Institute of Fundraising concerned Gift Aid legislation is too complex | UK Fundraising

Institute of Fundraising concerned Gift Aid legislation is too complex | UK Fundraising: The Institute of Fundraising is concerned that the Small Charitable Donations Bill, which brings in the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme, is an "overly complex" piece of legislation. It is urging ministers to amend it so that it is more likely to help small charities.

Charity Grants Can Help Tech Solve Social Ills In Africa - Ventures Africa

Charity Grants Can Help Tech Solve Social Ills In Africa - Ventures Africa: Loren Treisman, trust executive for grant-making foundation Indigo Trust, believes that time has come for more charitable organisations to tap into technology to tackle social issues in Africa. Indigo Trust funds tech projects that seek to bring about social change on the continent.

“Information technologies have the capability to achieve social impact at scale and at a relatively low cost,” she says. “One can deduce that when people are able to access, share and create information, they are empowered to make the changes they would like to see in their own lives and communities.” She hopes that Indigo Trust and other organisations can use technology to put power into the hands of African citizens.

Ruth Goldbloom: Philanthropist extraordinaire | The Chronicle Herald

Ruth Goldbloom: Philanthropist extraordinaire | The Chronicle Herald: f Robert Stanfield was the best prime minister Canada never had, then surely Ruth Goldbloom was the best lieutenant-governor Nova Scotia never had.

Institute takes lead on public collections reform - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society

Institute takes lead on public collections reform - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society: s part of his review of the Charities Act 2006, Lord Hodgson made a number of recommendations regarding public collections, including the abolition of National Exemption Orders – which enable some charities to run door-to-door collections without specific licences – that national guidelines or model regulations be established, and that a single group work to license collections. More broadly Hodgson said: "There should be a single standards-setter, a single investigator/adjudicator, and others involved as necessary in space allocation."

Hodgson also suggested a select committee would be set up to look at the issue, which covers everything from cash and direct debit collections, to clothing collections and prospecting.

Alzheimer's Society shuts all of its charity shops due to low profits - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society

Alzheimer's Society shuts all of its charity shops due to low profits - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society: Alzheimer’s Society has closed all three of its charity shops as they are not economically viable.

Chuggers incur first penalty points under new fining system - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society

Chuggers incur first penalty points under new fining system - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society: Some face-to-face fundraising charities have already incurred penalty points under the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association’s new fining system, within its first week of operation.

Beijing No 1 in ranking of most philanthropic cities |Hot Issues |chinadaily.com.cn

Beijing No 1 in ranking of most philanthropic cities |Hot Issues |chinadaily.com.cn: Beijing was listed No 1 in a ranking of the most philanthropic Chinese mainland cities unveiled on Monday.

The capital city ranked first among 321 cities on the Chinese mainland with a score of 94 out of a possible 100 points, according to a report based on the China City Philanthropy Indexes 2012.

Charity begins with new Commission

Charity begins with new Commission: New legislation has been introduced to establish the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
Assistant Treasurer, David Bradbury said the establishment of the ACNC was the cornerstone of the Not-For Profit (NFP) reform agenda and would provide, for the first time, a dedicated regulator for the NFP sector.
Mr Bradbury said the ACNC would serve as an independent national regulator, with a greater focus on the particular needs of the NFP sector.
He said it would determine an entity’s charitable status and provide information to the public about the NFP sector and the work that it did.

TODAYonline | Singapore | ComChest's Heartstrings Walk raises S$1.3m in donations

TODAYonline | Singapore | ComChest's Heartstrings Walk raises S$1.3m in donations: ComChest's Heartstrings Walk raises S$1.3m in donations
Updated 01:25 PM Aug 26, 2012
SINGAPORE - A record S$1.3 million was raised at the Community Chest's Heartstrings Walk this morning.

ComChest said the money collected is the highest amount raised through the event in the last 10

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation looks to exit group-lending MFIs in India

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation looks to exit group-lending MFIs in India: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation is considering exiting group liability-based microfinance lending in India. It plans to redeploy its investment in micro housing and other projects.

Most microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India follow the group lending model, in which the members are collectively responsible for repayments. While the foundation had taken the decision in 2009, just before the crisis in the microfinance sector, it did not make any fresh investment in the sector after the crisis.

Fundraising costs down, but income up at Epilepsy Society - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society

Fundraising costs down, but income up at Epilepsy Society - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society: Despite cuts in its fundraising spending, Epilepsy Society has reported a 15 per cent increase in voluntary income over the past year, attributing its performance to a focus on stewardship and social media.

New fining regime for street fundraising comes into force today

New fining regime for street fundraising comes into force today: Street fundraisers will have to abide by a new set of rules from today or face possible fines.

The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association has introduced its PFRA Rule Book (Street F2F) from today to drive up standards in street fundraising, as part of an attempt to improve the public perception of face-to-face fundraising.

NCVO researcher lambasts lack of sophisticated analysis of charity register - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society

NCVO researcher lambasts lack of sophisticated analysis of charity register - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society: NCVO's David Kane has urged the public to "be careful" when looking at raw data of charity registrations, in response to stories by the Daily Mail and the Mirror that last week blamed a Big Society failure for the closure of almost 7,400 charities.

Kane, a research officer at the umbrella body and co-author of the UK Civil Society Almanac, said that analysis of the Charity Commission register is not sophisticated enough and that in a wider context "we lack the tools and data to fully understand what is happening to the voluntary sector in this difficult period".

Philanthropy In China – It’s Important to Give Back | China Briefing News

Philanthropy In China – It’s Important to Give Back | China Briefing News: Aug. 16 – As my days in China draw to a close, one of the issues I’d like to draw to the attention of our readers is philanthropy – when successful in the country (or anywhere) I personally believe it’s important to contribute something back to the society that has provided. It’s a curious fact that some expats still seem to have a poor attitude towards China even though they are earning a living here. I always felt it a privilege to be in the country, and although it took awhile for me to get my feet on the ground and the business profitable, I wanted to put something back. The great thing about philanthropy anywhere is that it is not mandatory. The act of giving is a truly personal one, and although debates rage about how best to give, I’ve always followed a few simple rules:

Museum appeal for cut-price old master painting - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society

Museum appeal for cut-price old master painting - Charity fundraising news - News - Civil Society: The Art Fund has backed a �3.9m appeal by the Fitzwilliam Museum to buy a masterpiece by Nicolas Poussin.

The University of Cambridge’s principal museum has until the end of November this year to raise the sum to purchase ‘Extreme Unction’, valued at more than �14m, from the 11th Duke of Rutland’s 2000 Settlement.

Forbes India Magazine - Ratan Tata’s Audacious Philanthropic Retirement Plans

Forbes India Magazine - Ratan Tata’s Audacious Philanthropic Retirement Plans: Nachiket Mor, former chairman of the ICICI Foundation for inclusive growth and now the man behind several innovations in rural finance and healthcare, says, “This is a big moment for Indian philanthropy. He has the ability to bring together and galvanise corporate leaders across the world. The impact will be similar to that when Microsoft founder Bill Gates retired from the company and channelled all his focus on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

International aid charity closes - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society

International aid charity closes - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society: An 18-year-old international aid charity based in Reading has gone into liquidation, blaming a 45 per cent drop in donations over two years.

Global Hearts for Children, which sends aid packages to countries in long-term need or hit by famine or disaster, was closed down by its trustees last week.

Guide Dogs’ CEO defends huge drop in reserves - Charity finance news - News - Civil Society

Guide Dogs’ CEO defends huge drop in reserves - Charity finance news - News - Civil Society: Guide Dogs’ reserves have more than halved over the last two years as the charity has invested heavily in a new breeding centre, new services and in its fundraising and campaigning capability.

The disability charity, which has long been envied in the sector for its plentiful reserves, has seen their value plunge from �96.5m in 2009 to �39.7m at the end of last year.

Government launches �2m Olympic volunteering legacy charity - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society

Government launches �2m Olympic volunteering legacy charity - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society: A new �2m government-backed Olympic volunteering legacy charity, has been set up by David Cameron, with volunteering leaders Lucy de Groot, and Justin Davis Smith as trustees.