Welcome to this edition of DSC e-news, which now has close on 40,000 subscribers! Many thanks for your feedback, we do appreciate it, and do continue to take part in the surveys, it’s a quick and easy way to get your opinion across to decision makers. Our surveys are analysed by our top researchers and the results are communicated directly to opinion formers and decision makers. A minute of your time well spent!

November Quick Survey:
DSC has been on its high horse recently over a few important developments in the world of the ‘voluntary’ sector, including the government’s push for greater sector involvement in delivering public services, the Treasury’s recent review of our ‘role’ (shouldn’t we have been reviewing them?) and the decision by the Charity Commission to allow trustees to be paid.

If you need more background information before answering this question please click here for DSC’s perspective

Are the government and other bodies, by their recent actions, fundamentally altering the ‘voluntary’ spirit of our sector?
 Yes
 No
Maybe
Don't know

To comment click here
Results in next month’s enewsletter

For a quick summary of the report click here
Results and reports have been passed to the SORP Committee, more on this next month.

Thank you to the 422 people who responded to the October survey questions about the SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice – for charity accounts). This was considered a high response given the specialised nature of the questions, there was also a high number of additional comments.
Results showed 66% of participants thought SORP should provide a framework for wider issues affecting charities’ accounting and reports. The same percentage thought the SORP should be developed to meet the new requirements in 2009 rather than conduct an interim revision.
For a full report and analysis of comments by DSC Senior Researcher Michael McManus click here

We await with bated breath Royal Assent for the Charities Bill. A full update will be in the next enewsletter. In the meantime, make a date in your diary now for 23 February 2007 – DSC will be running a conference at the Charity Centre in London on what the Charities Bill means for you. More details in the December issue.

Brand new editions of DSC’s top directories A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need and The Educational Grants Directory will be published this month and are available to pre-order now. For more information and to pre-order click here

A DSC representative will be attending a Westminster Briefing event ‘Transforming Public Services through better user engagement: making the most of voluntary sector partnerships’. If you have any questions or feedback you would like our delegate to put at the event on your behalf, please email
For background information on the event click here

NCVO’s recent backdown from supporting the Charities Bill public benefit clause amendment, begs the question: How close should an infrastructure body be to government? Commentators have questioned the wisdom of NCVO’s  perceived ‘we’re only going to push if we’re going to win’ attitude. As soon as government backed off the amendment, so did NCVO. Even though NCVO state that they have achieved a concession – a review after three years – this is not enough and a fuller explanation of this volte face is needed to mitigate charities’ concerns.

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DSC is adamantly against any form of Trustee reimbursement, regardless of the personal circumstances of the individual trustee.
In the case of CfBT Education Trust, those paid Trustees are now effectively employees of the charity. Their decisions now will be perceived to be affected by their financial interest in the organisation they are governing (more)

Third Sector magazine ran letters from both DSC and the Charity Commission about payment of Trustees on their Letters page, 25th October edition.  To read what the Charity Commission has to say click here

Continuing our popular series of short late-afternoon seminars, from only £30.
Thursday 25 January 2007: References – What can you say?
Understand the nature and extent of an employer’s responsibilities and what you can and cannot say about your former employee. For more information and to book click here

Consumer affairs expert Chris Zealley had a letter published in Third Sector magazine (25 October) about recent problems at the Charities Aid Foundation, in which he emphasised the importance of both CAF and DSC to the voluntary sector. ‘DSC is one of two major intermediary organisations that live entirely by the quality and usefulness of what they offer to charities and donors,’ he wrote. ‘It could be argued that between them they have achieved far more for the health and effectiveness of charities than any or all of the Charity Commission, the NCVO or any of the ‘umbrellas’ that purport to serve the interest groups of the sector.’
Although writing in a personal capacity Mr Zealley must be an expert on what constitutes value: he is a member of the Consumers’ Association Council and a Trustee of the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs.

Charity Technology Trust has launched its CTX Programme, distributing donated MICROSOFT software and other donated technology products to UK charities. All the most popular Microsoft products are available to charities for a nominal administration fee. Read More...

This month Stephanie Biden, a solicitor with Bates Wells and Braithwaite, answers your question: A potential new trustee has asked about trustee indemnity insurance – what is this and what are the legal issues if we want to get it?  Click here

The Personal Safety for Charities and Voluntary Organisations interactive conference in London on the 7th December 2006. Content is designed specifically for those working in the third sector. Topics covered will include: legal requirements; looking after volunteers; issues that charity workers and volunteers face; how to support staff should an incident take place; and much more. Click here for more information or to book a place. Special low pricing for charity and voluntary organizations!

Managing for Managers If you run a small to medium sized organisation or if you are a middle manager, this three-day course is for you. Managers can often feel isolated and unsupported and begin to question their skills. This course is for people who have some experience of management and it will give them an opportunity to recognise existing skills and develop their expertise as managers.
Topics include management style, leadership, supporting and supervising staff, delegation, and motivation, working with your team and dealing with conflict. Dates available in London (4-6 December, 17-19 January) and Manchester (27-29 March). For more details click here

Introducing an innovative way for charities to gain from the boom in online shopping.  Giveortake.com is a massive online market place designed to raise money for its charity partners - all by harnessing the power of the shopping public!  Once signed up, shoppers can click through to over 500 leading stores including John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Past Times.  They're rewarded with money back on their purchases, which they can either keep or give to their favourite charity.  For supporters, it's an extra special way they can donate money regularly without it costing them a penny!   Intrigued?  Please contact Kathryn Vere 08450 940 724, visit www.giveortake.com or email charities@giveortake.com for further details

Last year Community RePaint collected 240,000 litres of paint through its national network of 62 paint reuse projects. This paint is available to all in the community and voluntary sector for free (or a small donation). For a list of  projects and information on where paint can be obtained please visit www.communityrepaint.org.uk or contact Vicky on 0113 200 3959.

November
21/22 November – London – Effective Fundraising I
22/23 November – London – Speaking with Impact
23 November – London – Grant Making Trusts & Foundations
28 November – London – Effective Recruitment and Selection
4/5 December – London – Practical Project Management
6 December – London – The Essentials of Presentation Skills
13 December – London and Sheffield – Lottery Grants for Charities