Charity begins at home with launch of Inspiring Local Philanthropy report
Howard Lake | 4 October 2011 | News
A new report by Coutts & Co, entitled ‘Inspiring Local Philanthropy’ has been released today providing a practical guide for people who want to make a difference by supporting the communities that matter to them. Research by Coutts reveals that four in five (79%) philanthropists support local charities.
Produced in association with New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) and Community Foundation Network, the report highlights various ways in which philanthropists can support local communities from volunteering to funding local charities through grants or social investment, cofunding with other philanthropists, or establishing an operating charity or social enterprise.
Maya Prabhu, Head of UK Philanthropy at Coutts says: “Local community activity and philanthropy is driven by people’s passions, interests, enthusiasms or indeed by their frustrations or aspirations for local communities. Without charitable giving or social investment, many local organisations would not be able to achieve their goals. Our new guide illustrates the practical steps and considerations people can take as they embark on their philanthropic journey. It also acts as a source of inspiration to those who want to make a real difference to the communities that matter to them.”
As well as being a practical guide, the report also aims to inspire through stories from individuals such as Andrew Wates (Wates Group) and Ian Gregg (Greggs plc), who share their personal experiences of how they have supported the communities they care about. They show that there are many opportunities for people to engage with their local area, and the rewards can be significant. When giving is done thoughtfully, even small sums of money can make a big impact and bring about real community transformation on a social, environmental or economic level.
According to ‘Secret Millionaire’ Marcelle Speller OBE, the founder of Localgiving.com and previously Holiday-Rentals.com: “I am inspired by small local charities as they are the glue that hold communities together. Local philanthropy gives me a sense of community, of belonging, and it recharges me. You can see you are giving effectively and the power of this report is that it captures the diversity of community life around us in the UK.” The report gives advice and ./guidance, including how to identify the challenges and opportunities that could benefit from philanthropy, and understanding the options on how to get involved. It also illustrates how donors can deepen their understanding of the key issues in their local area, giving snapshots of five UK regions, including key statistics and an assessment of funding gaps.
The report is available to download from the Insights section at
www.coutts.com/philanthropy
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For further information please contact: Siobhan Griffiths, Coutts & Co. Tel: 0207 957 2650 or email:
si***************@co****.com
Notes to Editors
Coutts & Co
· Research showing that 79% support local charities was undertaken in April 2009 amongst 102 Coutts clients attending a Philanthropy Forum.
· Coutts & Co has a strong history of local philanthropy. In the 19th century the grand-daughter of Thomas Coutts, Angela Burdett-Coutts who inherited a large share of Coutts & Co, supported the building of homes and the supply of fresh drinking water to deprived parts of London.
· Coutts & Co is the UK private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is one of the world’s largest banking groups.
· The first Coutts & Co regional office to be opened was Eton in 1961. Today, Coutts & Co has regional offices in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Eton, Exeter, Guildford, Hampshire, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Sheffield and Tunbridge Wells.
· Coutts & Co offers clients a range of products and services covering sophisticated investment products together with expertise in trust and fiduciary services and UK tax and banking services. Coutts commercial banking arm also provides full banking service to UK businesses.
www.coutts.com
New Philanthropy Capital (NPC)
New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) is a charity think tank and consultancy dedicated to helping funders and charities to achieve a greater impact. We provide independent research, tools and advice for charities and funders in the UK and internationally. We have an ambitious vision: to create a world in
which charities and their funders are as effective as possible in changing people’s lives and in tackling social problems. For charities, this means measuring the results of their work and using evidence to learn and improve, as well as to attract support. For funders, it means using evidence of charities’
results to make funding decisions and to measure their own impact. For further information, see
www.philanthropycapital.org.
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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.