Day: 22 December 2023

UK is one of the world’s most generous countries

Stuart Mitchell

The UK is the third most generous population in the world when it comes to giving money to charity, behind only Indonesia and Myanmar, according to research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). The CAF World Giving Index is one of the biggest surveys on giving ever produced, with millions of people interviewed around the world since 2009. This year’s Index includes data from 142 countries where people were asked three questions: have they helped a stranger, given money or volunteered for a good cause over the past month. But…

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‘Gender imbalance at the top of UK charities is holding sector back,’ report finds

Stuart Mitchell

The charity sector in the UK is being held back by “male-dominated decision-making” which fails to fairly represent the make-up of the sector’s workforce and service users, according to a new report. Pro Bono Economics (PBE) is calling on sector leaders, charity boards and funders to lead the way in addressing an “under-discussed gender imbalance” in the sector. The new PBE report, titled Women and the charity sector, finds that while women account for more than two-thirds (68%) of the UK sector’s workforce – and contributed £19 billion to the…

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Diversity at trustee board level still a challenge for charities

Stuart Mitchell

Just half (50%) of charities say they are actively looking to recruit trustees from more diverse backgrounds, a new survey* from Ecclesiastical has found. The specialist charity insurer asked 250 charity trustees whether they were actively seeking trustees from a more diverse range of social and ethnic backgrounds. The research revealed only half (50%) of charities are attempting to improve diversity through trustee recruitment, a 14% drop on 2022 when two thirds (64%) said they were. Lack of diversity remains Three in five (58%) charities responded to the survey to…

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Efforts to cut the environmental cost of clothing cancelled out by spiralling production

Stuart Mitchell

WRAP’s Textiles 2030 Annual Progress Report shows that brands signed up to the environmental voluntary agreement have reduced the carbon impact of the textiles they produce by 12% and water by 4% on a per tonne basis between 2019 and 2022. These impressive reductions were possible through actions taken to improve sustainability in design and manufacturing, and by increasing the amount of clothes reused and recycled. However, as production is spiralling upwards, WRAP warns that these positive steps are being cancelled out owing to a 13% increase in the volume…

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Yorkshire Building Society’s £1 million pledge to help people into FareShare’s employability schemes and out of financial hardship

Stuart Mitchell

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has announced FareShare as its Charity Partner for the next two years, pledging £1 million to support an employability programme that will help 2,500 people enter the world of work. The aftermath of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis have exacerbated the scale of financial hardship and food insecurity in the UK. More than 14 million people across the UK are living in relative poverty.1 One in four people of working age are currently out of work and unemployment levels are expected to…

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