Public Affairs Blog

How can charities effectively manage properties to further their mission?

Leading property advice charity, the Ethical Property Foundation, has launched the Weston Property Manual. This free-to-use resource is divided into twelve sections, covering topics such as trustees roles and responsibilities, planning your project delivery, and everyday property management issues such as energy use and conservation.

Charity reserves are in focus more than ever – what have we learned?

Thee cost-of-living crisis and gloomy economic outlook are testing the operational endurance of charities, their adaptability, and financial resilience. The current inflationary environment is increasing costs, eroding donations, and increasing the number of people who rely on their services. The Bank of England is now expecting a prolonged recession – which likely means that the high levels of demand many charities are seeing will continue.

Why the aid budget should be restored to 0.7%

Those working in international development and their supporters will be looking at the Autumn Statement next week for an indication that the Government intends to increase foreign aid in the near future. Returning to the original goal of keeping spending at 0.7% of Gross National Income seems to become increasingly long-term goal, given the current economic climate and additional pressures on the public purse. 

Has the pandemic put a dent in charities' political engagement?

Charities play a central role in the public debate and enable supporters to advocate for wider policy change. However findings from the recently published UK Giving Report, which looks at donor behaviour, indicate that levels of political engagement declined in 2021. In this blog we dig into key factors behind this drop. 

The Queen’s Speech 2022: Will Government make use of opportunities to improve charities’ resilience?

The Queen’s Speech focused this year on the Government’s priority of containing public spending and controlling the deficit. The consequences of Covid spending and resulting pressures on the public purse are to be mitigated mainly through economic growth. Regional growth and addressing disparities across the UK featured heavily across the 38 bills included.

Why we need to make it easier to give across borders

The crisis in Ukraine has captured global attention – and people have responded with a deep desire to help refugees and support the charities delivering aid on the front lines. Yet the war layers on top of other ongoing global crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and conflicts in other regions. Read on to find out why we need to make it easier to give across borders.

What more can funders to do to help in Ukraine?

Despite the months-long build up, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the many scenes of devastation have shocked the world.  More than a month on, the UN estimates that 10 million civilians are thought to have fled from their homes, including 3.5 million who have sought refuge in other countries.Beyond the initial outpouring of generosity, many are now asking what more can be done. Here are some considerations for philanthropists wanting to do more.