Charities Resource Network Goes Live
Howard Lake | 23 June 2003 | News
The Charity Finance Directors’ Group has today (23rd June) launched the Charities Resource Network (CRN), an innovative database driven information website (www.thecrn.org.uk) which seeks to strengthen good practice in the charity sector through the direct sharing of information.
Part of the resource offered by the site, in the documents section, are practical working documents which are currently in use by charities, as well as professional ./guidance and advice provided by firms who subscribe to the CFDG. There are also signposts to other sources of information on many subjects.
For the network, information CFDG holds about its members and their organisations is also available to members online, to enable them to search for others from similar organisations to discuss common management issues. Members will also be able to update their own information on the database.
The Charities Resource Network site links with the new redesigned Charity Finance Directors’ Group website, also launched today. The CFDG site, (www.cfdg.org.uk), tells everyone about their events, information services and policy work. It also provides a news feed featuring links to the latest news of interest to people in charities. Most of the information on this site is available to everyone.
Geoff Miller, Chairman of the Trustees of CFDG, said, “The Charities Resource Network will allow our members and others to share documents and knowledge in a way which has never been possible before. The Charities Resource Network is a really exciting development for CFDG and the sector as a whole. If the public sees us working together to improve the management of our organisations we will be playing an important part in raising public confidence in the sector.”
CFDG Chief Executive, Shirley Scott added, “The CRN website is launched after its first phase of development and already contains a wealth of useful information. We have plans to extend the range of information and to make more of it accessible to charity sector as a whole to help us achieve our objectives of raising public education in the management of charities.”
Built with funding from the Community Fund, the CRN site will be maintained and developed further by the CFDG and its members as a vital resource for the sector.
For further information please contact: Louise Murray, Marketing and Training Events Manager on Tel: 020 7793 1400. Email
Lo****@cf**.uk
Notes to Editors:
Technical information
1. Charities Resource Network uses Pro2000 database software developed by ProTech Computer Systems.
2. The website is designed by Gemfish and developed by ProTech.
Who can use the CRN?
1. Some of the information, in particular the document and signposting database, is available to all with no need for fees or login access.
2. Members of the Charity Finance Directors’ Group have free access to all areas of the site, via a login name and password.
3. Commercial organisations who subscribe to the CFDG have more limited access to some areas, specifically personal contact information about members. For more information about becoming a CFDG subscriber see www.cfdg.org.uk.
4. In the future CFDG intends to provide membership of the CRN to charities which do not wish to become full members of the CFDG, and may also provide access to students and other researchers. For more information about this please email
mi******@cf**.uk
About CFDG
1. The Charity Finance Directors’ Group was set up in 1987 and is an umbrella group that specialises in helping charities to manage their finance-related functions.
2. CFDG’s 1000 plus members are responsible for the finances of charities with a wide variety of income levels. Over 60% of the top 500 charities are members of the CFDG. Between them CFDG members manage about £10 billion in charity income per year.
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.