Those charities concerned with the victims of violence will be interested in a recent experiment which proved, once again, that a majority of people will inflict pain on others if encouraged to do so by an authority figure.

The experiment at Santa Clara University, California, which replicated generally another 1961 experiment at Yale University, had volunteers administering what they thought were increasingly painful electric shocks to people who failed memory tests.  In fact the “victims” were all actors who cried out in pain at the “shocks”. Continue reading →

The director of The Fair Project, a drugs charity educating youngsters about the dangers of drugs has been jailed for three years, for supplying drugs.  (thelondonpaper).

Karen Stott, (49) and her two sons Khan (24) and Vidal (22) from Camden sold ecstasy and cocaine to night clubbers in London who simply had to call a mobile telephone number to get a delivery within 30 minutes.  Police mounted a five month surveillance operation and on the same day that Karen Stott inadvertently sold drugs to an undercover police officer she visited a school to talk to children about the dangers.  Police claim the family made £250,000 over two years.

Stott’s son Vidal was also given a three year jail sentence and Khan got 27 months.  They all pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine.

Charities are having to cancel fundraising events due to a lack of corporate support in the current downturn.  (Event magazine).

Accountants Pricewaterhousecoopers are warning that a shortfall of £3.2 billion will hit charities this year.

The British Red Cross cancelled its winter fundraising ball after failing to find a corporate sponsor.

Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for Hampton Court Palace has lost its fight to oppose the building of a four storey riverside hotel on a derelict site directly opposite its entrance.

The local council has approved the development, which will include a care home for ex-servicemen, private housing and a shopping parade.

Following the withdrawal of support from the RSPCA and the PDSA the Kennel Club is to change the breed standards that the charities found cruel to some breeds. The BBC also refused to televise the clubs dog show,Crufts while the flawed standards were still in place. See Charity Matters issue 16, BBC DITCH CRUFFS (sic) and issues 14 and 15

Actor Sir David Jason, well-known as Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses and Inspector Frost in A Touch of Frost, but not so well-known as a keen helicopter pilot, has accepted the role of patron of the Association of Air Ambulances (AAA).

According to the newsletter of the Medical Indemnity Register (MIR) Sir David was shocked to discover that the air ambulance charities in England and Wales received no funding from the government or National Lottery.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has drawn criticism for sending three delegates to a three-day medical conference in Melbourne at a cost of £3,000 each.

Delegates enjoyed food and wine tours and Harley Davidson rides during what the trust defended as a “useful fact finding exercise”.

According to the Conservatives a quarter of all the millions raised by the National Lottery goes to funding the 2012 Olympics, or the administrative costs of public bodies.

Apparently of the £1.2588 billion raised by gambling in 2007/8 £147 million was given to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund and £161 million went on the administration costs run up by public bodies on essential things like “media monitoring” according to the Daily Telegraph.

An organisation providing free help to small charities with problems has been set up for those with under £1 million donation income.

The Small Charities Coalition puts charities in touch with a volunteer from another charity which has faced and solved similar problems.  The time available for help is 24 hours and every charity applying for the help has to agree to supply similar help for 24 hours to other charities.

According to founder Patrick Cox the Coalition has three private funders, all charities themselves. www.smallcharities.com

Some charities, and those donating money to them are benefiting from the temporary and miserly cut in VAT.

The Daily Telegraph reports that fashion retail chain White Stuff decided not to pass the cut on the customers but to give it to charity instead.  This raised £150,000 and sales increased by 38% over its 54 stores in December, without discounting.