EUConsult Information Service
2007 June
»
News / Resources
Sector News/Resources
- Fundraising Ireland - a new network for fundraisers in Ireland
On 20 June the new network for fundraisers in Ireland - Fundraising Ireland - will be launched in Dublin. The event has been designed to maximise networking opportunities amongst fundraisers as well as to learn more about, and contribute to, the early development of Fundraising Ireland. EUConsult board member Mary O’Kennedy will give the opening session of the event.
The objectives for the first year are:
- To provide a networking organisation for fundraisers and those associated with fundraising to meet and discuss issues of shared interest.
- To organise 3 networking and discussion group meetings for fundraisers.
- To circulate information about existing and newly formed special interest fundraising groups and to work with these groups to support their existence and inform others about them.
- To seek funding to carry out a feasibility study for developing 'Fundraising Ireland' as an ongoing entity and to complete a business plan.
If you are interested in joining the email listing for Fundraising Ireland please contact danielle(at)wheel.ie.
- New Giving Alliance Gives US Philanthropy a Global Network.
On May 23, 2007, three leaders in international grantmaking announced the Alliance for International Giving, created to help donors easily connect with local, reputable, high-impact charitable groups on multiple continents. The Alliance offers U.S. donors a one-stop-shop for trusted, quality philanthropic services spanning the globe. It brings together three premium providers of donor-advised international giving services: Give2Asia (for gifts to Asia), the King Baudouin Foundation United States (for gifts to Europe and Africa), and the Resource Foundation (for gifts to Latin America).
King Baudouin Foundation / Alliance for International Giving brochure
- Study shows that good health is tied to volunteering
Volunteering is a good way to help others, but a new study says it's also a good way to improve your health and extend your life. Through a review of existing research, the Corporation for National and Community Service says it has identified strong connections between volunteering and physical and mental health. "The Health Benefits of Volunteering" analyzed the findings of more than 30 studies, focusing on those that delve into the relationships between volunteering and physical and mental well-being. People who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who don't, the report says, even when controlling for factors like gender, age, socio-economic status and physical health. Volunteering also tends to boost individuals' sense of purpose and accomplishment, the study says, and the social networks developed through volunteering can help lower stress and diminish disease risk. The benefits are more pronounced for people age 60 and older than for younger volunteers, the study says.
Philanthropy Journal / The Health Benefits of Volunteering
- Google Grants offers free advertising to NPOs throughout Europe
Google Grants provides eligible organisations with free keyword advertising for at least three months using Google AdWords to connect directly with target audiences. Through simple, short text ads that run on Google, people can learn about the organisation online as they are searching for related information.
- Major donor threatens to withhold donation from Museum of Art Bern
Philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, who had pledged SFr20 million towards a new department for contemporary art at the Art Museum in Bern, disliked the planned extension building so much that he had threatened to withhold his promised donation. The major donor and the museum have now reached a compromise and Hansjörg Wyss will continue his support of the project, allocating SFr12 million of his total donation for the building. However, current estimates are that the building will actually cost SFr16-18 million, so that additional funding is still required.
NZZ Online (in German)
- Whitewater wins Médecins sans Frontieres donor acquisition account
The London-based agency Whitewater has added to its stable of new accounts with medical relief charity Médecins sans Frontières which has appointed the direct marketing agency to handle the creative execution of its new recruitment drive with a budget of £1.4m. Médecins sans Frontières needed new creative input to develop powerful campaigns that are true to MSF's mission, values and spirit. According to MSF head of fundraising James Kliffen: "The generation of 'baby boomers' are increasingly important to charities like Médecins sans Frontières. Whitewater's understanding of this audience and of the work MSF volunteers do will prove invaluable in our drive to recruit new people to support us." Whitewater will be producing media inserts, cold mail, doordrops, press advertisements and online creative executions.
- European Foundation Centre and US Council on Foundations release Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy
The European Foundation Centre (EFC) and the US Council on Foundations (COF) have announced the release of the jointly developed Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy. Voluntary and aspirational, the Principles and accompanying Practices aim to guide and support funders in making better decisions in pursuing their international missions and objectives, and to provide a framework that will encourage and assist more foundations to get involved internationally.
“The joint Principles of Accountability are testimony to a new age that is being ushered in of greater accountability and responsiveness on the part of foundations,” said Gerry Salole, Chief Executive of the EFC. “The era of ‘trust us, we do good stuff’ is rightly drawing to a close, and an era of greater scrutiny and coordinated self-governance is emerging. It is very significant that this sea change is occurring on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time and that the foundation sector at large, through its membership associations, are taking a pivotal first step in a joint response to an increasingly globalised environment in which we all operate.”
The Principles are the result of a two-year collaborative effort of a 14-member EFC-COF working group. With international philanthropy growing rapidly in both Europe and the US, along with other forms of cross-border cooperation, it was designed in response to donors’ search for guidance on how to ensure that their international philanthropy is conducted in an accountable, transparent and responsible manner. The document encompasses seven concise Principles based on an identified set of core values that foundations should aspire to embrace.
EFC / Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy
- Tate woos US patrons with cocktails at 10 Downing Street
The Tate’s US fundraising organisation is inviting supporters who spent at least $25,000 booking tables at a gala dinner in New York on 8 May to have drinks with the British Prime Minister and his wife in London on 16 June. All of the money raised by the dinner will be used to purchase art for the Tate. Those who have secured tables and an invitation to 10 Downing Street include Latin America’s richest man, Carlos Slim Helu, the Mexican telecoms tycoon whose fortune is estimated at $30 billion.
Tate received its first major private funding for the acquisition of US art in 1987 when the late Sir Edward Manton set up an endowment, today worth $30m. The American Patrons of Tate was set up in New York in 1999. To date it has raised some $45.6m for the London gallery. According to the Patrons’ Director, around $10m of this has been used for the purchase of contemporary art by US artists. The American Patrons of Tate raised $18m of the $33m provided by US donors towards the opening of Tate Modern in 2000, 25% of the total private funding raised for the conversion of the former power station on the River Thames. However, some US museum directors are struggling to match the fund-raising efforts of the American Patrons of the Tate. (Read more in The Art Newspaper.)
- Charity Bank, the only not-for-profit bank in the UK, is intending to more than double in size in the next five years
It is undertaking a major capital initiative so that it can deliver a sustainable fundraising regime for social enterprises and voluntary organisations. At the organisation’s AGM chief executive Malcolm Hayday said the bank had achieved overall growth rate of just under five per cent during 2006 and increased net lending by 50 per cent to £16.4m. An increase in loan enquiries of more than £100m showed that “borrowing is clearly becoming a mainstream source of finance for many charities and social enterprises,” said Hayday. “This reflects a broader change in the way that they manage their finances and underlines why we need to expand to meet this need.” As well as the expansion plans, the bank is to undergo a structural reorganisation which will involve the development of a more widespread regional network to create closer on-the-ground working relationships with loan applicants, investors, depositors and other stakeholders.
- Art Basel
Art 38 Basel takes place from 13–17 June 2007. The international art show features about 300 leading art galleries from 30 countries on all continents. Art Basel is the world's premier modern and contemporary art fair. 20th and 21st century art works by over 2000 artists will be on display. 55'000 art collectors, art dealers, artists, curators and art lovers attend the annual meeting place of the art community.
- Management consultant to head up Macmillan
Macmillan Cancer Support in the UK has chosen former management consultant Ciaran Devane as its new chief executive. Devane, who is new to the charity sector, joins Macmillan from international management consultancy firm Gemini Consultancy where he was head of their Life Sciences Practice. Jamie Dundas, Macmillan’s chairman of trustees, said: “The board is delighted to announce this appointment. Ciaran has a wealth of relevant experience and a real passion for Macmillan’s work. We are confident that under his leadership Macmillan will achieve its ambitious aim to support every person affected by cancer in the UK.”
After a degree in biochemical engineering at University College, Dublin, Devane went to the United States where he gained a masters degree in International Policy from George Washington University in Washington DC.
He spent eight years at global conglomerate ICI, before joining Gemini Consultancy where he worked for seven years. He has also served as a chairman of the Pavilion Housing Association in Aldershot.
- Clinton Climate Initiative Launches Energy Efficiency Program
The William J. Clinton Foundation has announced the creation of the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit program, a project of the Clinton Climate Initiative. The initiative will bring together four of the world's largest energy service companies, five of the world's largest banks, and sixteen of the world's largest cities to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings. The program is the first CCI has organized with partner cities in the London-based C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, an association of major cities that have agreed to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cities participating in the first round of retrofits are Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Houston, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York City, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toronto. Urban areas are responsible for approximately 75 percent of all energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions; in cities such as New York and London the figure is close to 70 percent.
- Acevo monitoring governance in the UK
The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations has launched a major inquiry into standards of governance in the UK third sector, from the perspective of chief executives. In 2003 the acevo research study, Rethinking Governance, revealed that most boards lacked key skills and a commitment to improving their own performance. However, the publication also showed a considerable appetite among CEOs for a more professional approach to governance.
98% of acevo members supported the idea of a code of governance for the sector. In partnership with NCVO, the Charity Commission and other key bodies, acevo developed and published the sector’s first code last year. 68% of CEOs also supported the idea of undertaking a regular review of your governance through external experts.
There was less agreement about the sector’s governance structures. Chief executives narrowly favoured full board membership for themselves, but only one third of chairs agreed with them. A significant number of chief executives thought other senior managers should also have full trustee status. We have since campaigned to ensure greater flexibility for registered charities in determining a governance structure that suits them. Significant numbers of members have become executive trustees, and some have moved towards “unitary” boards that include several executives alongside non-executives.
In other areas, progress has been disappointing. Only 27% of boards have instituted appraisal processes, and the recruitment of trustees has become more inward-looking than ever. 81% of large charities now rely on word-of-mouth to find new talent, rising from 68% in 2001.
- Networking event for trustees
The UK organisation Charity Trustee Networks will hold a networking lunch and lecture in London on Monday, 18 June. The event includes a number of morning and afternoon seminars and a keynote by Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission.
- NCVO’s board to shrink from 40 to 12
The National Council of Voluntary Organisations’ board of trustees may shrink from 40 to 12 trustees by the end of 2007 as part of a review of its governance sparked by its recent “significant growth”. Lynne Gregory, director of planning and resources at NCVO, is leading the review. She said: “The main thrust of the recommendations is a move from a board of 40 trustees, which is very large for any organisation, to 12, most of whom would be elected directly from the NCVO membership.
“The board would be accountable for the running of the organisation and an Assembly forum, with most members elected from the NCVO membership via the current electoral college system, would be created to advise the board on policy matters.” Final proposals will be voted on by all members at NCVO’s AGM in November 2007 and, if approved, transition to the new model will take place over the coming years.
The NCVO’s plans for 12 board members does not seem to reflect the advice given by the governance hub – of which the NCVO is the accountable body – on board size. The hub quotes Charity Commission advice in its own guidelines: “No set rule on board size has been established so far but there are different perspectives. Charity Commission’s perspective on board size is ‘between three and nine trustees is adequate. Boards should not be too large otherwise decision-making becomes difficult. They should not be too small otherwise they have an unfair burden of work and too few skills and perspectives’.”
