behaviour can be defined as an ideal in which the goal of human behaviour is to maximize the good for humanity. Law is based upon broadly shared conceptions of morality, ethical behaviour, an achievement of justice and fairness. However, the ideal definition of ethical behaviour approaches the profound. Ethics are broader than law."

Charitable disbursements: Ethical behaviour and spending

Charitable disbursements: Ethical behaviour and spending: "Ethical behaviour is often assumed when one deals with a registered charity, but what does ethical behaviour mean when charities fundraise and spend? Can charities spend their money any way they want? How does changing federal law dealing with charitable disbursements protect the charitable ethic? For the purposes of this article, posit that ethical behaviour can be defined as an ideal in which the goal of human behaviour is to maximize the good for humanity. Law is based upon broadly shared conceptions of morality, ethical behaviour, an achievement of justice and fairness. However, the ideal definition of ethical behaviour approaches the profound. Ethics are broader than law."

Philanthropy award winner gives because she's thankful for opportunities

Philanthropy award winner gives because she's thankful for opportunities: "When asked what her favourite things are in life, Tereza Top beams.

'Donating,' she replies immediately. That's followed by going to school, volunteering, and watching Oprah.

Tereza, 45, puts her money where her mouth is, and for those efforts she was recently awarded the Individual Philanthropist Award, as part of the 2010 Ottawa Philanthropy Awards."

Modified version of aliveandgiving.com launched - Third Sector

Modified version of aliveandgiving.com launched - Third Sector: "harity donation website removes the donate buttons for organisations that have not agreed to their inclusion

The charity donation website aliveandgiving.com has been relaunched so that donate buttons are no longer included automatically in charity listings.

When the site was first launched last month, visitors had the option to donate through aliveandgiving.com to more than 200,000 listed charities.

But after some charities expressed concerns that the donations were being taken without their consent, the organisation has removed the donate button from charities that have not agreed to it being included on their page."

Charities warned not to fall foul of new ASA online code - Third Sector

Charities warned not to fall foul of new ASA online code - Third Sector: "Extension of the code will cover statements organisations make on their own websites and others that they control

The Advertising Standards Authority's remit will be significantly extended next year to include claims organisations, including charities, make on websites, rather than only adverts in paid-for space and sales promotions.

The Committee of Advertising Practice Code, which sets the rules under which organisations must operate, will be extended from 1 March to cover statements organisations make on websites they control, including their own and other pages such as microsites or pages on the social networking website Facebook."

Most wealthy Canadians see importance of charitable giving: survey

Most wealthy Canadians see importance of charitable giving: survey: "Survey results released Monday — to coincide with National Philanthropy Day — by BMO Harris Private Banking show that 76 per cent of holders of at least $1 million in investable assets say it is important to them to give something back."

Jeremy Hunt keeps on about giving. But when will he give us some action? | Culture | guardian.co.uk

Jeremy Hunt keeps on about giving. But when will he give us some action? | Culture | guardian.co.uk: "Jeremy Hunt keeps on about giving. But when will he give us some action?

The culture secretary has given us his thoughts on philanthropy and the arts. But will they add up to concrete measures?"

Top 100 family foundations gave �1.4bn last year, says report - Third Sector

Top 100 family foundations gave �1.4bn last year, says report - Third Sector: "The UK’s top 100 family foundations gave �1.4bn to charity in 2008/09, according to a report by the Centre for Charitable Giving Philanthropy and the Pears Foundation.

Family Foundation Giving Trends 2010 says that the asset value of the foundations fell by 12 per cent in 2008/09 compared with the previous year but the money given to charities went down by only 0.2 per cent."

Milaap unites the moneyed and the cashless - Bangalore Mirror,Bangalore Mirror

Milaap unites the moneyed and the cashless - Bangalore Mirror,Bangalore Mirror: "Three city-based young men have started precisely such an enterprise that connects those with the money and the desire to help with those who need money to improve their lives.

Sourabh Sharma, Anoj Vishwanathan and Mayukh Choudhury formed Milaap to address the pressing needs of people in the rural areas such as clean drinking water, sanitation, electricity, education and healthcare through micro-finance.

facilitators"

Pennies teams up with Domino's for 'rounding-up' card payments scheme - Third Sector

Pennies teams up with Domino's for 'rounding-up' card payments scheme - Third Sector: "Charities to benefit from scheme that asks customers paying online to donate by rounding up their bills to the nearest pound

The charity Pennies has launched a new giving scheme that asks customers paying by card to round up their bills to the nearest pound and give the additional amount to charity."

Government will publish policies on charitable giving next year - Third Sector

Government will publish policies on charitable giving next year - Third Sector: "A white paper will also set out plans for social investment and volunteering

The government intends to produce a white paper next March on charitable giving, philanthropy and social investment, according to the Cabinet Office business plan, published yesterday.

The white paper will be preceded by a green paper next month from the Cabinet Office, the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This will include the results of research bei"

Local humanitarian recognized nationally - Lacombe Globe - Alberta, CA

Local humanitarian recognized nationally - Lacombe Globe - Alberta, CA: "For ABW (the recognition) brings great awareness, which in turn brings people to be engaged,' he added. 'Interestingly, here I am in Kenya with 44 volunteers and the award is about this.'

Canada's Champions of Change is a unique program celebrating volunteerism, on CBC and hosted by Mark Kelley of Connect.

Rajah previously told the Globe that he will always remember, how, as a child growing up in Sri Lanka, two missionaries from Canadian University College (CUC) in Lacombe helped his mother get an education. She became a teacher and this helped the Rajahs get out of poverty. The family later immigrated to Canada when Eric was 16 and he vowed that if he ever became successful he would help others."

The Giving (R)evolution

The Giving (R)evolution: "Canadians are a giving bunch, that much we know. The most recent Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP) stated that in 2007 Canadians volunteered 2.1 billion hours, a 4.2% increase from the previous survey, though the average number of per person volunteer hours remained static at 166 that year. A total of $10 billion was donated. That's an increase of 12% since 2004.

Still, the majority of donations come from a smaller portion of Canadians. It's estimated that 21% of people represent 82% of the total value of donations and 12% of Canadians make up 78% of all volunteer hours."

Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | Pinstriped PowerPoint

Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | Pinstriped PowerPoint: "AUC's philosopher king is a practical man. 'Fund-raising is a significant part of my job. The money raised by donors, Egyptian and foreign, has far exceeded our expectations. We are, after all, a non-profit, charitable institution. We embarked on a broad-based fund-raising campaign with friends of AUC, alumni and benefactors.'"

Metro - U of C students launch unique Haiti fundraiser

Metro - U of C students launch unique Haiti fundraiser: "Faculty of medicine students at the U of C are hosting the Rich Man Poor Man dinner to raise money to help with the startup costs of a medical clinic in Bouly, Haiti."

Golfers chip in $250k to help kids

Golfers chip in $250k to help kids: "Last December, the Lucky Dippers decided to dedicate one of their monthly games to charity after learning from Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang - who golfs with the group - about the plight of the children the fund helps.

On Tuesday, the golfers got together for a round at the Singapore Island Country Club, raising $250,000 for the fund, said Mr P.T. Hong, one of the organisers."

Praise pours in for `selfless' volunteer - The Standard

Praise pours in for `selfless' volunteer - The Standard: "People on both sides of the border paid tribute yesterday to Hong Kong volunteer Tsang Man-kit, who was killed last week while rushing aid to children in earthquake-ravaged Yushu Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai province."

Is volunteering too much hard work for charities? - Third Sector blog | Blogs | Third Sector

Is volunteering too much hard work for charities? - Third Sector blog | Blogs | Third Sector: "Two weeks ago, at a round table hosted by the European Association of Philanthropy and Giving, I listened to a group of people working in the charity sector talking about the difficulties they faced using professional volunteers.

You would think this would be easy - get in an accountant, an IT expert, a designer, and get loads of professional experience for free. But these people's experience was quite difference.

Making a specialist placement work needs a lot of effort from the charity concerned, I was told, both before and after they get the volunteer involved. They need to plan what services they are looking for, and understand that getting volunteers involved is not a replacement for work by paid staff"

Indie film charity changing the world | Movies | Entertainment | Toronto Sun

Indie film charity changing the world | Movies | Entertainment | Toronto Sun: "'Ever buy a chocolate bar to support the high school choir or a sports team?' asks Medjuck. 'It's the same thing, only instead of selling chocolate bars, we sell tickets to independent films -- the ones that win at Berlin, Sundance, SXSW. They're all on board.'

Tickets to Summerhood, opening Friday in Toronto, for example, will help support some of the 18 different charities currently working with Medjuck. And thanks to a Filmraiser undertaken by students, 'now Summerhood has built a school in Africa,' says Medjuck. 'It's changing the world!' Laughing, he adds, 'I love the movie, we're proud of the work we did, but I never thought I'd have to take myself seriously until now.'"

Beijing looks at laws on philanthropy

Beijing looks at laws on philanthropy: "BEIJING - The first national charity law is likely to be legislated in three years in China, a former official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs told China Daily.

Wang Zhenyao, former director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs' social welfare and charities department, said the draft was submitted to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council last year for further revision.

'The legislation is highly possible in next three years as both the National People's Congress and the society have a lot of concern on the matter,' said Wang, who was in charge of drafting the charity law when he worked for the ministry."

Asian wealthy learn about charity and the big stick

Asian wealthy learn about charity and the big stick: "t may be easy to conclude that Asian tycoons, who by and large have not really grasped the idea of 'giving away' their fortunes, are more miserly than their western counterparts.

There are a number of factors that lead to the apparent stinginess of Asian tycoons and chief among them may be the tax code that discourages philanthropy in most Asian countries."

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation: - KBC News

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation: - KBC News: "Over 200 leading African development experts and philanthropists are expected in Nairobi this week for the first ever Assembly of African donors - the 1st Pan-African Assembly of Grantmakers.

The groundbreaking event is convened by the influential network of African donors - the African Grantmakers Network, AGN."

Nigerian Observer Online Edition

Nigerian Observer Online Edition: "Nigeria To Host Philanthropy Forum

ABUJA- The T. Y. Danjuma Foundation, a private philanthropy organisation, plans to host the first Nigerian philanthropic forum from December. 2 to December. 3.


Ms Thelma Ekiyor, the Executive Director of the foundation, told newsmen in Abuja that the forum was interested in driving the culture of philanthropic giving among Nigerians.


“In the drive to instill the culture of philanthropic giving among Nigerians, the foundation is organising from December. 2 to December. 3, the first ever Nigerian philanthropic forum."

China issues charity blue book - People's Daily Online

China issues charity blue book - People's Daily Online: "China just issued this year's charity blue book. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences concludes the country's charitable donations exceeded 33-billion yuan in 2009. A three-point-five percent increase from the year before. However, the country's generosity ranks near the bottom in a list including the US, Britain, Brazil, and India."

The Canadian Jewish News - Hebrew University gets gift from ex-senator

The Canadian Jewish News - Hebrew University gets gift from ex-senator: "Toronto lawyer Jerry Grafstein – recently retired from his Senate seat – and his wife, Carole, have initiated two new projects that they hope will foster more ties between Canada and Israel.

The first, the Honourable Jerry and Carole Grafstein Network for Cancer Research, will support cancer research being conducted at Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) and eventually facilitate collaboration on cancer research with Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital."

Transcript: An afternoon chat with Chetna Sinha - Idea exChange

Transcript: An afternoon chat with Chetna Sinha - Idea exChange: "November 2, 2010
Transcript: An afternoon chat with Chetna Sinha

Chetna Sinha, Ashoka Fellow and award-winning social entrepreneur, recently joined us at Ashoka's Global Headquarters for an afternoon chat. She shared stories of change and how she has used microfinance to empower poor, rural women in Western Maharashtra. Here are some highlights from the interview:"

Northern Ireland Charities Act to be amended - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Northern Ireland Charities Act to be amended - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: "Northern Ireland Charities Act to be amended
Governance | Gareth Jones | 1 Nov 2010
Topics: Regulation

The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has confirmed it is to amend the Charities Act (2008) due to problems with the drafting of the public benefit requirement.

Following discussions, the minister for social development in the province Alex Atwood decided last week to proceed with amendments to the primary legislation, in line with the wishes of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland."

Michael Kaiser: The Fundraising Challenge in Europe

Michael Kaiser: The Fundraising Challenge in Europe: "While it is easy to talk about ways to build donations from corporations and individuals, it isn't so easy to implement. Those arts managers brave enough to attempt to change their funding sources meet with mixed success on initial attempts. And it can be difficult to justify spending hours and hours to raise a few Euros when the government grant is virtually automatic (though arts managers there and elsewhere complain about the forms they must complete) and takes so little time to obtain."

India's growing wealth boosts charitable giving

India's growing wealth boosts charitable giving: "Now the Malkanis are among a growing number of successful Indian entrepreneurs blazing another trail: charitable giving.

'Earlier, if an Indian traveled, it was so rare that 25 people would see them off at the airport, garland them with flowers and print their picture in the newspaper,' said Anjal Malkani, whose husband helped her family start the business. 'That has completely changed in India, and we've been so blessed in our lives to benefit. We wanted to give back.'"

Wealth and society in spotlight after tycoons' mainland visit - The Standard

Wealth and society in spotlight after tycoons' mainland visit - The Standard: "Amid much fanfare two of the world's richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett journeyed to China recently to encourage billionaires there to donate more to charity. The response appeared to be less than enthusiastic."