I will confess to being a recent convert. I love working with a recruitment agency to find new trustees. The quality of applicants and the inclusiveness of the process improve the governance process beyond measure. Indeed, I now am of the belief that the sector should no more appoint a trustee without an open and transparent recruitment process, than they should a CEO.

How charities spend their money remains a key concern for current and potential donors. In this report we examine how a selected sample of UK charities present their key financial information to the general public, exploring both the content and form of this information. We find that it is clear charities are working hard to demonstrate how much they are achieving through the income they raise and how efficiently this is being done. However, there are a number of recurrent issues that are worth highlighting: 

Donors, volunteers and beneficiaries should be consulted before a charity changes its name, a new report warns. It also says the best charity names are “memorable, inviting and can’t be shortened.”

Three in four people feel that charity lotteries should be free to raise as much money as the National Lottery, new research shows. Just the Ticket, written by research consultancy nfpSynergy, also reveals that most people feel lotteries run by good causes should not be capped and do not affect their other donations.

It's Christmas time and as per tradition we're giving away 12 more of our reports. They address key issues like lobbying, fundraising and trust, plus a couple of niche ones like Gift Aid and media spending. Enjoy!

Part 6 of this report looks at managing the 21^st century volunteer. This instalment examines the views of some of the people closest to the changing landscape of volunteering; the volunteer managers themselves.

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Part 1 – The political and social landscape for volunteering

Short, snappy and regular messages are the key to building public understanding of modern charities and how they work, according to a new report. “Getting the Message Across,” written by research consultancy nfpSynergy, says that there are huge misconceptions about charities and their spending, but they can be combatted with the right narrative and soundbites.

A comprehensive look at the history of Gift Aid and how a few changes could make it even better.

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With an election on the horizon, the charity sector has a great opportunity to reform Gift Aid and maximise donations speaking as one voice. Gift Aid currently represents around 2% of charitable income, but at nearly 25 years old, it is time to review it and that's what this report seeks to do.