Charity Commission promotes charitable giving as New Year resolution
Howard Lake | 21 December 2005 | News
As 2005 comes to an end the Charity Commission, the charity regulator for England and Wales, is asking people to think about supporting charity as part of their New Year’s resolutions. It suggests a range of ways in which this support can be given, not just as a one-off donation.
The Commission acknowledges that “2005 saw generosity on an unprecedented scale”, given the series of natural and man-made disasters and events like Live 8.
As a result the Commission points out to the public that supporting the 190,000 charities in England and Wales “isn’t just about making financial donations”.
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As such it suggests a range of ways people can choose to support charities next year.
These include:
* making a direct debit donation to a charity and signing or making the Gift Aid declaration;
* leaving a legacy to a charity in your will;
* joining your work’s payroll giving scheme;
* becoming a trustee of a charity;
* thinking about encouraging your employer to consider launching a volunteer programme;
* becoming a long-term volunteer for a local charity.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Andrew Hind said: “This year has seen a major focus on global need. The response to the tsunami, the London bombings, Hurricane Katrina and the Pakistan earthquake showed what we can do when we care about a cause. Think about what you want to support, find out more about the charities out there and plan your New Year’s resolution to support them in 2006.”
He added that “we also want to remind people to give safely to charity”. He advised the public to “make sure you donate to registered charities only. If you give to charity fundraisers on the street make sure they have proper authority to collect. Check too that they have ID and display a charity registration number and that they only use sealed collecting tins. If you have any doubt about a charity collection then get in touch with your local trading standards office through your town hall.”
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.