In the wake of the massacre at Virginia Tech at least one charity will be relieved its money is not now being used to profit from the sale of guns in the USA.

A few weeks ago the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust dumped, on ethical grounds, £2 million in shares in Reed Elsevier which runs, through its exhibition division, the Shot Show in the USA. Reed Elsevier are also the organisers of the much criticised Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition (DSEI) held every two years at Excel in London’s Docklands, a venue in which Reed hold a 10% stake. Reeds enthusiasm for such events has recently been confirmed with its organisation of a new arms fair, IDEX, in Abu Dhabi. Continue reading →

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has been attacked by some of their donors for spending nearly £30,000 on a lavish mailshot to 2000 philanthropists celebrating the success of an appeal. (Daily Express).

The mailshot consisted of heavy full colour, embossed booklets in cardboard mailing boxes that cost nearly £2 to post, first class.

Some donors, not named by the Daily Express, felt that the money could have been better spent on at-risk children than with a printer and the Post Office.

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) – a charity which helps people with debt problems – has expressed disappointment at the credit card arrangement being peddled by the Labour party to raise funds.

General Secretary of the party Peter Watt has sent out an e-mail urging supporters to take out a credit card issued by the Co-operative Bank which generates £15 commission for the party for every new one signed up. And, says Watt, commissions to the party are also paid on every pound spent, regardless of whether the borrower is able to clear the monthly balance. Continue reading →