Charities and voluntary organisations are forever being told to be transparent. Organisations, whether it be through their annual reporting or elsewhere, are encouraged to state explicitly where their money is coming from and how it is being spent.
While some, like our columnist Ben Summerskill, think that transparency should be a priority for the sector, others feel that the cost and resource of implementing it is overlooked.
So, what needs to be done? Join our panel of experts on Wednesday 18 February from 17.30–19.00pm to discuss how the sector can best tackle the issue of transparency. Leave your questions in the comments section below or come back and ask it live. Topics for discussion will include:
- How can charities implement transparency? Is it a state of mind or is it about hiring a good accountant?
- Should levels of transparency differ depending on the source and amount of income the charity receives – eg, government contracts v individual donations?
- Is technology a help or hindrance?
- Does regulation from multiple sources: HMRC, the Charity Commission, and the Electoral Commission, make it too difficult for charities to encourage public trust?
- Are there other ways to gain public trust? Is there a risk of losing public trust through increased transparency?
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Panel
Annabel Dickson – director of social progress, Makerble
Annabel is responsible for enabling charities to fund, log and accelerate their social impact. Building on her experience as an independent impact evaluator for private philanthropists she founded two philanthropy networks The Youth Funding Network in 2008 and Filanthropy* in 2013. Annabel is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a founding trustee of Nexus Europe and a speaker on the use of transparency in building donor confidence.
Jay Kennedy – director of policy and research, Directory of Social Change
Jay has overall responsibility for DSC’s policy, campaigns and research and he leads the team that researches funding information for DSC’s well-known funding guides and websites. Jay has held a number of different roles since joining DSC in 2003, including researching government funding for charities, project managing one of DSC’s fundraising websites, and acting as a policy officer and media spokesperson.
Catherine Ind – head of fundraising and regional development, Winston’s Wish
She has 18 years of experience of working in PR and marketing roles across a number of industries. In 2006, she moved into the charity sector, specifically working in the fundraising area and joined Winston’s Wish three years ago as head of fundraising & regional development. She considers transparency to be an essential part of building and developing donor relationships and ensuring long term sustainability.
Ben Summerskill – former chief executive, Stonewall
During his tenure, Ben lead a range of major parliamentary campaigns and grew membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme supporting employers from 35 to 650. Prior to working at Stonewall, Ben was a Fleet Street journalist – latterly he was assistant editor at The Observer.
Sue Wixley – director of communications, NPC
Sue brings more than 20 years experience in the non-profit sector, with specific expertise in advocacy campaigns, stakeholder management and media relations. Prior to joining NPC, Sue worked for ShareAction, the International Campaign to ban landmines, Amnesty International as well as Oxfam in the UK, Bosnia & Herzegovina and South Africa.
Simon Gillespie – chief executive, British Heart Foundation
Simon joined the British Heart Foundation in March 2013. Before joining the BHF, he was chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. He previously worked as head of operations at the Healthcare Commission, where he was responsible for the inspection of NHS and independent healthcare facilities in England. From 2000 to 2004, he was director of operations at the Charity Commission, modernising the regulation and support of the 180,000 registered charities across England and Wales. Simon has extensive experience of charity and non-profit governance, and as a non-executive director/trustee. He is currently the president of the European Heart Network and a trustee of the Institute for Security and Resilience Studies at University College London.
Ben Eyre – advisory manager, Charities Aid Foundation
Ben works with charities and social enterprises looking to expand and innovate, as well as foundations and other funders looking to increase their impact by developing bold initiatives in the UK and internationally. At CAF he has developed fundraising strategies that have raised more than £15m for clients, including million pound donations.
