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Economics lessons for charities
NPC’s Eibhlín Ní Ógáin talks to five experts about applying economic principles to the charity sector—and discovers that charities have a lot to learn.
Ian Hislop is a British satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the magazine Private Eye. He presented Ian’s Hislop’s Age of the Do-Gooders, recently broadcast on BBC2. Here he tells NPC about how a train journey across India inspired him to help children living on the streets.
PG Wodehouse is widely acknowledged as the greatest comic writer of the twentieth century. Less widely known is his insight into the perils of restricted funding for charities. Yet Wodehouse has a lesson about how donors should approach their giving.
NPC Blog
NEETs charities must work together to prove their worth
Posted 17 hours ago by Guest contributor
We need better giving, not just more
The UK is currently witnessing an abundance of campaigns to encourage wealthy individuals to give more to charity—but where’s the campaign to encourage them to give better, ask NPC’s Benedict Rickey and Plum Lomax?
‘I blame the Daily Mail for the riots’ says charity chief
Gracia McGrath, Chief Executive of the leading mentoring charity Chance UK, responds to the long-awaited report from The Riots Panel and looks at the role the media has played in demonising young people.
What can social finance learn from microfinance?
NPC’s Benedict Rickey turns the spotlight on social finance, asking what lessons we can learn from the troubles in the world of microfinance.
Don’t blame the government for the UK’s poor philanthropy
NPC’s Plum Lomax argues that we shouldn’t blame the government alone for the UK’s poor record on philanthropy. Others have a role to play too in changing the culture of giving…
Who cares about social impact analysis?
This year, the Social Impact Analysts Association (SIAA) is being created to support and connect people who are involved in analysing the impact of charities. But is social impact analysis always worthwhile?
Does NPC really help charities?
NPC is well known for its research and for the advice it gives to donors and funders. But we also offer services to charities. As part of a new series looking at NPC’s impact, Iona Joy asks one charity how our services measure up.
What government can do to promote giving by wealthy individuals
The government’s Giving Green Paper was launched during the goodwill period between Christmas and New Year and achieved some media coverage as a result, but interestingly not much response from the charity sector.
A fighting chance
For every pound invested in a charity that uses boxing to engage hard-to-reach kids, £3 is generated for society through higher future earnings and lower crime rates.
How cheap is free?
In a recent post on NPC’s blog, Angela Kail worries about the equation of volunteers with ‘free’.
From election rhetoric to reality for charities
After months of election mania, NPC reflects on the manifesto pledges from the main political parties regarding the charity sector.
Looking over the Atlantic for inspiration
As the new government works out its next steps, we cast our eyes over the Pond to see how the Obama administration used its 2008 election victory to change the way it works with the third sector.
Meet the expert: Richard Child at Paradigm Norton Financial Planning
Richard Child, Director of Paradigm Norton Financial Planning, says he doesn’t understand why more financial advisors aren’t taking the plunge and offering philanthropy advice.
How the US encourages philanthropic giving
Donor-advised funds are the fastest growing and most popular charitable vehicle in the US, holding almost $30bn in assets in 2007. Yet their potential remains largely
untapped in the UK. So what are donor-advised funds and why haven’t they gained popularity in the UK?
Go figure: Setting standards for reducing costs
Reducing the reporting burden on charities by just 25% by standardising monitoring requirements could save the taxpayer over £150m a year.
Creating new bonds for social impact
Social Impact Bonds are an innovative way of bringing philanthropists and government bodies together to tackle social problems. As part of NPC’s manifesto for social impact, we examine the benefits of the new scheme.
An inspiring partnership between philanthropists and politicians
Government and philanthropists share many common goals. Both aim to tackle difficult social problems like homelessness, healthcare or unemployment. So why is it so rare for them to form partnerships? NPC looks to Scotland for inspiration.
Looking forward to giving back: wishlists for the next decade
‘There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction,’ said Winston Churchill. We ask foundations, philanthropy advisors, charities and commentators in the charity sector about the changes they’d like to see in philanthropy and the charity world over the next decade.
Charity haiku competition
Before Christmas 2009 we ran a competition on our blog, calling for people to write their own haikus on the charity sector. The winning entry is below:
Meet the expert: Suzanne M. Reisman, Law Offices of Suzanne M. Reisman
Suzanne M. Reisman is admitted to practice in the US and is also a UK solicitor. She provides guidance on US and International Tax, Trust, Estate and Charitable Planning.
Looking back: philanthropy in the 21st century
Five experts in the field of philanthropy look back over the first ten years of the 21st century and tell us about some of the biggest changes they’ve seen.
Go figure: Understanding numeracy? Don’t count on it
NPC discovers a worrying lack of numbers means we can’t count the true costs of poor numeracy.
What does brand mean in the charity sector?
Ask people on the street to name some charities and the same super-sized names will probably crop up again and again. We ask charity brand expert Max du Bois what small charities can do to boost their brand.
If I ruled the world…how would I cut public spending?
With big public spending cuts inevitable, we ask charities to tell us where they believe the axe should fall.
How can membership charities overcome the governance challenge?
Paula Jones, former director of Age Concern London—a regional member of the Age Concern Federation, the UK’s largest charity working with and for older people—says membership and federated charities suffer unique problems in building strong boards to oversee their work.
Should charities run prisons?
The question of what role charities should play when working with private prisons is a hotly-debated topic. Here we ask two charities in the prison sector for their opinion.
Go figure: working with autism
By the time a child with autism celebrates their eighteenth birthday, £185,000 will have been spent on their education. Without the right support to move into employment, that investment will go to waste.
Valuing impact: Building an Association of Nonprofit Analysts
‘I think that this will be a significant meeting that will be looked back on as a turning point in philanthropy.’
Keynote speaker Matthew Bishop, Chief Business Writer/US Business Editor of The Economist
Do charities have a collective responsibility for underperforming organisations?
Jeremy Swain, Chief Executive of Thames Reach—a charity that aims to end street homelessness—asks how the sector should regulate underperforming charities.
Better off together
As charities show the strains of recession, the author of NPC’s recent report on mergers, John Copps, argues there can be a compelling case for charities to consider joining forces.
It's like your maths teacher said: "you get points for showing your workings"
NPC’s Chief Executive Martin Brookes argues that it isn’t enough simply for charities to tell us their impact; they should also share information about how they measure their achievements.