October 2011

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd  wrapped up the Association of Charitable Foundations’ (ACF) annual conference on Tuesday Oct 18th by outlining three ways government and private funders might collaborate in today’s "challenging environment".

A new report has highlighted the need for fundraisers to better understand the needs of philanthropists if they wish to grow philanthropy and encourage more giving to charity. It says charities need “to accept the value of philanthropy for philanthropy’s sake, as an end itself, not just a means to achieve their mission.”

A live question and answer session on The Guardian’s website around the Institute for Philanthropy’s paper Philanthropy and Social Media offered philanthropists advice on using everything from Twitter to wikis.

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd sent an open letter to the voluntary sector last week, setting out the government's objectives for the Big Society. He said: "The Big Society vision is based on the argument that we have given too much power and responsibility to government and have too little to show for it . . . We believe that the country will be stronger if we as citizens have more power and responsibility to improve our own lives, the communities we share and the public services we use."