It’s time the sector stopped huffing and puffing and bit the bullet. The public has no easy way of knowing whether a charity is spending enough of its income on its mission, nor whether that money is doing a good job. 

It has become part of the charity vernacular. “’So and so’ is on TOIL (time off in lieu) today. They worked all weekend and so they’re taking Monday off.” For many charities, TOIL is as endemic a part of the working culture as equal opportunities and pay increments. Every employee really ought to be able to take some time off if they have worked hard above and beyond their normal hours. Who could argue with that?

There is no doubt that thousands of people have volunteered at the Olympics and helped make the games a success. Their breadth of roles and range of backgrounds is humbling.

Lord Hodgson's review highlighted the need for fundraising regulation, but what about other parts of the sector?

Not for profit think-tank nfpSynergy has teamed up with The ImpACT Coalition to produce a free, short, practical report and guide that will empower charities to formulate and communicate simple messages, including pithy pub facts, needed to dispel a range of debilitating misperceptions their stakeholders may have, both about themselves and the wider third sector.