Our four staff and two of our trustees will take a valuable pause for thought at the national community foundations conference, which takes place in Belfast with the theme of ‘Leadership: Transforming Vision into Reality’. During the three days of the conference the office will be closed and we will not be available on our usual phone number.
The need for greater collaboration between charities and more strategic giving by donors are key challenges for the charity sector, according to OCF’s CEO Jayne Woodley. She made the comments at the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Economic Question Time event at the Said Business School recently.
The new responsible business network will allow local corporate organisations to share best practice and learn from each other when it comes to their CSR, social impact and charitable giving. OCF is now seeking founder members to help shape the initiative.
OCF’s grant-making in 2014-15 showed solid support for groups that enable people with disabilities to take a fuller part in their community, representing 34% of grants made. Our grant-making also tells the story of our donor-advised funds.
Thanks to the generosity of colleagues at several local firms, we are now able to offer a series of dates for our professional advisor briefings at a variety of times and locations. The briefings are aimed at financial advisors, solicitors and accountants working with private clients to plan their philanthropy.
A combination of new donor-advised funds, match funding and more strategic grant-making means the 2014-15 financial year was our best yet. By building on our income successes with Gift Aid and an impressive investment fund performance, we have been able to make bigger community investments than ever before.
You can now book your seat at our debate at the Oxford Union on Tuesday 10th November, where speakers including Guardian journalist Sali Hughes and face equality campaigner James Partridge will explore whether it is acceptable to spend more on beauty than on charitable giving.
Research has shown that people in the UK do not know about local charities, despite 67% believing it is important to support their local community. OCF is working with OCVA to create a new open data tool that will connect the donors with the doers.
OCF was delighted to attend the grand opening of the social enterprise cafe in Witney, which was unveiled during a surprise visit from the Prime Minister. The opening is the latest chapter of a success story that has seen OCF support Yellow Submarine from the very start.
Our fundholder Anne-Marie Cockburn, who lost her daughter two years ago to an accidental ecstasy overdose, has joined other bereaved families to petition Number 10 for the legalisation and regulation of psychoactive substances.