Giving plans aim to boost charitable donations and volunteering

The Government has announced a £10 million Social Action Fund as part of its white paper on giving, published on 23rd May.
The Government will invest £700,000 through the Fund in Philanthropy UK, which offers advice on effective giving to aspiring philanthropists. The fund will "support new models that incentivise people to give, such as ‘complementary currencies’ that offer people credit for volunteering", says the paper. Banks and cashpoint providers have unanimously agreed to work together to enable donations to be made at ATMs by 2012, the paper says.
Other measures include £30 million to support voluntary sector infrastructure, a year-long campaign to promote payroll giving, and ‘challenge prizes’, which will reward schemes that encourage volunteering using mobile phones.
The local infrastructure fund, which will be delivered by the Big Lottery Fund, will support the development of "more efficient local hubs to offer better-integrated support services for front-line civil society organisations", the paper says.
"The types of activity supported will include: developing new services and redesigning existing ones; establishing new partnerships, alliances, mergers and/or shared back-office provision; staff training for new roles; and purchasing expert advice and support," it says.
Critics say the plans will not make up for cuts in funding to charities. Labour says that, a year after its launch, the Big Society has "stalled", with promises made but little delivered.
The £40 million package will be available over two years, after which expenditure of a further £40 million will be reviewed.
The Government will hold a giving summit in the autumn aimed at generating new fundraising ideas, and the paper also says that Government ministers will give one day a year to volunteer at a charity or voluntary group of their choice.

[from: Third Sector Online 23.5.11]