Government's e-envoy hears from voluntary sector

Howard Lake | 6 February 2001 | News

Joe Saxton of the Future Foundation will this afternoon meet with Andrew Pinder, the government’s “e-envoy,” to ask him to ensure that the government considers the voluntary sector’s interests and needs with regard to Internet development.

The UK Online initiative, setting out the government’s agenda to support the UK in adopting the Internet effectively, focuses mainly on business and government. Mentions of the voluntary sector are few and far between.

Joe Saxton of the Future Foundation will this afternoon meet with Andrew Pinder, the government’s “e-envoy,” to ask him to ensure that the government considers the voluntary sector’s interests and needs with regard to Internet development.

The UK Online initiative, setting out the government’s agenda to support the UK in adopting the Internet effectively, focuses mainly on business and government. Mentions of the voluntary sector are few and far between.

In the minds of the government, therefore, it would appear that, even in 2001, six and a half years after UK Fundraising started publishing on the Web, five years after charities such as Oxfam and UNICEF started accepting secure online donations, that charities’ use of the Internet is not a major concern. That is as much the fault of the voluntary sector, its umbrella bodies and constituent charities, as it is the government.

Joe Saxton, speaking this morning at the Charities E-fundraising group meeting, was passionate that this state of affairs is not acceptable. Good luck to Joe in his meeting this afternoon.

Joe and the Future Foundation have been working with Horwath Consulting on a major report into charities’ use of the Internet. Virtual Promise: are charities keeping up with the Internet revolution? will be launched at Bloomberg’s on Wednesday 15 February. Interested parties are invited to attend and should contact Joe Saxton for details of availability.

Find out more about the launch from UK Fundraising’s events diary.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.