Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Peter Lewis
05/03/19
Values are the bedrock of what we, as charities, do. Every charity is set up for public benefit, to make a positive difference to the lives of communities and individuals, whether here in the UK or internationally.
Our organisations are founded on the principle of doing good and that drives us to deliver the best we can for the causes we serve. But values for charities aren’t just an expression of what we do. They have to guide how we do it, the culture that our organisations adopt, and the way we work with our beneficiaries, supporters, staff and volunteers. Being values-driven and taking an ethical approach is not about just achieving an outcome – it’s about a way of working that demonstrates and embeds the values and behaviours that we know are important.
We rightly set out our ethics and values as higher than those of the private sector, and this means that when our behaviours fall below these standards, our approach and practices are justifiably put in the spotlight.
The safeguarding failures which came into sharp relief in 2018 has led to a huge amount of work, at all levels across the sector, to reflect on how we need to do better.
The Charity Ethical Principles published by NCVO in January, which I was pleased to contribute to on behalf of the Institute of Fundraising, was an interesting process to agree a common vision of the ethical principles that should be at the heart of how all charities work.
In the fundraising community itself, following the poor practices that were brought to light in 2015, I’ve seen charities all across the UK taking steps to think carefully about their approaches, revising and refreshing their policies, and taking real action to ensure their values are at the heart of everything they do.
But sometimes we can look at the charity sector in a bit of a bubble. We should remember that at least some in the business sector are seeing values and ethics as increasingly important for their future success, with some even giving heads of ethics a seat in the boardroom.
The Institute of Business Ethics, reporting on the biggest issues of concern in 2018, found that those relating to treatment of employees, behaviour, and culture were by far the most reported areas of ‘ethical lapses’ over the course of the year. The recent Edelman Trust Barometer research also reflects just how important trust and values are, not just to the external world, but also to your employees themselves.
Through our work at the Institute of Fundraising in equality, diversity and inclusion, we have found that in many ways the private sector is ahead of the charity sector. This is true when it comes to reaching out to diverse communities, creating inclusive workplaces that attract the best talent, as well as retaining and developing people based solely on merit.
Inevitably, there are always going to be questions we need to keep asking of ourselves within the charity sector. What kind of organisations do we aspire to be? How do we want to be embedded in our local communities? How representative are we of the communities we serve? How can we make our fundraising teams as diverse and inclusive as possible? How do we care for and support our teams of staff and volunteers? And of course, how do we continue to deliver excellent fundraising for our supporters and beneficiaries?
The key is to never think we found the answer and stick to it. We have to continue to pay attention to how society is changing around us and challenge ourselves, not just in relation to our vision of what we want to achieve but also how we want to get there.
That is the same for us at the IoF, as it is for one of our largest charities in the UK or for a small local charity. The continued restlessness to always do better for our causes should be equally applied to the way in which we pursue those objectives.
Peter Lewis is chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising
Essex has been awarded a “game-changing” National Lottery grant of £10.68 million from Sport England to increase activity levels across Essex. The three-year plan will tackle the inequalities that prevent 391,600 people in Essex from enjoying the physical, social and mental health benefits of an active lifestyle.
The successful bid was made by the Essex Local Delivery Pilot (Essex LDP), which is led by the Essex Health and Wellbeing Board, Active Essex, and more than 20 partner organisations.
It is accepted that previous approaches to tackling stubborn inactivity have had mixed results and not been sustainable, so the Essex plan focuses on doing things differently and challenging the root causes of inactivity.
Essex’s exciting plans include:
Getting local passionate people involved, who want to create activities in their areas
Creating active parks, coastal paths and new walking and cycling routes
Easy access small grants and support for community projects
Investing in successful voluntary groups and charities to scale up their activities
Training people in voluntary as well as paid roles, creating thousands of new volunteers, leaders and coaches
Brightening up buildings, streets and parks to make them attractive places to be active
World class measurement and evaluation which will be shared UK-wide
Free resources to help charities promote and engage with donors in the digital world
Social platforms, media networks and your very own website are amongst the most popular and effective ways of raising awareness of your charity, whilst allowing users to engage with your organisation, with ease. There is an abundance of digital solutions to help maximise your online potential, but knowing where to start can be confusing. It can be difficult to get an overview of what’s effective. We investigated and found notable services that are useful and free for charities for you to tap into.
Google Ad Grants gives charities up to $10,000 per month for in-kind advertising on Google, allowing your advertisements to be seen by your target audience. The creator of the ad then has complete control of where it can be seen, whether that’s locally or internationally.
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are still some of the top social media platforms when it comes to amount of users. Being present on social media is becoming an increasing crucial thing for your charity. Using social media connects with your donors and beneficiaries easily and helps promote your cause. You can post updates for your donors and let them know where and how their donations are being spent. Facebook introduced a range of Charitable Giving tools, like a donate button which allows users to make donations through their platform. It’s also free (for now). Charities using Facebook’s payment platform to process donations pay no fee. Facebook also offers courses through Facebook Business, which teaches you how to be more successful with their platform (much of the learning they offer is transferrable to the charity world).
Instagram is also working on introducing a donate button via their Instagram stories function that appeared in the last year – so watch that space.
Read this NCVO blog on how to make the most out of Twitter to promote your cause and increase your income from online fundraising.
Pressat
Press releases can give your cause instant exposure to the media, increase the effectiveness of your marketing plans and drive traffic to your website. Pressat is a commercial press agency, but it allows charities to send out press releases for free. Simply sign up with them and submit your press release to be distributed.
Media Trust
Media Trust is a communications charity that works with the media and communication industry to help other charities. They connect industry professionals with charities around specific projects through skills-based volunteering. They also provide media and communication training courses for charities. In addition with capacity building programmes for marginalised communities and empowering young people from diverse backgrounds to work in media.
CAST
CAST works with non-profits when it comes to anything digital. They support you in building your organisation’s digital capacity. Their 12 week Fuse programme helps charities to develop digital products or services to take to pilot. They also help charities develop their own digital solutions through their Design Hop workshops. CAST also offers training on how to learn more about your audience; testing ideas to end-to-end service plans, and uncovering financial value and sustainability of your digital services.
Check out our training courses on fundraising here.
As the digital world keeps advancing, charities need to be able to reach potential donors through different platforms
Technology seems to be advancing every day. Charities are aware they need technology to keep going. This applies more so to fundraising activity. The increased use of contactless payments via cards and phones also has an impact on charity fundraising and how donations are processed. The world is going more and more ‘paperless’ and ‘cashless.’ But this also provides new options for people who want to donate to your charity.
With so many areas affected by digital change, it can be a daunting task to start. Having someone be a digital lead, either on the board of trustees or among charity staff can help. But here are some affordable solutions which can be quickly applied and help you ease into the topic.
Setting up our own online fundraising page
One obvious way for smaller charities is to include a donate button on their website or any social media platform they use. This button transfers people to a ‘make a donation’ page. You can add this feature to your charity’s website by using nowdonate.com, which is completely free for charities. They help charities process donations through the tools they provide.
Consumers can donate to you when making purchases online
A significant example that made headlines recently was AmazonSmile. Users can select from a list of charities that have enrolled in the programme. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price of purchases to the selected charities. Since its start, over 2000 charities have signed up to it.
There is also a range of apps that allow users to donate to various charities when making everyday purchases. ‘Give as you live’ works with registered charities and is completely free for those charities. They offer charities their own join page, marketing toolkit to help spread awareness to supporters, and a personal account manager. ‘Pennies’ is a completely free way of collecting donations that works online. They allow donors to top up any purchases they make and having the difference be donated. This allows donations to be made anywhere whether online or in a store that has partnered with your charity. It’s a simple check box when people are making a payment that is completely optional for users. ‘Virgin Money Giving’ gives you tools to create fundraising, in-memory, and campaign and appeal pages, as well as donate buttons for websites and allows you to manage your own data. However, it is not free. It charges a £100 + VAT set up fee and 2% commission on donations, as well as credit/debit card fees.
Crowdfunding and match funding for smaller charities
Platforms like The Good Exchange and Localgiving can help many smaller charities to raise funds online.
The Good Exchange connects projects requiring funding with funders via a transparent matching system using a single application form. Each project can also receive crowdfunding and some of the donors offer match-funding grants which allows charities to receive double the number of funds. Their services are completely free. You just need to fill out an application.
Localgiving is an online fundraising platform especially for local charities. This platform offers a range of services, such as setting up a fundraising page, match funding campaigns, crowdfunding for projects and help with setting up local business partnerships. It comes with some additional benefits for small charities. It is the only online giving platform that allows unregistered charities and community groups to benefit from Gift Aid. They also offer free training workshops, webinars and resources such as teaching online fundraising and digital marketing. Joining the Localgiving network costs £80 + VAT and there is a 5% commission on online donations.
Text donations
DONATE allows charities to send texts with a key word to donors which can text back to make a donation from £1 to £30. It’s completely free for charities to use as there aren’t any monthly charges and donors can do it as a one-time option or opt for a monthly donation.
Donr offers text donations and secure donations via smartphones by using your debit/credit card or via Apple Pay and Google Pay. It offers support for charities to help promote their cause get donations. There are no joining fees or monthly fees but they do charge 5% per donation (plus card processing fees).
Online fundraising platforms that offer integrated online payment systems
KindLink is an online payment platform that shows donors the impact of their donations and allows charities to organise supporters, donations and beneficiary records in one platform. It is a free online payment system for charities which only charges 1.3% flat in bank fees and no other cost for managing your donations.
Charity Checkout helps is charity payment solution that enables small and medium size charities to accept donations online. It has over 3,000 registered charities and allows for building your own website with your fundraising in mind and collecting donations online. They offer up a two-thirds discount for small charities, however, they do have a fee starting at £20/month plus 5% on donations.
Researching for funds online has become easier
Funds Online is also a good place to go when seeking places to receive funds. With combining the four previous websites into one, it makes it easier to find the funds you are looking for. Up to 8,000 funders giving £8 billion, all on one website. Funds Online combines data from four previous funding websites – Trustfunding.org.uk, Governmentfunding.org.uk, Companygiving.org.uk and Grantsforindividuals.org.uk – all into one website.
Essex’s first ever Fire and Rescue Plan was officially launched on Friday 1 March, setting out the vision and priorities for the delivery of fire and rescue services in Essex.
The plan runs from 2019 to 2024 and is the basis on which Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) holds Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to account for its performance. The document mirrors the Police and Crime Plan, which sets the priorities for policing in Essex.
It is not only a first for Essex, but is the first Fire and Rescue Plan in the country produced by a Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Roger said: “I have developed this plan with input from all of those groups and individuals who work in, alongside and with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. The priorities in the plan reflect what the people of Essex expect from their fire and rescue service.”
The eight priorities are:
• Enhance prevention, protection and response
• Promote a positive culture in the workplace
• Develop and broaden the roles and range of activities undertaken by the Service
• Help the vulnerable to stay safe
• Collaborate with our partners
• Be transparent, open and accessible
• Improve safety on our roads
• Make best use of our resources.
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Lauren Weymouth
18/02/19
Charity leaders’ membership body ACEVO and Centre for Mental Health have partnered to research bullying among leadership in the third sector.
The project, Leading safe cultures: eliminating workplace bullying in charity leadership, aims to understand the conditions in which bullying occurs in the charity sector, its effects on individuals and why bullying can continue for significant periods of time unchecked.
It has been funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as part of a wider programme called ‘Protecting people from harm’, which was launched in response to reports of sexual exploitation within the third sector last year.
The project calls for people who feel able to share their experiences to complete a confidential online questionnaire, and are also seeking to conduct in-depth interviews with individuals who have experienced bullying in the sector.
It will focus on bullying that has taken place within the last five years, with a specific focus on the role of leadership and culture in bullying behaviour.
“Bullying unfortunately occurs in all kinds of workplaces; it is not a problem specific to the charity sector,” ACEVO chief executive Vicky Browning said.
“However, in order to address it effectively within our sector we need to shine a light on it. This self-reflection will not always be comfortable but it is necessary to build a stronger sector, and more importantly to ensure the wellbeing of the staff and volunteers without whom charities would be unable to achieve their mission.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Centre for Mental Health, which is an expert at conducting high quality, impactful research in a way that is supportive of participants’ emotional wellbeing.”
Centre for Mental Health CEO Sarah Hughes added: “Bullying in any setting is a major cause of poor mental health as well as undermining an organisation’s performance. We are pleased to be working with ACEVO to bring about a greater understanding of what puts people at risk of bullying and what can be done to change this. Facing up to this sensitive topic is essential to support charities to prevent and tackle bullying at work in what are often difficult circumstances.”
You can respond to the survey here. All responses will be treated confidentially.
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Charity Times staff writer
11/02/19
Instagram has announced it will be launching a new tool, allowing people to donate through Instagram stories.
The announcement was made at the Facebook Community Summit at the company’s HQ last week. The tool hasn’t yet been rolled out but is due to be implemented in the coming months.
Users of the picture-led social media platform will be able to support a charity by adding a ‘donation sticker’ to their Instagram stories.
The one-click sticker is designed to encourage followers to click through to a charity or non-profit of their choice and donate to a good cause.
The announcement follows an announcement made by Facebook in November last year, which said people had raised over $1bn for charities through Charitable Giving on Facebook.
“Last November, we announced that people raised over $1 billion for nonprofit organizations through Charitable Giving on Facebook,” Facebook said in a statement.
“Later this year, Instagram will bring the ability for people to support nonprofits that are important to them through a donation sticker in Instagram Stories.”
Thirteen local charities working with some of the most vulnerable women and girls in Essex have received a much-needed funding boost from the Tampon Tax Community Fund.
The Fund, which was set up by the Government with money raised through the levy on sanitary products, is managed locally by the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
Grants totalling £85,000 have been awarded to local voluntary and community organisations to help them develop or expand their work with women of all ages, focussing on preventative services for those at risk of crisis.
Projects receiving support in this first round of grants are aimed at helping women and girls to improve their health and wellbeing, create and develop social networks and get into or back to work.
Among the organisations to receive funding are:
Parents 1st: £7,800 to run a ‘pregnancy pals’ project in Basildon that provides vulnerable pregnant women with a volunteer for support.
Open Road: £5,800 to help women on probation from prison across Essex to rebuild their lives and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Ark Family Resource Centre: £6,194 to expand their support service for women and families in Harwich that have experienced domestic abuse.
Home-Start Essex: £5,381 to expand a peer support group for mothers in Harlow. (pictured, right)
Southend Vineyard: £8,336 towards the salary of an outreach worker to help women exit the sex industry.
Southend Vineyard will use their grant of £8,336 to employ an outreach worker for ‘The Promise Project’. This community-based scheme runs a drop-in service for women and girls who are being exploited through prostitution, providing a safe place where they can have a warm meal and receive support.
Rob Carvosso, the Project Manager, said: “Southend Vineyard has been working with the local community for over 23 years. During the drop-in, we offer a range of support including making appointments at sexual health clinics, referrals to counselling and other recovery treatments for drug and alcohol abuse.”
Home-Start Essex was awarded £5,381 to expand a peer support group for mothers in Harlow focussed on improving their mental and physical wellbeing. Nic O’Brien, chief executive, said: “We offer a range of activities including art therapy, sessions on mindfulness, information about healthy eating and importantly, group discussions on any issues they are facing.
“We also provide a crèche where the children can play, allowing the mothers time to focus on their own wellbeing and forge valuable friendships.”
Parents 1st received £7,800 to continue their ‘pregnancy pals’ project for vulnerable women in Basildon. This includes exercise classes to promote a healthy lifestyle and pairing women with volunteers for support during pregnancy, labour and the first few months of their baby’s life.
Celia Suppiah, chief executive of the charity, said: “It can be incredibly daunting to have a baby when you don’t have a support system. The women we help, due to a range of circumstances, may feel isolated and unsure of where to turn to for help. Having just one person in their corner that they can talk to, makes a huge difference to their emotional and physical wellbeing.
“Our peer support scheme builds positive, trusting relationships where women can feel valued and listened to, rather than judged for their circumstance.”
Caroline Taylor, chief executive of ECF, said: “The grants awarded from the Tampon Tax Community Fund will enable these 13 voluntary organisations to expand and increase the support they offer to some of the most marginalised and vulnerable women and girls who are living in communities across Essex.
“We know there are many other local charities offering support to women and girls and we would encourage them to contact us if they have are in need of funding.”
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Lauren Weymouth
30/01/19
The majority of charities are ill-prepared for a no-deal Brexit and must do everything in their power to prevent it, new research has found.
A new survey conducted by Charity Finance Group found over a third of charities (38%) have made no preparations at all for a no-deal Brexit and just 8% are fully aware of the impact it will have on their charity.
The research found the majority of charities lack adequate preparations for a no-deal scenario – of the charities that responded, 83% said they have made little or no preparation.
According to the findings, the lack of preparedness was due primarily to a lack of understanding around the outcomes of a no-deal Brexit.
CFG found the vast majority (92%) had either a partial understanding or no understanding about what a no-deal outcome would mean to their charity.
When asked what their biggest concerns about a no-deal Brexit were, most respondents pointed to the lack of certainty.
“It is not surprising, but is worrying, that charities are ill-prepared for a no deal exit – the level of uncertainty has made organisational planning in this respect incredibly difficult,” CFG chief executive, Caron Bradshaw said.
“This level of unprecedented uncertainty, volatility and predicted economic disruption coupled with the non-tariff considerations, from workers’ rights to regulatory complexity, presents too great a risk to the UK and thus to civil society,” she said.
“So we call on all parties to prioritise the most vulnerable in our society, and do everything within their power to prevent a no-deal Brexit.”
CFG claims to have scrutinised the current withdrawal agreement and has called for MPs to vote against it in January’s vote, concluding that UK charities worse off than if remaining in the EU.
It claims a no-deal Brexit would be “the worst possible outcome” for civil society.
Originally published by charitytimes: www.charitytimes.com
Written by Charity Times
25/01/19
Charities need to work to address the ‘structural barriers’ preventing people from volunteering, particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, a new report has revealed.
The report, Time Well Spent, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the NCVO, found diversity continues to be an issue among volunteers, with those from middle class backgrounds almost 50% more likely to have volunteered in the last 12 months than those from working class backgrounds.
“Those from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to say they have never been involved in volunteering, and those who have are less likely to be in certain leadership or representative roles, like being a trustee,” the report said.
“Research on volunteering, and on participation more broadly, consistently indicates that inequalities of resources and power mean that some people are more likely to be excluded from certain activities.”
The survey also found older people were more likely to volunteer than younger people. However, it revealed a higher number of 18-24 year olds found volunteering to be a good way of combatting isolation.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the NCVO, said: “Volunteering can be truly transformative for people’s lives. It reduces isolation, improves confidence, provides new experiences, improves employment prospects and fundamentally it’s deeply rewarding. But sadly, those who stand to benefit the most from volunteering are less likely to be involved.
“Institutions – charities and the public sector – need to take a hard look at themselves and think about what barriers they may inadvertently be creating.
“In particular, we need to make sure it’s easy to start volunteering. Our research suggests young people have higher expectations of the process being simple and quick than older people.
“We know that building stronger connections within communities helps people live healthier, more satisfying lives, and takes pressure off public services.”
The report revealed one of the main barriers for those who have never volunteered is that they have never thought about it, highlighting the need for charities to raise awareness about volunteering and the benefits of getting involved.
“But providing opportunities that resonate with people’s own lives and aspirations, and ensuring they can shape the way they get involved are as important as raising awareness,” the report said.
Overall, the survey found 69% of respondents had volunteered at some point in their life. Of those who had volunteered, it found 38% have done so in the past year.