More than half (53%) of charities in Scotland have an income of less than £25,000, and for around a third (31%) it is below £5,000, according to the latest Sector Overview Report from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The OSCR’s Sector Overview Report covers charities’ income, expenditure, purposes, beneficiaries, activities and operations over the period from January to March 2024. The data shows 25,045 charities on the register – slightly lower than in 2022. The vast majority of these are Scottish charities, with 1,246 being cross-border organisations. According to the rep ..read more

GlobalGiving UK has launched what it believes is the UK’s first Women in Tech Giving Circle, aimed at facilitating collective giving by women leaders in the tech industry and supporting community causes worldwide.  GlobalGiving UK is seeking founding members to join the Women in Tech Giving Circle, and participate in setting the circle’s mission and goals, identifying the thematic areas and territories where their collective contributions can have the greatest impact. Interest can be expressed via an online form. GlobalGiving UK will host the circle and manage the pooled contributions thr ..read more

In its first year of trading, The Salvation Army’s eBay shop has sold over 1,500 items, gained more than 1,000 followers, and raised thousands of pounds, the charity has announced. Launched by its trading arm, Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL), The Collectables and Curiosity Shop features collectable, niche, vintage and quirky items.  Melanie Eastwood, eCommerce Manager for SATCoL, said: “We receive so many wonderful donations, from vintage cameras and toys to rare books and antiques. Donors will often express the desire for us to maximise the value of their donation to raise ..read more

The first ever charity abseil down the Empire State Building in New York took place this week to raise funds for UK charity Outward Bound. Twenty of the charity’s supporters took part in the descent, together with celebrity participant Jared Leto. Total donations from The Big Rappel already exceed £2.4 million, and will be divided between Outward Bound in the UK and other Outward Bound partners around the world. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 06: Princess Beatrice of York attends the Empire State Building at The Empire State Building on May 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Imag ..read more

Launching on Monday 13 May, The Charity Show will be a fortnightly podcast and is hosted by Tim Beynon, Head of Marketing and Engagement at The Fire Fighters Charity, and Piers Townley, PR Manager at The Brain Tumour Charity. The podcast aims to help listeners, whatever their charity role, improve the way their charity works. It will feature interviews with ‘charity insiders’: CEOs, fundraisers, communications professionals and others, exploring the challenges facing charities in the UK, championing their work and lifting the lid on careers in the third sector. Initial episodes will feature Al ..read more

Double Olympic medallist, World Record Holder and World Champion Javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread MBE has been announced as plenary speaker on day one of this year’s Fundraising Convention. Speaking on Wednesday 3 July at 9.30, Whitbread will share her story, including her early years in a children’s home, how sport became her saviour and the joy of being adopted by the Whitbreads. She will also talk about her numerous TV programmes and challenges, as well as her charity work, including Fatima’s UK Campaign, which aims to help children in care and care leavers to fulfil their potential. Last y ..read more

Newid, which promotes good digital practice across the third sector in Wales through training, support and information, has created a customisable CRM template for Welsh third sector organisations. Newid is delivered in partnership by WCVA, Cwmpas and ProMo-Cymru, funded by Welsh Government. The CRM template is free to copy, adapt, and use, and has been built on a system called Airtable which doesn’t require any coding experience to use. The CRM template includes: Contacts and organisation directory Tasks management Notes and file attachments Reporting and filter ..read more

This year’s Small Charity Week campaign will be the start of a three-year strategy to address the issues faced by small charities and build wider recognition and understanding of their power, NCVO has announced. The aim is to empower small charities to play their full role in their communities and increase their impact. Over the three years, the campaign will work to amplify small charities to widen understanding of their role and the issues they and their communities face, and provide more training and toolkits to help them, as well as opportunities to connect and engage more widely ..read more

Investment in legacy marketing rose from 4.6% of overall fundraising spend in 2020-21 to 6.2% in 2022/23, according to newly released data from the Legacy Futures group. Pre-pandemic, in 2018/19, legacy investment was 3.7% of overall fundraising spend. According to Legacy Marketing Benchmarks, a biannual benchmarking programme involving around 30 of the largest charities by legacy income, this growth likely reflects both growing awareness of the importance of legacies in charity sustainability and hard work in securing budget for legacy marketing. Still relatively small spend Legacy Futures gr ..read more

Clore Social Leadership is offering three bursaries for Black and racially minoritised individuals from small charities to take part in its Management Fundamentals programme. The Management Fundamentals programme is for new managers and provides essential skills and support to aspiring leaders in the social sector, to help them drive positive change in their organisations and communities. The bursaries will cover the full cost of the management programme, and participants will also become part of the Clore Social Fellow online network, which has over 4,000 members. The deadline for application ..read more