What to do if you want
to get involved
in our charity work
_
Before getting yourselve involved, Please read through one of our charity's departmental work eg mentoring.
Befriending or mentoring:
Some of the most interesting developments in volunteering are in the field of mentoring.
I am a mentor (or "befriender") with a charity in Midlands in United Kingdom, which matches adult volunteers with disadvantaged children from lone parent families.
The aim of the charity is to provide an element of respite for parents who are under pressure, and to provide a positive role model and new opportunities for the child.
One might think that the parent could feel threatened by an outsider somehow displacing them, but this is not the case. In fact, the magic of befriending is that all three parties in the relationship have come to it voluntarily and all want it to work.
Some of the results can be quite miraculous.
Check out the Fun In Action website for some testimonies of what can happen.
Because children need all sorts of positive role models there is often a space for befrienders from all sorts of backgrounds.
You mention you are retired, so you might fit a grandparent-type role.
Younger befrienders may be able to play the role of big brother or big sister.
I am sure your local volunteer bureau would put you in touch with mentoring organisations.
Getting involved
Charities could get more out of wealthy people by encouraging them to donate their time to good causes rather than through creating tax-efficient ways of giving money, according to new research published today.
The government's campaign to encourage charity through payroll giving, Gift Aid and share donations does not appeal to wealthy people, a report by the Institute of Public Policy Research, (IPPR) has found.
The report, A bit rich? What the wealthy think about giving, suggests charities should place more emphasis on asking people to volunteer rather than giving money.
"Encouraging people to give time... is a more important part of creating a culture of giving than asking them to donate shares or set up a payroll giving account," it says.
The report adds: "The rich and affluent are much more positive about the notion of giving time than they are of giving money. Giving time is considered a less threatening, guilt-inducing proposal as well as a more rewarding one."
The research involved focus groups and one-to-one interviews with people in the top 10% of taxpayers (those earning more than £34,000). It showed that tax efficient giving is seen as cold and detached and clashes with people's motivation to give.
This has important implications for the government-backed Giving Campaign, which aims to increase planned and tax efficient giving over the next three years.
According to the research other campaigns to promote giving that, for example, suggest donating 1% of their income, are also not welcomed by the wealthy. "Givers want to give with good heart and out of choice rather than compulsion," claims the report.
It found that fundraising tactics that made people feel guilty or state how much should be given could put people off. "More emphasis needs to be placed on the idea that giving is good for society."
Peter Gilheany, spokesman for the Giving Campaign, said: "This is a false distinction; it is more about engaging people with the cause and eliciting whatever response is appropriate, whether it is time or money."
To help more people give their time, the report calls for a national "contact point" or body that draws together different organisations that encourage volunteering and focuses on recruitment and development of volunteers.
This would coordinate the opportunities offered by organisations such as Timebank, the National Centre for Volunteering, local volunteer bureaux and community service volunteers (CSV).
However, Karin Hobbs, spokeswoman for CSV, said: "In our experience, people volunteer because they are asked, rather than taking the initiative themselves. We would want as many options open as possible to encourage volunteering rather than one point of entry."
The report also suggests there could be tax incentives for employers who give staff time off to volunteer. This already exists for secondments but there is nothing in place to encourage staff to give time on a more regular basis.
Whether people give time or money, the report concludes that attitudes towards charity need to change, especially as Britain becomes wealthier. Most people in the UK give some money to charity but generosity has not kept pace with rising prosperity.
The report says: "Money buys bigger houses in better off areas, private education and personal health cover. Opportunities to engage with others outside this sphere - through giving time - are important if giving money is to become a commitment rather than a whim."
If you want to donate to this charity please click here.....
Befriending or mentoring:
Some of the most interesting developments in volunteering are in the field of mentoring.
I am a mentor (or "befriender") with a charity in Midlands in United Kingdom, which matches adult volunteers with disadvantaged children from lone parent families.
The aim of the charity is to provide an element of respite for parents who are under pressure, and to provide a positive role model and new opportunities for the child.
One might think that the parent could feel threatened by an outsider somehow displacing them, but this is not the case. In fact, the magic of befriending is that all three parties in the relationship have come to it voluntarily and all want it to work.
Some of the results can be quite miraculous.
Check out the Fun In Action website for some testimonies of what can happen.
Because children need all sorts of positive role models there is often a space for befrienders from all sorts of backgrounds.
You mention you are retired, so you might fit a grandparent-type role.
Younger befrienders may be able to play the role of big brother or big sister.
I am sure your local volunteer bureau would put you in touch with mentoring organisations.
Getting involved
Charities could get more out of wealthy people by encouraging them to donate their time to good causes rather than through creating tax-efficient ways of giving money, according to new research published today.
The government's campaign to encourage charity through payroll giving, Gift Aid and share donations does not appeal to wealthy people, a report by the Institute of Public Policy Research, (IPPR) has found.
The report, A bit rich? What the wealthy think about giving, suggests charities should place more emphasis on asking people to volunteer rather than giving money.
"Encouraging people to give time... is a more important part of creating a culture of giving than asking them to donate shares or set up a payroll giving account," it says.
The report adds: "The rich and affluent are much more positive about the notion of giving time than they are of giving money. Giving time is considered a less threatening, guilt-inducing proposal as well as a more rewarding one."
The research involved focus groups and one-to-one interviews with people in the top 10% of taxpayers (those earning more than £34,000). It showed that tax efficient giving is seen as cold and detached and clashes with people's motivation to give.
This has important implications for the government-backed Giving Campaign, which aims to increase planned and tax efficient giving over the next three years.
According to the research other campaigns to promote giving that, for example, suggest donating 1% of their income, are also not welcomed by the wealthy. "Givers want to give with good heart and out of choice rather than compulsion," claims the report.
It found that fundraising tactics that made people feel guilty or state how much should be given could put people off. "More emphasis needs to be placed on the idea that giving is good for society."
Peter Gilheany, spokesman for the Giving Campaign, said: "This is a false distinction; it is more about engaging people with the cause and eliciting whatever response is appropriate, whether it is time or money."
To help more people give their time, the report calls for a national "contact point" or body that draws together different organisations that encourage volunteering and focuses on recruitment and development of volunteers.
This would coordinate the opportunities offered by organisations such as Timebank, the National Centre for Volunteering, local volunteer bureaux and community service volunteers (CSV).
However, Karin Hobbs, spokeswoman for CSV, said: "In our experience, people volunteer because they are asked, rather than taking the initiative themselves. We would want as many options open as possible to encourage volunteering rather than one point of entry."
The report also suggests there could be tax incentives for employers who give staff time off to volunteer. This already exists for secondments but there is nothing in place to encourage staff to give time on a more regular basis.
Whether people give time or money, the report concludes that attitudes towards charity need to change, especially as Britain becomes wealthier. Most people in the UK give some money to charity but generosity has not kept pace with rising prosperity.
The report says: "Money buys bigger houses in better off areas, private education and personal health cover. Opportunities to engage with others outside this sphere - through giving time - are important if giving money is to become a commitment rather than a whim."
If you want to donate to this charity please click here.....