The UK's leading title for the voluntary and not-for-profit sector. Home of the Third Sector Podcast:
podfollow.com/thirdsector/viewA charity in administration that provided employment opportunities for disabled people is facing claims of almost £4m, a report concludes
Charity in administration facing claims of almost £4m
The organisation, which provided employment opportunities for disabled people, went into administration in March
Counsellors at a mental health charity claiming to be underpaid by “thousands of pounds a year” have staged a walkout
Counsellors at mental health charity walk out in pay dispute
They claim they are being underpaid by ‘thousands of pounds a year’; the charity says pay was set as part of the contract under which it delivers the service
A union has pledged to “leave no stone unturned” in the fight to save jobs and improve pay at the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, after the infrastructure body put 20 per cent of its workforce at risk of redundancy
Union pledges to ‘leave no stone unturned’ in fight to save jobs at SCVO
Pay negotiations at the infrastructure body are ongoing, the union says
A community support charity is under investigation after reports of financial and managerial irregularities by a trustee, police have said
Community support charity closes while police examine claims of ‘financial irregularities’
The local infrastructure body says it has been supporting That Place in the Bay
“Record growth” has seen legacy income rise by 9 per cent in just a year, according to new research
‘Record growth’ as legacy income rose to £4.5bn last year, report finds
The number of gifts to charity reached an estimated 145,000 in 2024
Charities have criticised the international development minister’s “dangerous” assertion that UK aid positions the government as a “global charity”, saying UK aid should “never be seen as handouts”
Charities criticise development minister’s ‘dangerous’ comments on UK aid
The backlash comes after Baroness Jenny Chapman likened UK aid to ‘global charity’
Nabs, which supports the mental wellbeing of workers in the UK advertising, media and marketing industry, has rebranded to better position itself as a “friendly guide” to the sector
Industry wellbeing charity rebrands to become ‘friendly guide’ to advertising sector
The rebrand includes a new logo, bright colour palette and an illustration style
The Charity Commission has launched a major probe after more than 100 charities were found to have been involved in cashing cheques worth £22m
Regulator launches probe after more than 100 charities cashed cheques worth £22m
The Charity Commission has opened a class inquiry into 10 of the organisations; others are expected to be added to the investigation
"Instead of giving people rights to participate which can realistically be exercised by the usual well-engaged groups, what about focusing on the resources necessary for participation?"
John Mohan: Would paid volunteering leave increase participation levels?
The notion has been brought up in a report from Power to Change
The charity Become has revamped its logo as part of a major rebrand
Become unveils ‘bold’ rebrand to boost its campaigning efforts
The charity’s new logo takes inspiration from protest placards
The Charity Commission has refreshed its trustee recruitment guidance to help charities connect with a broader range of candidates and remove barriers to trusteeship
Regulator updates trustee recruitment guidance to help charities widen their candidate pools
Organisations should consider conducting a skills audit of their board, the commission urges
Pro Bono Economics has changed its name to better reflect its broader impact while retaining its roots and mission to improve wellbeing in the UK
Pro Bono Economics changes its name
The charity says its previous brand identity made it difficult to explain its purposes
A local infrastructure charity is set to close due to changes to commissioning and funding structures that have caused an unsustainable financial strain
Local infrastructure charity to close
The council for voluntary service says commissioning changes have placed it under unsustainable financial strain
The former chief executive of Wellbeing Scotland has been appointed to lead Money Advice Scotland
Former childhood abuse charity chief to lead Money Advice Scotland
Janine Rennie will assume the post in June
"When the road ahead gets too rough, we need to explore the ones less travelled" -
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: What if the ‘road ahead’ continues to degrade?
Now is the time to start opening up those conversations, if you haven’t already
The majority of small charities and community groups are not using artificial intelligence in their work, research has revealed
Nearly 80 per cent of small charities are not using AI, research finds
The most common barrier to AI adoption was a lack of technical skills, report says
People who are disqualified as charity trustees in Scotland will automatically be banned from holding senior management roles, the regulator has announced
Trustee disqualification in Scotland extended to cover management roles
The legislation will come into effect in the summer
Assembly members have been urged to back a bill that would allow large society lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland – a change that could yield millions of pounds for charities
Consultation launches on bill that could generate millions for Northern Irish charities
The People’s Postcode Lottery estimates the change could bring in more than £7m per year
Trustees at a substance abuse rehabilitation charity had “poor understanding of their duties and little insight into the charity’s financial situation”, the regulator has found
Trustees had ‘poor understanding’ of their duties, regulator finds
The charity’s trustees say they have appealed against the appointment of an interim manager by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has put 20 per cent of its workforce at risk of redundancy, Third Sector understands
SCVO puts 20 per cent of jobs at risk
The cuts come after a voluntary redundancy process failed to deliver sufficient savings
Louise Wright has been appointed to lead the visible difference charity Changing Faces
Sight-loss charity chief to lead Changing Faces
Louise Wright has experience leading three disability and health charities
🎧 New podcast episode!
@lrouse.bsky.social and
@andyricketts.bsky.social hear how the National Migraine Centre pivoted to a social enterprise model to remain viable in the face of declining voluntary income.
With Dan Tickle &
@peterholbrook.bsky.social @socialenterpriseuk.bsky.social
Third Sector Podcast: How a pivot to social enterprise solved one small charity’s funding woes
Lucinda and Andy hear from the chiefs of the National Migraine Centre and Social Enterprise UK
As charities face a perfect storm of economic turmoil, higher costs and funding challenges, many are reviewing their structures.
@emilyharle.bsky.social finds out how an effective restructuring process can help navigate choppy waters
Analysis: How to manage a restructure process
Emily Harle finds out how charities can best navigate the choppy waters that many find themselves in
The government should give workers the statutory right to request time to volunteer to help overcome civil society participation barriers, according to a new report
Give workers statutory right to request time to volunteer, report recommends
The move would increase civil society participation and boost democratic trust, researchers say
Brighton Pride will use an independent organisation to distribute funds raised for charities after the regulator opened a case into the previous charity distributor
Brighton Pride to use new body to distribute charitable funds after investigation
The Charity Commission has an ongoing compliance case into the Brighton Rainbow Fund, which gave or loaned about £280,000 of charity funds to companies run by its former chair
The chief executives of Macmillan Cancer Support and Mind are among the charity leaders booked to speak at Third Sector’s flagship conference in London next month
Major charity leaders to headline Third Sector’s conference
The event takes place in central London on 18 and 19 June
Some of the most affluent places in the country are the least generous in terms of giving to charity, new research has found
Most affluent parts of the UK are the least generous, report finds
Despite being home to some of the least generous parliamentary constituencies, London has the highest levels of daily need, research shows
Our top stories last week included:
⚪️ Winners of the Business Charity Awards revealed
⚪️ Complaints against an RSPCA campaign rejected
⚪️ Creation of the UK’s largest community learning bank
The essential stories from the past week
The winners of the Business Charity Awards, complaints against an RSPCA advertising campaign and the ‘UK’s largest’ community learning bank all feature this week
The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to a Muslim think tank over “repeated breaches”, including its chair comparing Zionism with Nazism
Warning for Muslim charity whose chair compared Zionism with Nazism
The think tank also failed to file its accounts on time for five consecutive years
A conservation charity with links to Prince Harry said it “deeply regrets” the pain and suffering caused to victims after admitting human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of Congo
Conservation charity 'deeply regrets' human rights abuses committed by its rangers
The charity, which includes the Duke of Sussex on its board, says it is committed to rectifying the issues identified by an independent review
When I tell boards they should cc all in their communications with each other, the chair and the executive, I usually meet massive resistance - Debra Allcock Tyler
Debra Allcock Tyler: Why there's more to ‘cc all’ than clogging up your inbox
Not being included in comms is the equivalent of sitting in a meeting with a paper bag over your head and ear plugs in
Safer London has appointed Rosemary Watt-Wyness as its next chief executive following an eight-month stint as the charity’s interim chief operating officer
Former London Youth chief to take top job at violence prevention charity
Rosemary Watt-Wyness will step into the role next week
The awards, run by Third Sector, recognise the outstanding support given by businesses to UK charities and voluntary organisations
Winners of the Business Charity Awards revealed
The recipients were announced at a ceremony in central London
A major rewilding landscape claiming to be the largest in the UK has registered as an independent charity
‘UK’s largest’ rewilding landscape gains charitable status
Affric Highlands was registered as a Scottish charity on 16 April
A former charity director has pleaded guilty to eight charges including fraud and the transferring of criminal property worth more than £862,000 involving a defunct youth support charity
Former charity director admits £860,000 fraud
Wendy Macbean originally denied 25 charges against her but has now admitted eight of them
More than 80 charities have signed a pledge to include their salary information in their job adverts
More than 80 charities sign pledge to include salary in every job advert
The We Show the Salary campaign aims to improve transparency in recruitment processes among UK employers
The chief executive of the homelessness charity and housing provider Framework is to retire after almost 30 years in the role
Housing charity chief to retire after almost 30 years
Andrew Redfern will step down at the end of the year
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a community support charity over governance and financial management concerns related to at-risk property
Regulator probes community support charity
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the charity after concluding its property could be at risk
A charity-run restaurant staffed by people serving prison sentences is set to close because it is “no longer viable” in its current contractual format
Charity pulls out from restaurant scheme amid contract concerns
The Clink Charity says its restaurant at HMP Styal in Cheshire, which is staffed by people in prison with three to 24 months of their sentence left to serve, ‘is no longer viable at this time’
The Benefact Group has launched a £50,000 fund that will see grantees “pay it forward” by choosing other charities to benefit from the pot
New fund allows charities to ‘pay it forward’
The £50,000 fund puts grantmaking power in the hands of charities
The SCVO has welcomed the Scottish government’s commitment to multi-year funding but warned that it “must go further” to create a thriving voluntary sector
Infrastructure body urges Scottish government to ‘go further’ to create a thriving voluntary sector
The SCVO welcomes the government’s commitment to fairer funding but warns that more clarity is needed
The National Trust has defended its decision to decline leasing land for a £44m cable car and visitor centre project
National Trust defends decision to reject cable car project
The charity says it is concerned about the environmental impact on an already fragile habitat
"There is energy among younger audiences to create a fairer and just world, with a rising interest in global and national issues, activism and grassroots movements" -
@awarley.bsky.social
Adeela Warley: Inspiring the next generation of charity supporters
There is energy among younger audiences to create a fairer and just world
The Advertising Standards Authority has rejected complaints that an advertising campaign by the RSPCA misrepresented animal welfare standards in one of its subsidiaries
Regulator rejects complaints against RSPCA advertising campaign
The complainants claimed that the promotion misrepresented the welfare standards afforded to animals farmed under the RSPCA Assured scheme
The Story Museum has appointed the British Library’s head of cultural programmes as its next chief executive
British Library culture head appointed museum chief
Conrad Bodman will join the Story Museum in August
The National Lottery Community Fund has committed to building the “UK’s largest” community learning bank to share best practice with the voluntary sector
National Lottery Community Fund to build ‘UK’s largest’ community learning bank
The free online platform will share best practice with the voluntary sector
The WCVA hopes a revised code of practice for how the government works with charities will signal a “cultural change” in how public bodies fund the sector
Umbrella body hopes new code will signal ‘cultural change’ in public funding for charities
The Welsh government has published an updated Code of Practice for Funding the Third Sector, which has been simplified
Charities registered in Scotland will have to start submitting trustee information to the regulator as part of a move to promote transparency and strengthen public interest in the sector
Scottish charities told to start collecting trustee details
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator will require certain pieces of information on trustees from the summer
The Fawcett Society has appointed Penny East as its chief executive
Gender equality charity appoints new chief
Penny East brings 15 years of experience in the charity sector to the post
The Charity AI Taskforce has urged the government to engage the sector to boost the success of its AI action plan
@zoeamar.bsky.social @techforgoodcast.bsky.social
www.thirdsector.co.uk/government-w...
Government must work with charities on AI as a ‘matter of urgency’, taskforce says
The Charity AI Taskforce lays out ways the VCSE sector can support the government’s AI action plan
