# Centre of Excellence?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/10/12/centre-excellence/
- Published: 2006-10-12T13:00:56+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Office of the Third Sector is to create a new academic centre which will conduct
research into charitable giving. Working with the Carnegie UK Trust, the ESRC and
the Scottish Executive, the Office of the Third Sector will call the new initiative“
the Centre of Excellence”.

What an odd term. It describes the quality of the intended work it will carry out
but is in no way descriptive of the nature of the work itself. It is about as useful
a name as “a good thing”.

Surely the words “research”, “giving”, “charity” (or “third sector”) should feature
in the organisation’s name? Without that we are just left with hot air and good 
intentions. Indeed, “centre of excellence” can only be an aim: how the new organisation
compares to other organisations and whether it achieves this “excellence” is a matter
of time and user feedback.

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Perhaps we should refer to the Office of the Third Sector in an equally oblique 
way. How about “The Office”? Yes, I bet they’d be pleased with that.

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