Thursday, May 31, 2012

Gates in B'lore tomorrow for philanthropy meet - The Times of India

Gates in B'lore tomorrow for philanthropy meet - The Times of India: BANGALORE: Some of India's richest will congregate here on June 1 at the invitation of Azim Premji, Ratan Tata and Bill Gates to talk about philanthropy and its impact on society.

The by-invitation-only event is such a hush-hush affair that no details of it are available; neither is the guest list. Wipro said that as this is a personal initiative of their chairman, they had no information to offer

Government u-turns on charity tax relief cap - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Government u-turns on charity tax relief cap - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: he government has buckled to pressure from the charity sector and dropped its plans to limit tax relief on charitable giving announced in March’s Budget.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Charities aren't just the cheap option for public service delivery | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional

Charities aren't just the cheap option for public service delivery | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional: The question of whether charities should take the burden of providing services has divided commentators. Some think that charities should develop capacity to deliver public services and become part of the mainstream public sector. Others think charities should supplement service delivery rather than help with the statutory obligations of authorities.The question is, in giving the funds to charity will the government be able to spend less?

Charities 'streamlined due to cuts' - UK News - News - WalesOnline

Charities 'streamlined due to cuts' - UK News - News - WalesOnline: A study of more than 100 charities in England and Wales showed that two thirds were cutting frontline services and three out of four were making staff redundant.

One in 10 said they risked closing down next year, said the report by the New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) think tank and insurance firm Zurich.

Calgary announced as host city for We Day youth event in fall

Calgary announced as host city for We Day youth event in fall: In 2007, he created the massive youth empowerment event, We Day. And now, for the first time, youth in Calgary can attend We Day in their own backyard.

Calgary has been added as one of three new cities, alongside Ottawa and Halifax, to the eight We Day events across Canada. Expected to draw about 18,000 students, the event is taking place Oct. 24 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Grand Dame Of Indian Charity - Forbes

The Grand Dame Of Indian Charity - Forbes: There, on a 16-acre site, stands �Rajashree’s labor of love: the six-year-old Aditya Birla �Memorial Hospital, named after her late husband and funded by her family’s foundation.

Trustees 'should be free to seek total return investments without approval' - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Trustees 'should be free to seek total return investments without approval' - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Charity Law Association has recommended trustees are given the legal freedom to invest on a total return basis without seeking prior Charity Commission approval, in its submission to the Charities Act Review.

In an 83-page 'first draft' submission to Lord Hodgson, who is carrying out the review, the CLA outlined measures it believes would help promote social investment, which also include enshrining parts of the Charity Commission's CC14 guidance in law.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

AFP Offers Tax Incentive Recommendations to Finance Committee - Press - AFP

AFP Offers Tax Incentive Recommendations to Finance Committee - Press - AFP: On May 3, 2012, Andrea McManus, CFRE, chair of AFP, testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance during its hearing on tax incentives for charitable donations.

During her testimony, McManus offered the committee two

Bridging the Gap? The New Philanthropy in India | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Bridging the Gap? The New Philanthropy in India | Center for Strategic and International Studies: As home to a growing number of “super-rich,” a vastly expanded middle class, and the world’s largest population of malnourished children, India must find alternate ways to address its burden of chronic poverty. Philanthropy’s role in economic development in India cannot be discounted,

28 codes of fundraising practice to be condensed into one - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

28 codes of fundraising practice to be condensed into one - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Institute of Fundraising is to replace its 28 codes of fundraising practice with a single code and up to 30 pieces of guidance.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Top Ten Canadian Charity Law Compliance Issues, Part 1 - Ethics - AFP

Top Ten Canadian Charity Law Compliance Issues, Part 1 - Ethics - AFP: May 16, 2012) A great deal has been written about legal compliance surrounding charities in Canada. Much of that material however, is highly specialized, hard to understand and sometimes esoteric. As a result, it can be extremely difficult for charities, employees and volunteers to focus in on the issues that are generally most important for charities.

Boost to volunteering as Government cuts red tape | eGov monitor | The Information Daily

Boost to volunteering as Government cuts red tape | eGov monitor | The Information Daily: A raft of measures designed to encourage more people to volunteer and to make it easier for people to run charities is being published recently by Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd.

The steps taken to make it easier for people to volunteer include:

Government tells payroll giving agencies to up their game - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Government tells payroll giving agencies to up their game - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: he government is deliberately delaying the launch of its promised promotional campaign to boost payroll giving until the payroll giving agencies devise a way to get the system working better.

The government has long been an advocate of payroll giving and promised in the Giving White Paper to fund a campaign to encourage employers to embrace the donation method.

Charities Act deferred over cost - The Irish Times - Tue, May 22, 2012

Charities Act deferred over cost - The Irish Times - Tue, May 22, 2012: LEGISLATION THAT would require charities to make their financial information public has been deferred for cost reasons, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has confirmed.

The Charities Act, providing for the regulation and supervision of the charitable sector, was passed in 2009 but has not been enacted in full. Mr Shatter said the prospect of full implementation was examined in the context of last year’s comprehensive review of expenditure.

Australia To Reform Not-For-Profit Sector Regulation

Australia To Reform Not-For-Profit Sector Regulation: The Australian government is to introduce a new regulatory framework for the not-for-profit sector, to be overseen by an Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The government will, however, push back the enforcement date for the revised governance and financial reporting standards.

Fundraising Guides for NGOs available Online for Free

Fundraising Guides for NGOs available Online for Free

Accountants and advisers should be aware of structured giving options and benefits: Perpetual

Accountants and advisers should be aware of structured giving options and benefits: Perpetual: One of Australia’s leading managers of philanthropic trusts, Perpetual, has called for accountants and professional advisers to increase their understanding of the options and benefits of structured charitable giving programs.

TODAYonline | Singapore | Ex-SGX CEO Hsieh Fu Hua to helm NCSS

TODAYonline | Singapore | Ex-SGX CEO Hsieh Fu Hua to helm NCSS: Mr Hsieh, who was in the financial industry for nearly four decades, is no stranger to non-profit causes.

He championed SGX's annual fund-raiser and in 2004 - when Mr Hsien was chief executive and a non-independent director on the SGX Board - the SGX organised the initial charity run, then known as the "Bull Run", to help charities in need.

5.1 Networked Fundraising: Raising Money to the Third Degree | Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training

5.1 Networked Fundraising: Raising Money to the Third Degree | Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training: Read the feature article from the May/June 2012 issue of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal:

Bowl-a-Thons can be great fundraisers. But what happens when you take it to the next level by doing a networked event in multiple cities?

Monday, May 21, 2012

Bad volunteers are like a cancer, says Scout Association director | Third Sector

Bad volunteers are like a cancer, says Scout Association director | Third Sector: Bad volunteers are like a "cancer in your organisation", according to Stephen Peck, operations director at the Scout Association.

Peck, whose organisation has 120,000 volunteers, told delegates at the Charity Finance Group conference in London yesterday that problems most often arose when volunteers did not receive the level of management required.

Celebrities raise their hands in support of foundation for literacy

Celebrities raise their hands in support of foundation for literacy: he Outdoor Media Association had donated $1.6 million in advertising, and celebrities, CEOs and sports stars are appearing in ads where they put their hands up to encourage people to sign up for the campaign and raise money.

Friday, May 18, 2012

CRA speech covers political activities and Canadian charities - including budget 2012 - Blog - Global Philanthropy

CRA speech covers political activities and Canadian charities - including budget 2012 - Blog - Global Philanthropy: Here is an excerpt from a speech by Cathy Hawara, Director General of the Charities Directorate of the CRA on the issue of Canadian charities and political activities.

“Let me now turn to some of the highlights of Budget 2012 that relate to registered charities. As you know, the 2012 Budget proposes several measures related to compliance and transparency with respect to political activities carried on by registered charities and RCAAAs. Changes have also been introduced to the qualified donee provision for charitable organizations outside Canada to which Her Majesty in right of Canada has made a gift.

More than half of public want fewer charities, Ipsos Mori research finds - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

More than half of public want fewer charities, Ipsos Mori research finds - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: More than half of the public think there are too many charities and want the sector to be rationalised, research carried out for the Charities Act review has shown.

The findings, from research conducted by Mori among 1,004 people, were presented by charity lawyer Stephen Lloyd yesterday at the Charity Law Conference.

Suppressing charitable voices a disservice to all | Column | Opinion | Welland Tribune

Suppressing charitable voices a disservice to all | Column | Opinion | Welland Tribune: Canadians understand the value of charitable organizations.

Close to 85% of us over 15 years of age (22.2 million people) donate to charities every year. Often, it’s to help people in other parts of the world.

According to Charity Village, Canadians gave $20 million to the Canadian Red Cross, CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, UNICEF Canada and World Vision within four days of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Charities Act gets vote of approval from charity law experts - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Charities Act gets vote of approval from charity law experts - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Charities Act 2006 has, overall, proved to be a good piece of legislation that is fit for purpose, the NCVO Charity Law Review Advisory Group has concluded.

Even subjects that have sparked heated debate, such as payment of trustees or the status of the Charity Commission, are, upon closer inspection, "dealt with by the law in a satisfactory manner”, the Group said in their submission to Lord Hodgson’s official review of the Act.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Civil society ministers to go head-to-head in live ‘question time’ debate - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Civil society ministers to go head-to-head in live ‘question time’ debate - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: Civil Society Media is to host a live question time-style debate with Nick Hurd, Gareth Thomas and Sir Stuart Etherington as the coalition government reaches the end of its first two years in power.

Chaired by Charity Finance editor Andrew Hind, the minister for civil society, shadow minister and NCVO chief executive will answer readers' questions and debate key issues affecting the sector on 16 May, with exclusive films and coverage shown on civilsociety.co.uk the next day.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Orange Benevolent Society passes philanthropic torch with $1 million gift to Dr. Noble Irwin Foundation - Local - The Southwest Booster

Orange Benevolent Society passes philanthropic torch with $1 million gift to Dr. Noble Irwin Foundation - Local - The Southwest Booster: The Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation Inc. received a cheque in the amount of $1 million May 14 as one of the beneficiaries of the Orange Benevolent Society of Saskatchewan, headquartered in Indian Head since 1923, which is dissolving its 89-year-old philanthropic organization and disbursing its assets throughout the province.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Public participation would guard use of donations|Society|chinadaily.com.cn

Public participation would guard use of donations|Society|chinadaily.com.cn: But this focus on philanthropy has also been clouded by negative news. According to a report by the National Audit Office on April 20, irregularities were found in 63 reconstruction projects — involving 26 construction units, four surveying and design departments and eight project supervision divisions.

The irregularities include construction projects being undertaken without proper feasibility reports or environmental impact reports, excessive investment, random changes of construction plans, and some companies not upholding standards, using inferior materials and illegally subcontracting projects.

Bill Gates and India Tycoons to Meet in Bangalore on Giving - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Bill Gates and India Tycoons to Meet in Bangalore on Giving - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Bill Gates and two of India’s best-known moguls will promote philanthropy among the country’s growing tycoon class in a private June 1 gathering in Bangalore, Forbes reports.

China studies Philanthropy 101

China studies Philanthropy 101: That's why the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice has hosted groups of Chinese officials eager to learn Philanthropy 101 - U.S. style. One group was here in late March; another will visit in June.

Organizing the visits was Tianx-ue Qiu of Beijing, a graduate of U of Penn's master of sciences pro-gram in non-profit leadership.

Legacies flat as group explores in-memoriam market - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Legacies flat as group explores in-memoriam market - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Legacy Market Monitor, released yesterday, shows that legacy income to charities in the year ending March 2012 fell by 0.6 per cent on the previous year. The 53 charities which form the benchmarking Legacy Monitor Consortium together raised �977m over the last year, still 3.7 per cent lower than income at the peak of the market, before the global financial crash.

Microdonation scheme Pennies sees doubling of donations - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Microdonation scheme Pennies sees doubling of donations - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The amount raised by the Pennies microdonation scheme has doubled in the last six months to reach �500,000.

Pennies has also reached the two million individual donations milestone in half the time it took to reach the first million.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Charities fear new EU rules on website cookies will deter users | Third Sector

Charities fear new EU rules on website cookies will deter users | Third Sector: Website operators will have to get permission from users before putting cookies on computer systems

Charities are concerned about what new EU cookie laws will mean in practice and how they should comply.

From 26 May, all website operators must gain the consent of web users before putting cookies on their computer systems.

The rule stems from an EU directive that was passed in May last year, but UK operators were given a year’s grace to comply.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Environmental charities don't top list of foreign-funded groups - Politics - CBC News

Environmental charities don't top list of foreign-funded groups - Politics - CBC News: An analysis by The Canadian Press of charities' annual tax returns found only one of the top 10 foreign-funded charities could be considered a conservation group

Why charity leaders should be more positive about the small donations bill | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional

Why charity leaders should be more positive about the small donations bill | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional: Why charity leaders should be more positive about the small donations bill

Anger at the tax credit cap should not obscure other policies that will help many charities

Three staff made redundant in latest Acevo restructure - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Three staff made redundant in latest Acevo restructure - Civil Society - Governance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: Acevo is restructuring ahead of its move into the NCVO building at King’s Cross this summer, and making three staff redundant.

It is not the first round of job cuts at the membership body in recent years – in January 2011 six jobs were cut in anticipation of several grant-funded programmes coming to an end on 31 March 2011. These included several from Capacitybuilders totalling nearly �800,000 and a Big Lottery Fund Basis grant of �176,809.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Forget megayachts and private jets: Asia's superrich want to build their own art museums | The Republic

Forget megayachts and private jets: Asia's superrich want to build their own art museums | The Republic: Wang and billionaire investor Liu are part of a new generation of wealthy Asians that is better known for splashing out on extravagant toys such as private jets, mega-sized yachts and supercars. Some, instead, have built big art collections and now aspire to showcase their refined sensibility to a wider audience.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Lady Gaga's cup runneth over - The Standard

Lady Gaga's cup runneth over - The Standard: The pop diva, who just finished a series of sell-out concerts in Hong Kong, has donated one of her teacups and a saucer for a charity auction.

The lipstick-stained cup was used by Lady Gaga at a press conference in Tokyo three months after the massive tsunami that swamped a large stretch of Japan's coastline. The singer told reporters at the time she would auction the cup, marked with her lipstick and bearing the Japanese message "We pray for Japan" along with her autograph.

At least 80 Bln Yuan in Public Donations in 2011

At least 80 Bln Yuan in Public Donations in 2011: No less than 80 billion yuan (12.6 billion U.S. dollars) in public donations were made in China last year, Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said Monday, citing a preliminary tally.

Although Li did not give an exact date for when the final numbers will be released, the estimate still surprised many who thought China's charity sector had sustained irrevocable damage after the sector's credibility was tarnished by embezzlement scandals that surfaced last year.

The most famous case revolved around a young woman cal

Hurd expects tax cap resolution, but backs Treasury principle - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Hurd expects tax cap resolution, but backs Treasury principle - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: Nick Hurd is confident that the Treasury will come to a reconciliation with charities over the tax relief cap issue, but has backed the fundamental aim of the cap, to limit tax avoidance.

Friday, May 04, 2012

For Chinese, lessons in Philanthropy 101 at Penn

For Chinese, lessons in Philanthropy 101 at Penn: Given the growth of China's robust economy, the Chinese clearly know how to make money.

They aren't quite as good at giving it away.

In 2010, America's 308.7 million people contributed $290.98 billion to charity. In China, where the population topped 1.3 billion, donations reached a mere $16.4 billion, according to an official Chinese website, China.org.cn.

Lifetime legacies liked by PM, blocked by Chancellor - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Lifetime legacies liked by PM, blocked by Chancellor - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: Payroll giving 'still best way of donating'

Hughes-Hallett’s Philanthropy Review had also extolled the virtues of payroll giving, also big in the US, which he said yesterday remains “the best possible way of giving”.

Workplace giving - frequently asked questions

Workplace giving - frequently asked questions: Workplace giving - frequently asked questions


What is workplace giving?

Workplace giving is a program that lets employees donate money on a regular basis to one or more charities. The charity must be a deductible gift recipient (DGR) which means that donations to the charity are deductible for taxation purposes.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

“If I Ran Philanthropy:” Dawning Philanthropy in China Poses Interesting Question for U.S. - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.

“If I Ran Philanthropy:” Dawning Philanthropy in China Poses Interesting Question for U.S. - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.: Sometimes the biggest questions come in small packages. So it was with this tidbit from the “Jobbing” blog of Philadelphia Inquirer business writer Jane M. Von Bergen, who recently spoke about philanthropy in China with Richard Gelles, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Policy and Practice.

The philanthropists who made their mark on Leeds - Top Stories - Yorkshire Evening Post

The philanthropists who made their mark on Leeds - Top Stories - Yorkshire Evening Post: In the first of two features examining how the city of Leeds has been shaped by philanthropy, Neil Hudson looks at the historical legacy of selfless giving.

IN the days when the British Empire still stood as an indomitable watchtower over the world, an ebullient former engineer from Leeds made an impulsive decision which would change the face of his home city forever.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Government will not move on tax relief cap until consultation is completed | Third Sector

Government will not move on tax relief cap until consultation is completed | Third Sector: Sector representatives met Treasury ministers in what Acevo deputy chief executive Peter Kyle calls a sometimes 'heated' meeting

The government will not make any changes to the proposal to introduce a cap on tax relief for charitable giving before a consultation on the measure has concluded, charity leaders have been told.

Hunger in Africa: why it’s happening again � Red Cross Blogs

Hunger in Africa: why it’s happening again � Red Cross Blogs: Aid money only goes into the pockets of rich leaders, despots and tyrants, so why bother donating?”

Corruption is an issue in some of the countries where the Red Cross works, so it is understandable that donors want to know where their money is going.

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Tax relief cap should be replaced with higher-rate Gift Aid scheme, says IoF

Tax relief cap should be replaced with higher-rate Gift Aid scheme, says IoF: Peter Lewis, chief executive of the institute, says that plans for the cap have already had a negative impact on philanthropy

The government should replace its proposed cap on tax relief on donations with a system that allows charities to reclaim all the tax paid by higher-rate taxpayers, according to the Institute of Fundraising.

The IoF said yesterday that 77 per cent of 687 of its members who responded to a survey favoured a system in which charities could reclaim all the tax paid by a higher-rate-paying donor under Gift Aid, in the same way as they can reclaim all the tax paid by a basic rate taxpayer.