Press releases
Senior pay in the charity sector - NCVO comment to The Times
Commenting for today’s Times story, Martyn Lewis, chair of NCVO, said:
Britain’s best-loved charities are serious, professional organisations responsible for raising and prudently spending hundreds of millions a year on their good work. For an average household name charity, less than one per cent of its spending goes on senior staff pay, which is a sensible amount in order to ensure the charity is well-run and effective. Their executive salaries are typically much smaller than for comparable roles in other sectors.
Read more: Senior pay in the charity sector - NCVO comment to The Times
NCVO comment on the National Citizen Service: Volunteering must not be compulsory
Following a call in today's Telegraph to make the National Citizen Service compulsory for 16-year-olds, NCVO's executive director of volunteering and development, Justin Davis Smith, commented:
'The National Citizen Service has the potential to make a significant positive contribution to young people's lives, and NCVO has broadly welcomed plans to expand it over the next few years.
'However, we are concerned about the impact compulsion could have on young people's attitudes towards volunteering and what this might mean for their engagement in the longer term. The programme is increasingly being positioned as a staging post on a journey of social engagement for young people; it would be short-sighted to assume that making it compulsory would be an improvement and it could mean that young people miss out on the unique experience of volunteering and the benefits it can bring. Volunteering by its very nature has to be undertaken freely and any attempt to compel people to take part would fundamentally undermine this core principle. Rather than mandating people to take part we should be working to make the programme even more appealing, and to help young people design and develop a range of high-quality volunteering opportunities which will set them up for a lifetime of social action.
'Finally, the claim that charities would be 'unpatriotic' for not taking part in a compulsory scheme is nonsense. Charities are not political organisations; they have the right to defend the fundamental principle of volunteering without being accused of ulterior motives.'
Autumn statement 2015 – NCVO comment
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO:
We know that charities deliver effective and efficient public services. Even though public service spending cuts are less than expected, if current trends continue, cuts to voluntary sector delivery will be deeper than cuts overall. It's time for a major review of how public service markets work so that the expertise and skills of charities can be better used to benefit the public.
NCVO and the CIPD launch joint research calling for companies to collaborate with charities and make successful corporate volunteering a reality
65% of workers would choose employers that support volunteering, but businesses and charities aren’t working together
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, have today launched new research into employer-supported volunteering (ESV). The research found a lack of understanding between charities and companies about the costs and benefits involved in ESV, with some companies unwilling to contribute to the costs involved in hosting volunteers. Similarly, some of the businesses interviewed reported that charities often overlooked the additional benefits of a one-off placement, including the potential of sponsorship or support from the company in the future.
Lottery cash threat – charities’ warning
Charities are seeking urgent reassurances from government over a threat to Lottery cash for good causes.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), which represents charities in England, and the charity leaders' network, ACEVO, said that plans were being made to raid Lottery cash to make up for cuts in arts and sports budgets.
Fundraising regulator chair appointment - NCVO comment
Commenting on the appointment of Michael Grade, Lord Grade of Yarmouth, to chair the new fundraising regulator, Sir Stuart Etherington said:
Lord Grade is a substantial figure with the experience to drive through the changes that must be made. He is a highly experienced chair and he has a clear commitment to public service along with a strong understanding of marketing, not least from his seven years as chairman of Ocado. I have every confidence that under his leadership the new fundraising regulator will become the body it needs to be in order to secure public trust.
Kids Company Public Accounts Committee report – NCVO comment
Commenting on the PAC report on Kids Company, Karl Wilding, director of public policy at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said:
This report will make extremely frustrating reading for the thousands of charities who have to submit highly detailed plans in order to have a hope of funding, and who work very hard to produce honest and accurate assessments of the difference they make.
Read more: Kids Company Public Accounts Committee report – NCVO comment
A nation at ease with itself? Sir John Major’s speech at the Hinton lecture
Sir John Major's speech at the 18th annual Hinton lecture on 10 November 2015.
Read more: A nation at ease with itself? Sir John Major’s speech at the Hinton lecture
Charity fundraising self-regulation meeting
On 12 October the Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson MP and Sir Stuart Etherington co-hosted a meeting to discuss the implementation of the recommendations of Sir Stuart Etherington’s Review of Charity Fundraising Self-Regulation. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders in the sector including the Charity Commission, current regulators and representatives from charities.
NCVO and ACEVO agree joint work to promote voluntary sector
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) have agreed to work together to promote the positive impact of the voluntary sector. The decision was taken at a meeting last week of the chairs, vice-chairs and chief executives of the two umbrella organisations. This work is now underway.
Read more: NCVO and ACEVO agree joint work to promote voluntary sector
