Dangerous myths?

Catherine Walker and Debra Allcock Tyler believe the application of market models to the charity sector is misguided and people don’t expect something back when they give

Supply and demand

Kevin Carey reflects on how charities need to adapt to current market forces and takes a trip back to the eighteenth century

Peer pressure

Clarissa Dann pays a visit to the upper house to hear Andrew Phillips’ recollections of charity law evolution and why we need Big Society

Getting Younger

Sam Younger reflects on his varied career and the challenges facing him at the Charity Commission. He shares with Clarissa Dann why the sector’s integrity and clarity of purpose must be preserved in these changing times

Spurious claims

Helen Giles and Michael Rubenstein do not agree that the employment tribunal system is loaded against the employer

Funding groups in crisis

Gaynor Humphreys, Amanda Tincknell and James Sinclair Taylor summarise issues facing funders and their beneficiaries as spending review cuts are being rolled out

Not big enough?

Nick Seddon looks at the gap between a retreating state and the voluntary sector and the opportunities to turbo-boost its capacity and scale

Delivering services

Gillian Norton and Mandy Skinner provide their local authority perspective on a journey from grantmaking to commissioning with insights of what they look for in a service provider

Fundamental powers

Chris Hanvey and Ben Wittenberg reflect on the independent might of trust funding and believe more can be done to share expertise

New horizons, core values

“Change should not frighten us because it is charities by their very own creation and campaigning have been, and remain, change-makers”

Mark Jackson

In hindsight

“Being a charity means being part of a precious brand – it’s a huge social privilege. And it is important that charities are seen to be honouring their responsibilities.”

Andrew Hind

Healthy options?

Nick Young and Mike Whitlam explore how civil society can provide commissioned services to the NHS

Healthy options?

Fit for purpose

“The ominous warning for the new schools is that self-government and charitable status provide no guarantees for the delivery of improved education within a unitary state system”

Fit for purpose

“The non profit sector has the opportunity to steal a march on its competitors – its traditional strengths in high quality service delivery albeit with less emphasis on cost-driven decision making puts the customer or service user at the heart of its processes”

Great expectations

Jonathan Welfare and Martin Brookes look forward to what the new government can do to work more effectively with civil society

In readiness

Ruth Spellman believes that improving management skills will be key in delivering the government’s ‘Big Society’ vision

Campaigning for change

Why don’t more charities invest in campaigning to achieve their objectives? Anthony Julius, Michael King and Vicki Bowles share their thoughts 

X marks the spot

Following the dissolution of Parliament, Nick Hurd, Jenny Willott and Angela Smith are all third sector spokespeople for their political parties and take this pre-election
opportunity to summarise what they would do if elected on 6 May

All for one and one for all?

Stuart Etherington and Stephen Bubb deal with the suggestion that the sector should be engaging with the government in a more joined-up manner