The founder of a children’s cancer charity is to go on trial accused of fraud involving more than £340,000.
Colin Nesbitt, 57, started the Little Heroes Cancer Trust in 2008, which raised money to buy toys for children with cancer and support families.
He appeared at Bradford Crown Court where he denied five fraud charges and five allegations that he supplied false information about the charity’s spending to the Charity Commission.
He will go on trial on 15 April.
It is alleged that Mr Nesbitt, of Kent Road, Bingley, abused his position as director of the charity by transferring money into bank accounts and giving loans to two men.
Originally sent in an email from Media Trust: mediatrust.org
In a rapidly evolving digital world, there is an increased need for charities to enhance their digital communications knowledge and implement a digital strategy to help them reach new supporters and deliver successful campaigns online. However, when resources and budgets are stretched, this can prove difficult for most.
That’s why, last month, we announced the launch of our new UK-wide digital skills training programme, delivered through local masterclasses, mentoring and online learning.
Register for a digital masterclass near you
You can now book onto the first wave of our regional masterclasses, starting in September. Charities and community organisations can sign up to attend free digital skills masterclasses in locations around the UK, including Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Bristol and London*.
* Please note, the next London masterclass will repeat the topics covered at our launch event on 21 June 2018.
Southend United have announced a partnership with Prostate Cancer UK that will see the charity’s logo emblazoned on the club’s home and away kits.
Shrimpers boss Chris Powell is an ambassador for the charity and ran the London Marathonback in April to raise money for them.
The logo will be on the front of the kits for the duration of the 2018/19 League One season.
Prostate Cancer UK is one of the Football League’s chosen charities, and Shrimpers boss Powell is hopeful that the shirt sponsorship deal will help to raise awareness.
“I think it’s a wonderful move by us,” Powell told ITV News Anglia.
“We know there’s many men that watch football and may be unaware of what prostate cancer is about, so it will certainly raise awareness in this part of Essex, that’s for sure.”
Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive Angela Culhane has commended the partnership and believes it will make a real difference.
“This partnership extends our footprint in football and proves again the power the beautiful game can have in shaping real change,” she said.
“It will help us make sure the messages about prostate cancer continue to ring loud for the football community, with all at Southend United playing their part in making prostate cancer a disease the next generation of men need not fear.”
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Charity Times staff writer
20/07/18
Almost 90 per cent of donors prefer to donate directly via their website instead of through third-party fundraising websites, new research has revealed.
According to the recent report, The Future of Online Giving, commissioned by Charity Checkout, 89 per cent of donors said they would be more likely to give again when donating directly through a charity’s website, while just 19 per cent said they would be likely to give again after using third-party fundraising platforms.
The results also found just under half (47%) of donors don’t remember the charity they donated to when they last sponsored a friend online. Of those who were willing to receive follow-up communications after making an online donation, 76 per cent said they were happy to be contacted by the charity itself, while just 10 per cent said they preferred to hear from a third-party fundraising platform.
Charity Checkout founder Chester Mojay Sinclare said the results from the survey “clearly indicate” issues it has been aware for some time, including that donors “greatly value” the direct relationship with the charity itself over an intermediary platform.
“Issues like the ease of giving, trust and transparency have for some time been considered key barriers to giving. Providing a seamless donor journey through a dedicated website can not only attract more donations but actually increase the level of giving – nearly half of donors said they would give more generously via a charity’s own website.”
Other findings in the report indicate that there are other areas of concern around donor loyalty, charity brand, identity and consent which has direct implications on the level of giving that a donor makes to their charity of choice.
Honeypot Children’s Charity fundraising and marketing director, Peter Suchet added: “Currently, the status quo is to encourage charities to use third-party fundraising websites who insist on putting their consent statement before the charity.
“This results in charities missing out on obtaining permission to contact their donors in the future, as donors are often unwilling to provide their consent to both parties. The data shows that the vast majority of donors only want to receive communications from the charity, yet the third-party fundraising platforms are attempting to put themselves first in the relationship.”
He added that overall, the report provides “very actionable and useful insights” including evidence that people are more likely to give generously when they engage with a charity directly, and are more willing to be contacted by a charity when the subject matter coincides with their existing interests.
“Charities cannot afford to ignore or underplay this shift towards online activities. They need to understand and act upon the opportunities these present – from how people prefer to be contacted to the information donors want to receive about the impact of their gifts,” he said.
The report was carried out by independent research company Maru/Usurv and surveyed 1000 members of the public in Q1 2018.
A finance officer who stole more than £750,000 from a Notting Hill Carnival charity has been jailed for six years.
Nadia Ali, 34, paid a total of £784,262 into her own bank accounts over two years while working for the Carnival Village Trust in west London.
She disguised the transfers as legitimate payments to suppliers and government organisations, before sending the money to her family in Trinidad.
Ali also covered up the fraud by stealing invoices and statements sent to the charity to cover up the fraud.
She gave no explanation when arrested in March 2017.
Ali admitted fraud by abuse of position and removing criminal property on the second day of her trial at Isleworth Crown Court.
She denied theft of financial documents from the Tabernacle in Notting Hill but was convicted by the jury after trial.
Ali, of Hammersmith, was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
Andrew Caird, from the CPS, said: ‘Nadia Chase Ali acted dishonestly and in her own interests when she siphoned off nearly £800,000 from the charity with close links to the Notting Hill Carnival.
‘Our prosecution was able to show that she had sent large amounts of money to her homeland of Trinidad and that she sought to cover her tracks by stealing financial documents that showed her illegal activity.
‘Her offending took place over a period of almost three years and showed not only how calculated Chase Ali’s actions were, but also demonstrated her complete disregard towards making a gain from taxpayers’ money as well as the effect her dishonesty could have had on such an important community event.’
Nadia Ali stole £784,262 while working for Carnival Village Trust in west London
The 34-year-old worked for Notting Hill Carnival charity for two years in finance
Ali was jailed for six years after admitting fraud and being found guilty of theft
Care workers who had to stay overnight as part of their job will not be entitled to back pay at the minimum wage after a Court of Appeal ruling.
The charity Mencap, who won the appeal, argued that a previous tribunal decision which compelled care providers to fund six years’ back pay for overnight carers was unaffordable.
And it said smaller employers could be forced out of business by the decision.
But a union said workers should be paid what they were legally entitled to.
Care workers who provide care for people with serious learning disabilities overnight used to be paid a flat fee of around £30, reflecting the fact that they might be sleeping during some of their shifts.
But after employment tribunal rulings involving a Mencap support worker in the East Riding of Yorkshire, HM Revenue and Customs said they should be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour overnight, amounting to about £60.
Employers were told to fund £400 million of back pay but care providers, including Mencap, argued that this was unaffordable.
The Court of Appeal ruled today that care providers had no liability for back pay.
‘Mistake’
But the union Unison is considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary, said the ruling was a “mistake” and that the blame should be “laid at the government’s door”.
“Ministers are so consumed by Brexit that they’re ignoring huge problems around them.
“Sleep-in shifts involve significant caring responsibilities, often for very vulnerable people.”
But Lord Justice Underhill, sitting with two other senior judges in the Court of Appeal, said: “For the reasons which I have given I believe that sleepers-in… are to be characterised for the purpose of the regulations as available for work… rather than actually working… and so fall within the terms of the sleep-in exception.
“The result is that the only time that counts for national minimum wage purposes is time when the worker is required to be awake for the purposes of working.”
‘False expectations’
However, most employers have now started paying the minimum wage to care workers who sleep overnight while working.
Mencap said it intended to continue to do so despite the court’s decision.
Derek Lewis, chair of the Royal Mencap Society, said: “The prospect of having to make large unfunded back payments had threatened to bankrupt many providers, jeopardising the care of vulnerable people and the employment of their carers.
“Many hardworking care workers were given false expectations of an entitlement to back pay and they must be feeling very disappointed.
We are delighted to announce that, in the past 12 months, ECF has awarded grants totalling £3 million to support the work of local charities, voluntary organisations and individuals in Essex.
Caroline Taylor, chief executive, said: “To have channelled this amount of funding into local communities over the last year is a significant achievement. The grants have made a difference in so many ways, including helping people in need, supporting those who are vulnerable and increasing skills and educational opportunities. They have also helped to reduce social isolation, enhanced community spaces and improved facilities for the benefit of local people.
“As one of the largest grant funders of the voluntary sector in Essex, we are committed to working with people who want to channel their charitable giving into the county and to making our application process for funding as straightforward as possible.”
“We are always interested to discuss potential applications and how ECF can help people and companies with their charitable giving. Please call me or Jo Macaulay on 01245 355947 or look at our website for more information.”
The code, now open for consultation aims to help charities, big and small, by providing them with a framework, best practice guidelines and principles of digital to work towards.
Originally sent in an email from Media Trust: mediatrust.org
On Thursday 21 June we launched our new UK-wide programme of digital skills training, with support from Google Digital Garage, which will be delivered through local masterclasses, mentoring and online learning.
The free half-day masterclasses will run from September 2018 to June 2019 and visit over a dozen locations across the UK. Sessions will cover topics ranging from Social Media Strategy to Building a Digital Marketing Plan. During each event, you’ll have the opportunity to receive advice from a range of media partners and communications experts as well as learning from other charities.
Read about the launch here and look out for regional dates which will be released shortly.
A local hospice is urging the public to be vigilant after reports of men posing as fundraisers for the charity.
The two men are claiming to work for Havens Hospices which incorporates Little Havens Hospice in Thundersley, Fair Havens Hospice in Westcliff, and The J’s Hospice in Witham.
They have targeted two supporters, in Rayleigh and then in Chelmsford – where they have unsuccessfully tried to pick up and replace collection tins for the charity that cares for children, young people and adults with life-limiting illnesses.
Carmel Hudson, community fundraising manager, said: “In May, we were informed by a supporter in Rayleigh that they had been targeted by two fraudsters.
“It appears that two men have sourced old collection tins to try and trick supporters into swapping their full tins for empty ones.
“Thankfully our supporter noticed that the men didn’t have formal identification and that the seal was broken on the tin; so contacted Havens Hospices and the police.
“We’ve now been informed by a supporter in Chelmsford that they’ve also been targeted by one man claiming to be there to swap the collection tins.
“We believe that he is one of the men from the original incident in Rayleigh.
“We have raised this matter with the Police and urge our supporters to be vigilant, our fundraisers always wear formal identification and the tins will always be sealed; so if you are approached by someone claiming to be a fundraiser for Havens who does not have ID or the tin they try to give you has a broken seal please report it to us or the Police as soon as possible.”
Bruce Burgess, Essex Police said: “Essex Police are investigating unauthorised attempts to take charity boxes from shops and other premises.
“We urge anyone being told to handover their donation boxes to ask to see identification. If you are still suspicious please call the charity or the police.
“We will not tolerate the generosity of the community being abused by the selfishness and greed of a few.”
If you have any information regarding this story or see anything suspicious please contact Essex Police on 101 referencing: 42/68891/18