Actions not words, of course. But there are some words and phrases we have mentioned or encountered recently that we think are worth consideration by the charities and wider third sector.
"The engaged, entrepreneurial philanthropist" and "mission-focused" organisations"
Here are a few comments from Brodies' Alan Eccles in the Scotsman's legal review on charities:-
Changes and challenges aside, there are plenty of positives in the charity sector, including the emergence of what Alan Eccles, partner at Brodies, describes as "mission-focused" organisations.
He says: "Across a range of areas such as the health sector and life sciences, organisations are being able to do really exciting things that they would have struggled to do as purely asset-locked organisations.
"Having that mission focus is taking social enterprise to the next level and getting more people involved who otherwise wouldn't have been able to support those organisations, and see new events and programmes to showcase and encourage pitching.
Eccles names Social Investment Scotland as an example of an organisation that is active in this area, having recently organised a Pitch for Purpose event.
"We are also continuing to see a good number of new philanthropists coming through," says Eccles. "They are wanting to give in a way in which they are quite clear about what they want to achieve. They have a much more engaged relationship with the charities and causes they are supporting. "It's not just about writing a cheque – they actually want to engage with and understand what a charity is doing, which adds much more than just cash. This is the engaged, entrepreneurial philanthropist.
The launch of 'The Informed Trustee'
This week sees the introduction of 'The Informed Trustee' from the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners. 'The Informed Trustee' will provide "essential skills for the aspiring trustee and the experienced charity board member."
It offers a course on charities to help support and create... well... informed trustees! Given the appearance of comments about training, induction and similar factors in OSCR Inquiry Reports, it is positive that this accessible course will be available to help trustees become better informed trustees. More positively perhaps, this type of learning will help potential and current charity trustees be even better placed to help their particular charity flourish and further its purposes.
The writing of the course has been a pan-UK effort co-ordinated by and under the editorial guidance of Julie Hutchison and includes Brodies' Alan Eccles among the writing team members.
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