The Prince Update - August 9th
Richard Prince shares his regular horizon scan of the sector news, flagging up developments, new funding and opportunities in the social sector for portfolio careerists and others to be aware of.
Sector news
Peabody and Catalyst consider merger to create 100,000-home group
Two members of the G15 group of London’s largest housing associations, Peabody and Catalyst, have announced proposals to join together in a move that would create a 100,000-home provider. Under the proposed merger plans, 34,000-home Catalyst would join 66,000-home Peabody in spring 2022 as a subsidiary. The groups said that their combined financial capacity would allow them to “share resources, be more efficient and meet their commitment to build affordable homes and places with safety, quality and energy efficiency at the core”.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for the charity sector
Updated guidance from the Charity Commission to help with running your charity during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Volunteering levels reach new high but proportion of givers down
Volunteering levels hit a recent high during the Covid-19 pandemic but the proportion of people who gave to charity fell to a new low, a major government study (Community Life Survey) shows. The proportion of people who said they had been involved at least once a month in formal volunteering – giving unpaid help through clubs or organisations – fell six percentage points year on year to a record low of 17 per cent as the national lockdowns prevented many community activities from taking place. But overall, the proportion of people who said they had been involved in formal or informal volunteering at least once a month in 2020/21 rose two percentage points year on year to 41 per cent, the highest level since 2014/15.
What’s next in the world of state aid and subsidy control in the UK
This briefing by Bates Wells is relevant for public authorities and any beneficiaries of public subsidies (e.g. direct grants, loans and guarantees) such as charities, social enterprises and SMEs.
After a period of speculation, the Government has introduced to Parliament the Subsidy Control Bill , which sets out the proposed new UK subsidy control regime. It has also published the responses to its earlier public consultation on the shape the new regime should take. The Bill will bolster and amend our national subsidy control law, which, following Brexit, has effectively replaced in the UK the EU state aid framework which applied pre-Brexit (although the application of state aid will still be relevant to trade between Northern Ireland and the EU).
The Bill sets out the principles which public authorities must consider when deciding to award subsidies such as direct grants, loans and guarantees and only make them available if consistent with these principles; it also sets outs exemptions, where subsidies fall outside of the regime.
Comment: this briefing could be relevant for anyone working on grant applications from the public sector In the future
Kirsty Weakley: To trust or not to trust? If only it were that simple
“The Charity Commission's regular research on public trust in charities always, therefore, generates plenty of interest. This year's shows that charities' mean trust score has improved from 6.2 to 6.4 out of 10 since last year, though the figure is still slightly below where the sector was before a series of high-profile scandals commenced in 2015”.
‘Levelling up’ funding must be redesigned, NCVO tells government
The government’s levelling up agenda will falter unless it taps into the “unique contribution” charities can offer, NCVO has warned. In its report Levelling Up: The role of charities and volunteering, published yesterday, NCVO warned that charities in regions targeted for levelling up funding may struggle to work as effective partners with government because of a lack of resources.
Income from largest mass participation charity events nearly halves due to lockdown
The largest 25 mass participation fundraising events raised just over half the amount similar events raised before the pandemic, after most charities switched to virtual options. Massive, the agency which produces an annual report that identifies and ranks the largest mass participation fundraising events, last year warned that Covid-19 could mean the sector lost out on £100m.
Comment: we will need to see how the latest unlocking last month has impacted the funding picture from in-person events
2. Charity careers and future of work
Do We Actually Need to Meet in Person?
To ensure that we go forward — not back — to the office, it’s critical that we reimagine a cornerstone of the modern workplace: how we meet. It’s a confusing time. As you plot out your team’s work plan, here are six questions you should be asking:
Should this be a meeting? If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past year, it’s the value of time
Are my meeting goals relationship-based or task-based? Unlike tasks, relationship-based goals, which involve strengthening or repairing connections among team members, are usually accomplished most effectively in person.
How complex are my objectives?
Could my meeting take an entirely different shape or form? There’s the room, there’s Zoom, and there’s hybrid. But there’s also a world of possibilities that don’t fall into any of those categories.
What type of meeting will be most inclusive?
Does my facilitator have the skills and tech setup to pull off a hybrid gathering?
Comment: there’s a lot to think about in how to make the most of what we’ve discovered from the last year and a half of doing things differently
The HR implications of living in an age of longevity
”While increasing longevity should be celebrated, it has a significant effect on the economy, services and wider society, with people needing to work for longer. This dramatic demographic shift has led Gratton and Scott to call for us to reconsider the conventional ‘three-phase life’ (i.e. education, work, retirement) into a ‘multi-phase life’ in which we must view work in a very different way.”
Comment: interesting reading in terms of the implications of a older and multi-generational workforce
Young people benefit most from being in the office, warns Sunak
Speaking to LinkedIn News, Rishi Sunak, who worked in finance before moving to politics, said he would not have done as well if he had worked virtually, saying being in an office was “really beneficial for me when I was starting out in my career”.
Comment: a significant intervention from the chancellor about the future of the office and the impact for young people in particular
CharityJob: How to Establish your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
“Are you feeling unsure about LinkedIn? Here are some top tips on how to establish your personal brand on the platform and use it to get noticed. After all, it’s a useful tool for building your network, promoting your skills and finding work. “
