Posts Tagged charities

Charity job cuts: just how bad is it?

March 20, 2009 at 10:40 am · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , ,

It was inevitable that the big bad credit crunch would eventually strike the third sector as funding streams dry up and donors tighten their belts. Naturally, there is the ensuing panic and Chinese whispers that helps to make it all that little bit worse.

This week, Unite reports that there have been more charity job losses than the latest Charity Commission report reveals. The Charity Commissions last Economic Survey claimed that 52% of charities have been affected by the downturn. Unite claims that, according to reports from their members on the ground, things are actually worse.

Rachael Maskell, Unites National Officer for Community and the Non-Profit Sector, said that job losses are being disguised by reorganisation, restructuring and claims of ‘taking steps to combat the downturn’.

The trouble with all of this is, however, that Unite does not have any concrete and concise figures to back up their claims, so nobody really knows exactly what is going on. Maskell’s call for the Office of the Third Sector to conduct detailed research into the job losses in charities makes good sense though. There is no point in everyone panicking before they have the facts, which has been one major feature of the recession, and has only worsened its effects.

Maskell, however, wasn’t just going to leave it at that. Not content with the £42 million government grant to charities in February, she said that this money did not provide for employment support, and only helped with volunteering schemes and modernisation.

She makes a good point; naturally, as a union representative, she will make the case for protecting charity employees. Her views are open to plenty of criticism though. There have been plenty of calls in the past few months for charities to streamline, partner up and cut bureaucracy, and now could be the perfect time to clean up the charity sector for the better. Pouring money into keeping people in their jobs won’t help that. Improving the sector and making it more efficient, though painful in the short-term, will only mean better charity jobs in the future.

Author
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs; Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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IPPR says give charities more influence – but are they ready?

March 2, 2009 at 12:20 pm · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Institute for Public Policy Research published a report recently on the role of charities in local government policy at a regional level. The IPPR claims, as a result of this study, that charities should have more say in policy in their areas in order to better deliver services.

80% of charity chief executives said in the survey that regional engagement with the charity sector is important when it comes to decision-making, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, 60% said they did not have much voice in this area.

IPPR North research fellow Katie Schmuecker said:
“Given the backdrop of the recession, it is more important than ever for economic development plans to support deprived areas as well as areas of opportunity.

“The voluntary and community sector has much to contribute in this respect.”

More involvement and engagement with charities, in order to help them deliver services better, makes sense on paper, especially in a time of recession when more people than ever need access to those services. The question remains, however, whether the charity sector is ready for that kind of power.

In the past few weeks, there have been damning insights into the charity sector, claiming that charities need to be merged and streamlined, whilst being subject to the same scrutiny and efficiency standards as successful private sector organisations. Some of what has been said is fair. So, if charities need to buck their ideas up, is it right to hand over more power to them before that transformation has even begun?

The best way to improve the charity sector is with an influx of professional young blood. Competition for charity sector jobs is growing, with graduates shunning the private sector in favour of a job that is more innovative, ethical and fast-developing. If that sounds like the career you want, why not give it a try? You can check out the latest vacancies on JuicyJobs.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Even the bankers are volunteering!

March 2, 2009 at 12:10 pm · Filed under ethical jobs ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

There was a time when your average banker, on a hefty salary, would turn their nose up at a volunteering job. Hard work, connections and networking; that’s what cuts it in the banking game, not messing about with voluntary organisations and charities. After, all nobody ever gets on in their career by being “nice”, do they?

Or do they?

The credit crunch has turned many things upside down in the past few months, with redundancies, repossessions, businesses in administration, and the former “masters of the universe” finding their careers in tatters. Rather satisfyingly, after getting us into a terrible mess, it appears bankers are eating humble pie and offering their services, for free, to charities and third sector organisations as their jobs become less and less secure.

The Cranfield Trust is an organisation that puts charities and volunteer managers from the private sector together. In an interview with ThirdSector.co.uk, Cranfield Trust chief executive Amanda Tincknell said that three times as many volunteers from the banking sector have applied for positions, as mergers and takeovers shave legions of staff off the banks’ books.

“Job insecurity is… key,” Tincknell said, “taking on voluntary work is a good way to keep your CV active at an uncertain time.”

“Many of these wouldn’t consider volunteering if they were busy, but during quiet times they’re more willing to work with charities,” she continued.

So, it would seem that volunteering as a way to boost a CV, especially when looking for an ethical career, has been given a big thumbs up from the world’s most traditionally successful sectors; banking. If you ever needed proof that a volunteering job is a useful thing, this is it.

To find volunteering jobs, either part time to fit around your job or full-time whilst looking for work, check out the listings on JuicyJobs.biz.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Boost the third sector: Boost the economy!

February 19, 2009 at 7:31 pm · Filed under volunteering ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Great news this week; Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne announced that the government will grant a massive £42.5 million to charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises to help kickstart the economy, help deliver services to communities, and give those made redundant a positive activity that will help them get back into work. The news follows on from calls for more and better volunteering opportunities, and more funding for charities as more and more people plunge into debt. Not everyone is happy, however, and it’s easy to see why.

Social Enterprise London is optimistic about the grant. CEO Allison Ogden-Newton cheerily said:

“At a time when our economy and our society are facing such challenges, it is deeply encouraging to see social enterprise at the heart of the government’s plans for recovery.

“The time for social enterprise is now, and with this kind of support we can ensure that London continues to lead the world in running business for social purpose.”

The grant, however, is too little and a bit late. Charities alone have been calling for better funding for months, and asked, as expected, for much more than the cut of the £42.5 million they will be getting. Some voluntary organisations are unhappy too. Steven Bubb, CEO of the Association of Chief Executive Officers of Voluntary Organisation, said:

“More is going to be needed as the recession unfolds, and in two or three years, £500m may end up being the total sum. Those smaller charities who support people who have lost their job will be coming back to the government and asking, ‘how can you support us more?’”

Following from last week’s rebellious outburst from Ron Aldridge, of the Aldridge Foundation, £16.5 million of the grant will go towards funding mergers and partnerships between third sector organisations. Aldridge last week called for a streamlining of the sector, through eradicating inefficient charities and merging similar ones to better share back office costs and combine other resources. It would seem that he is about to get his wish. Perhaps, using the funding to streamline the sector, rather than throwing more money at it, will be a more effective way of improving the services it delivers.

Whether the streamlining happens or not, however, the grant is great news. The government has finally latched on to the power of volunteering jobs, to give the unemployed skills, training, experience and a constructive and positive use of their time, all of which can help them get back into work.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs – Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers JuicyJobs can help you find the ideal ethical job in London.

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Charities must change to survive the recession

February 5, 2009 at 2:10 pm · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ron Aldridge, CEO of the Aldridge Foundation, gave an interesting interview on ThirdSector.co.uk this week. The former chair of Capita is something of a charity maverick. Bringing his experience as one of the best contract winners in the private sector, Aldridge claims that charities are ‘at a crossroads’, where the ineffectual and inefficient will be rooted out by the rise in demand for services combined with the decrease in resources. If he is right, what will that mean for the charity job sector?

Aldridge’s claims that many charities and not-for-profit organisations waste money on administrative expenditure and bureaucracy, are unaccountable, and more cut-throat than the private sector, have been made before, but often by those outside of the sector. His view that there are too many charities for the same causes, leading to consumer confusion over who to donate to, are in part justified; there are 200,000 charities and 600,000 not-for-profit organisations in the UK, all vying for the same funding. Only once money is won, Aldridge says, is a plan for how to spend it properly made.

Aldridge goes on to say that the recession will solve many of these problems, but the transition might be uncomfortable, even painful for some. With a general tightening of belts all around, some charities, and particularly those that lack efficiency, will go under. On the other hand, some charities will adapt to the change. Aldridge says that a great deal of time and money can be saved within charities by outsourcing some work such as IT and human resources to private companies. He also recommends mergers, such as that between Help the Aged and Age Concern, to end the competition of similar charities for the same funding, and to pool the resources of charities to deliver better services.

Another problem with the charity sector is the lack of performance monitoring that demonstrates to funders exactly how charities operate. It has often been said that if private sector performance monitoring was applied to charities that the latter simply wouldn’t meet the standards.

For people looking to start or further a charity career, Aldridge’s predictions for the sector might seem gloomy. Mergers between charities will mean job losses for some. The potential application of stricter performance monitoring, and the lack of funding, will mean some charities simply will not survive. There is, however, a silver lining. Aldridge’s remarks voice a charity fatigue felt by many in the UK. Streamlining the sector, whilst boosting efficiency and, in the end, better serving their causes, will create more respect for charities and those working for them. More competition for charity jobs, though tougher on the job-seeker, means better experience for those who do end up working in the sector, and more respect from other employers for charity employees.

Article by Rachel Charman – JuicyJobs

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