JGP News

Councillors who act as sole trustees on charities are not performing effectively as they possibly could be.

Such is the assertion of the Charity Commission, which reports that those with such a role within the third sector are not always aware of what is required of them and what their responsibilities are.

Now, the commission - in conjunction with the Local Government Authority (LGA) - is set to produce easily-accessible guidance for such councillors to help compliment the advice that is currently available on its website, in news that could interest those looking to boost their skills framework.

Sally Cooke, third sector policy officer at the LGA, told Third Sector.co.uk: "There have been problems in the past with councillors acting as trustees. This is largely because some councillors are not aware of their responsibilities."

Meanwhile, Stephen Bubb, head of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, recently claimed that charity chief executives should able to sit on the boards of major private organisations.

More skills framework information.

Outsourcing back-office functions could save charities millions of pounds.

In a report by the Cass Business School, it was suggested that those working for mid-sized third sector organisations - which generate income of between £1 and £10 million - could find that in doing this, the estimated ten per cent of their income which is currently being spent on such areas could be saved.

Cathy Pharoah, professor of charity funding at the business school’’s Research Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy, claims that should the 3,500 charities in this band do this they could generate a combined saving of £136 million, ThirdSector.co.uk reports.

Such a figure could be of particular interest to those that are looking to maintain sustainable efficiencies, however Professor Pharoah claims many charities are reluctant to do this, as they are uncertain which functions can most efficiently be outsourced.

Taking this action could be advisable after research by the Charity Commission revealed that 32 per cent of third sector organisations are currently taking steps to manage the financial pressures they are under by reducing costs and drawing on reserves.

More about sustainable efficiencies.

Those working for charities may be set to benefit as the economic downturn pushes people to rethink their attitudes towards money.

Although the credit crunch continues to rumble on, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of people claim they are continuing to give as much to third sector organisations as they were before the onset of the crisis.

Meanwhile, eight per cent are looking to give even more money, research commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) indicates, in news that could interest those looking to maintain sustainable efficiencies.

The study also revealed that 78 per cent of Britons are lending more thought towards how they spend their money, with 14 per cent increasingly interested in companies which have ethical policies - such as being environmentally responsible or a supplier of fair trade goods - which they agree with.

Commenting on the results of the study’’s findings John Low, chief executive for the CAF, states: "It is heartening to see that some good is coming out of these very difficult times as values in society change for the better.

"This is certainly good news for the people and causes helped by charity."

Recent research by G2 Data Dynamics revealed that four-fifths of Britons donate money to charities on a regular basis, with 58 per cent of these reporting their level of giving will remain unchanged in spite of the credit crunch.

More about sustainable efficiencies.

Social enterprises need to do more to prove their worth, an industry expert has stated.

Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Social Enterprise London (SEL), claimed that those working for such third sector organisations must be able to clearly demonstrate what they can do.

However - speaking at an Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations” conference - Ms Ogden-Newton pointed out that a lack of tangible evidence in terms of helping to monitor return on investment and quality of service is preventing social enterprises from achieving further growth, ThirdSector.co.uk reports.

"As a sector, we are good at telling people what we do, but we don”t have enough proof we do it better than anyone else," she stated, in comments that could interest those looking to improve their skills framework.

The SEL chief executive added that there is a "genuine desire" among public and private sector bodies to work with third sector organisations.

Meanwhile, Dai Powell, chief executive of community transport company HCT Group, recently stated that social enterprises are increasingly set to buy out and create joint ventures with private businesses.

More skills framework information.

Talent management remains an important area of focus for chief executive officers, it has been suggested.

Pointing out that it "is still a priority", Claire McCartney, learning and development adviser for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, claims that executives - which could include those working in the third sector - are currently looking to spend less on such strategies and approach different means of delivering them.

"More emphasis is going on in-house development which is less costly and actually many employers consider it to be more effective anyway. They are taking a more intelligent approach to talent management," she tells Personnel Today.

Comments from the CIPD adviser come after research by the institute revealed that 70 per cent of executives believe development and learning will continue to be a high priority regardless of the overall financial climate.

However, a recent study by the Work Foundation revealed that 40 per cent of employees believe they have more advanced skills than their current position demands of them.

More talent management information.