Charities

There are nearly 200,000 registered charities in England, Wales and Scotland. They range in size from the very biggest household names like Oxfam, the National Trust and the Red Cross, through numerous schools and colleges, hospitals and trade benevolent societies, to small, regional funds perhaps to support a sick child or the victims of a local disaster. More than half have an annual income of less than £10,000.

The 2006 Charities Act is in the process of introduction, with some questions still to be answered about the meaning of the words ‘public benefit’. There is particular concern about their application to private education and health provision. The Charity Commission has stated that every charity will have to show that it is for the public benefit once this new requirement comes into force early in 2008. Currently the four key principles of public benefit are:

1. there must be an identifiable benefit

2. benefit must be to the public, or a justifiable section of the public

3. people on low incomes must be able to benefit

4. any private benefit must be incidental.

To qualify as a charity under the new legislation, an organisation will have to be involved with:

• poverty relief
• education
• religion
• health
• citizenship and community development
• culture, arts, heritage or science
• amateur sport
• human rights, conflict resolution, reconciliation, religious/racial harmony, equality and diversity
• environmental protection or improvement
• relief of need through youth, age, ill-health, disability financial hardship or other disadvantage
• animal welfare
• efficiency of the Armed Forces/Police/Fire & Rescue/Ambulance Services
• other charitable purposes recognised under existing charity law.

Other significant elements include new forms of Charitable Incorporated Organisations and Community Interest Companies, changes to the roles and operation of the Charity Commission, a new definition of religion, and new forms of reporting and accounts.

Annual total charitable income in England and Wales is more than £27 billion, 38 per cent of which comes from statutory sources. Total operating expenditure is £25 billion, and the sector has assets worth £67 billion. Less than 8 per cent (13,000) of charities in England and Wales share more than 90 per cent of this money with the top third of 1 per cent (551) sharing 46 per cent (£13 billion). Cancer Research UK is Britain’s most popular charity, with donations in the order of £250 million annually, while Bob Geldof’s Live Aid has raised £40 million for famine relief in Ethiopia. Well over 600,000 people work in paid employment in the UK’s voluntary sector, over 2 per cent of the workforce; with 60 per cent of these posts full-time and two-thirds filled by women.

Medium-sized charities are suffering at present as the big players deploy hard-nosed marketing and fundraising techniques, and the small ones tap into local knowledge and goodwill. Lottery funding is a lifeline for some, but many charities do not have access to it. Advertising, direct mail, telephone appeals and commercial trading have opened new areas of employment as charities become businesses to an extent that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. There are nasty and public turf wars when one charity attacks another for accepting a donation from a source of which it disapproves. Political pressure and lobbying at national or local level are undertaken as necessary, and there is sometimes a harder edge to campaigning than was usual in the past.

Some authorities speculate that charities are generally falling into disrepute and the lines between government responsibilities, local service providers and some charities grow ever more blurred, with compacts, contracts and agreements worth billions of pounds between them. Indeed, it may be argued that charities now delivery much of the welfare state, with this leading to greater government interference and regulation as to how charities conduct their affairs.

Cynics say that unless a charity is supporting one of the ‘three Cs’ – cancer, children or canines – it will inevitably struggle for funds, particularly given the large number of good causes competing for donations. And disasters like 2004’s Boxing Day Tsunami, African famine and the Pakistan earthquake, as well as extravaganzas like Live Aid, Live 8 and the annual Comic Relief Red Nose Day affect the nation’s ability or preparedness to support other causes.

It is also important to distinguish between the paid employees of a charity and its volunteers. The former generally cannot be members of its governing council, while some of the latter may be on the council, and all will have a view on its activities.

Charity management is not an easy job and often involves out-of-hours work. While it may be personally satisfying to serve a good cause and be motivated by something other than money, charities can be complex organisations with challenging ‘people issues’.

Charities in the Services

There are hundreds of Service-related charities. A number of Service people also become involved in the management of charities as part of their duties – acting as museum trustees, managing funds and running large fundraising occasions. Some Service people also wish to continue working for some higher cause when they leave, and a second career in charity management can help them to achieve it.

Employment in charities

Service charities are largely staffed by ex-Forces people, although some posts that require specific expertise are filled from external sources. Position and appointment may still be made on the basis of Service rank, but they are a significant source of employment at head office (often London) and regionally.

While very senior officers are still recruited to head up non-Service charities on the basis of their leadership, organisational and administrative skills, many now recruit people who can bring commercial experience to bear. The latter may also be looking for a more uplifting use for their talents. Opportunities for employment generally are reasonable and growing.

Skills and attributes that are important in charity employment include:

• interpersonal skills
• oral and written communication
• presentation, talking to groups of people
• persuasion, management and leadership
• self-confidence
• tact and patience
• negotiating
• organisation and administration
• numeracy for accounting and budgets
• drive, enthusiasm and commitment to the cause.

Apart from general and financial management, people thinking of working in a charity might consider:

• fundraising
• organising volunteers
• case working.

Fundraising managers are responsible for the various ways that charities collect money, and for organising staff and volunteers. In small charities, fundraising managers will probably run all the different revenue-collecting activities; in larger ones they may only be responsible for one or two. Methods of raising funds include:

• direct marketing
• corporate fundraising
• working with high-level donors
• promoting legacies
• regional fundraising
• trading
• special events.

Many fundraising managers are graduates and mature people who have previously worked in relevant areas like marketing, PR or sales. Working in other charities or as a volunteer are also ways to enter the profession. Some large charities have management training schemes consisting of a series of placements in different parts of the organisation. There are courses for beginners, and others for people with some experience.

Volunteer organisers recruit, train and manage unpaid volunteers. They interview, match candidates to vacancies, and organise training and ongoing support. They will probably supervise the volunteers in a geographical area so the work involves administration, budgets, record-keeping, report-writing, applying for grants and organising fundraising. Some posts are part-time, depending on the size and location of the charity. Entrants are often mature people with experience in other fields. Experience as a volunteer, organising people, committee work or fundraising can be an advantage. There are courses and qualifications available in this specialism.

Case workers help individuals and groups to find assistance and relief from their problem. They may be specially trained – like nurses or welfare workers – or be lay people. They are often involved in assessing individuals’ needs and directing them to the appropriate place, which may be their own charity, another charity or state assistance. They will often become involved in counselling, helping with tribunals and paperwork to assist in getting the right result, and they will often need to understand complex laws and regulations. There are no set entry requirements except that some case workers may need to be professionally qualified. Training is often on-the-job, although some large charities run courses.

Salaries

Fundraising managers start at £15,000 to £18,000, experienced managers might get £20,000 to £25,000, with senior ones on £30,000 or more. Volunteer organisers will begin at £10,000 to £12,000, rising to £15,000–£18,000 with experience, and a few will earn £20,000 or more in large organisations. Case workers start at £13,000, increasing to £15,000–£19,000 with experience, and more senior managers on £20,000 or more.

Contact details

Charity Commission Direct, PO Box 1227, Liverpool L69 3UG Tel: 0845 300 0218 Website: www.charitycommission.gov.uk

Charities Aid Foundation, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA, Tel: 01732 520000 Website: www.cafonline.org

Institute of Fundraising, Park Place, 12 Lawn Lane, London SW8 1UD Tel: 020 7840 1000 Website: www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

Volunteering England, Regents Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL Tel: 0845 305 6979 Website: www.volunteering.org.uk

Voluntary Sector Skills, Regent’s Wharf, 8 All Saint’s Street, London N1 9RL Tel: 0800 652 5737Website: www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk

National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, The Tower, 2 Furnival Square, Sheffield S1 4QL Tel: 0114 278 6636 Website: www.navca.org.uk