GuideStar UK responds to feedback about financial information
Howard Lake | 10 July 2006 | Newswire
PRESS RELEASE
5 July 2006 – GuideStar UK responds to feedback about financial information
After a successful trial period GuideStar UK’s new finance preview facility which allows charities to view their latest financial data before it is presented to the public is helping to build confidence within the sector.
The facility has been designed so that whenever new financial data is received for a charity, an automatic email alert is sent to notify them. This gives the charity the opportunity to log in to the new preview section of the ‘Update my Charity’ tool for their GuideStar UK entry. The charity then has the option to either publish this financial information or send GuideStar UK suggested changes. GuideStar UK then works on a one to one basis with each charity to make amendments to the entry until the charity is confident that the financial information is accurate.
This new facility was developed in response to feedback received from a number of charities who requested the option to check their financial information before it was published.
The initiative has been welcomed by the Charity Finance Directors’ Group with Chief Executive Keith Hickey commenting
I am pleased to see that GuideStar UK is responding to the feedback they have received. The new preview section will help to ensure that the financial data on GuideStar UK is accurate before it is released to the public which will increase confidence in its outputâ€.
Les Hems, Director of Development & External Affairs at GuideStar UK said;
Now GuideStar UK is fully operational, we have been able to design this new facility in response to feedback from charities. We realise that GuideStar UK can best serve charities, the general public and other users if it learns from the feedback received. We are committed to developing a website that responds to users’ needs and are actively seeking further feedbackâ€.
GuideStar UK is now concentrating on developing systems to improve the accuracy of charity information and the speed with which it is available on the free website.
Notes to Editors
1. GuideStar UK’s website, www.guidestar.org.uk was launched on December 12th 2005. It presents information on the activities, organsiation and finances of all 167,000 registered charities in England and Wales. It is free for members of the public and charities.
The users of the GuideStar UK website include:
• Members of the general public looking for services, help and information provided by charities.
• Donors, grantmakers, local & central government agencies that fund charities.
• Representative bodies and professionals that support the work of charities.
• Charities themselves not only as a means of communication but also for benchmarking and comparative purposes.
2. The GuideStar UK website has launched Phase 1 – the 167,000 registered main charities in England and Wales. Phase 2 will extend coverage to charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland and to exempt and excepted charities in England and Wales.
3. The main sources of data for the GuideStar UK website are the reports and accounts that charities file at the Charity Commission. There is no additional reporting burden, but charities can supplement their own entries for free by adding links, press releases and information on their latest activities and achievements directly onto the website.
4. The content and design of the GuideStar UK website has been developed in close consultation with charities and representatives from other user constituencies including donors, grantmakers, government departments, academic researchers, media and the general public.
5. GuideStar UK is an independent charity established in March 2003 to promote and support the work of UK charities by creating a comprehensive and easily accessible source of information about their activities and finances, made available free to the public through a website. It is the first venture of its kind in the UK.
6. In March 2003 GuideStar UK was awarded a grant of £2.85m over 3 years from HM Treasury’s Invest to Save Budget. The Charity Commission and the Active Communities Directorate of the Home Office were partners in GuideStar UK’s application. GuideStar UK has also benefited from the support of charities, charitable trusts and individual philanthropists.
7. The Charity Finance Directors’ Group was set up in 1987 and is an umbrella charity that specialises in helping charities to manage their finance-related functions. Visit www.cfdg.org.uk for further information. CFDG’s 1150 plus members are responsible for the finances of charities with a wide variety of income levels. Between them our members manage some £10 billion in charity income per year.
CONTACT:
Jo O’Brien
Communication and User Services Manager
GuideStar UK
Telephone: 020 7240 1969
E-mail: jo*******@gu*******.uk
Website: www.guidestar.org.uk
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.