Charities are building trust

The Times - letters page

22 April 2008

Back to Press coverage

The charity sector is in a predictable flurry as a result of the publication of nfpSynergy's depressing (and somewhat out of date) findings about public trust in charities (Public trust in charities plummets, April 1). But the fact is that charities enjoy a remarkable level of public trust and support.

It is also a fact that the public often does not understand that modern charities operate a world away from rattling tins and jumble sales. This results in the regurgitation of urban myths about, for instance, excessive chief executive salaries. Charities need to accept their share of responsibility for this situation and better communicate exactly how it is they bring about change, explaining the methods by which they achieve it.

The ImpACT Coalition of more than 130 charities and trade bodies aims to improve transparency and accountabil-ity across the sector and will be providing a free online toolkit to help to achieve this. We recognise that we all need to work together to maintain and extend public trust. We do this best by doing the right thing and being rigorously accountable to our stakeholders.

Dr Richard Marsh, director, ImpACT Coalition, Institute of Fundraising

Back to Press coverage