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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

5 concerns the public has about charities

This list is about 10 years old
 

Thinktank New Philanthropy Capital (NPC)has revealed some of the concerns its researchers discovered thepublic have about charities.

Here are the top five:

Charities spend too much on executive salaries (42%)

Charities spend too much on executive salaries (42%)

​Gone are the days when a fat cat was just a derogatory term for someone working in the private sector. The public can get just annoyed now if they think too much of their money is going to the chief executive and not the cause they support.

Charities are not transparent enough about how they are spending their money (36%)

Charities are not transparent enough about how they are spending their money (36%)

​Gossip! If people care enough to buy magazines with pictures of celebs sharing an illicit sundae together they probably want to know where their charitable donations are going too. Be honest and tell supporters about the good work you do TFN is a great place to do this.

Charities spend too much abroad (29%)

Charities spend too much abroad (29%)

Now, the public’s concern here is probably regarding foreign aid “when we have problems in our own backyard” and not executives going off on foreign holidays so highlighting what work you do at home as well as abroad is a must.

PS Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a secret third sector island timeshare though, like the one above?

Charities put pressure on people to donate (29%)

Charities put pressure on people to donate (29%)

​This guy is way too happy to be on the phone to someone trying to get him to sign up to a monthly direct debit. Let’s face it constant phone calls, emails and letters can be annoying, regardless of who they are from.

Charities spend too much on running costs (26%)

Charities spend too much on running costs (26%)

Every charity has running costs but alleviate public concerns by making sure you spend sensibly. Don’t go having champagne and caviar for an all expenses paid Christmas party.