23 May 2011
Community Foundation Network (CFN) welcomes the recommendations and initiatives in the Government’s White Paper on Giving launched today and calls on the government to make sure that increased levels of giving reach local community based organisations as well as the large national charities that currently dominate the fundraising market.
Community Foundation Network (CFN) welcomes the recommendations and initiatives contained within the Government’s White Paper on Giving launched today.
Community foundations are pivotal to increasing the amount and effectiveness of giving from the wealthier segments of society and for making sure that increased levels of giving reach local community based organisations as well as the large national charities that currently dominate the fundraising market.
Stephen Hammersley, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Network commented “The White Paper’s approach - to make it easy to give, compelling for donors and to encourage investment in the infrastructure that enables this to happen - is what has driven the growth of community foundations, with 100% more people than two years ago now using our services to manage £235m of long term charitable funds.”
Community foundations’ focus is on community based charities and Hammersley continued, “One issue that the White Paper didn’t address explicitly is the domination of the fundraising market by large charities, where 90% of all money donated goes to less than 10% of charities. The Government recognises the value added by local charities that know how to get things done by unlocking local resources and we call on the government to make sure that the activity that is described in the White Paper opens up new opportunities for neighbourhood charities as well as national ones.”