NCVO and Acevo have agreed to work more closely together to promote the positive impact of the voluntary sector and develop a response to widespread criticism in the media.
The two sector infrastructure bodies said united action was needed to respond to a recent string of “negative stories about charities unfairly affecting the sector as a whole”.
The decision was taken at a meeting last week of the chairs, vice-chairs and chief executives of the two umbrella organisations.
The two bodies issued a joint statement from Paul Farmer, chair of Acevo, and Martyn Lewis, chair of NCVO.
It said: “The members of both our organisations have been telling us that they would like us to work together to make the case for a strong charity sector, especially with the risk of some negative stories about charities unfairly affecting the sector as a whole.
“The two chief executives, Sir Stuart Etherington and Sir Stephen Bubb, have been asked to flesh out a framework agreed at the meeting to co-ordinate several projects currently under way, and jointly develop new initiatives to promote the role of the sector in our society.”
The collaboration will be limited to projects which promote the voluntary sector or allow a more effective reply to critical stories. Details of the scope of the collaboration are still to be decided but more information is expected shortly.
A spokeswoman for NCVO described it as “a high priority for both organisations”. She said that as more details of the collaboration were established, it was likely the two bodies would seek to involve other charities, but that no decision had yet been taken.
Over the past two years charities have been criticised by national newspapers over issues including high pay for chief executives, high administration costs, poor ethical standards in investment and relying too much on public funds.
The most recent stories have focused on the high profile collapse of children’s charity Kids Company and a series of accusations that charities and agencies have bullied and threatened vulnerable donors, leading eventually to legislation and the proposed creation of a new fundraising regulator.
Research from consultancy nfpSynergy has offered some early suggestions that headline trust in charities may have been damaged by the recent accusations.
The move is a rare collaboration for the two infrastructure charities. Despite both organisations having offices in the Society Building (pictured) in north London, they have previously been criticised for not working sufficiently closely together on issues affecting the sector.
Understanding Charities Group welcomes move
The move follows the establishment earlier this year of an Understanding Charities Group, set up to create a more positive image of charities in the national press. The UCG has convened a number of meetings on the subject.
Its steering committee welcomed the decision by NCVO and Acevo.
“We are pleased that key sector bodies, and their members, are making public trust and confidence in the sector a priority," the committee said in a statement. "Negative stories over the summer have underlined the importance of creating a shared narrative about the importance of charity and a co-ordinated response.
"We look forward to working with both Acevo and NCVO on taking this forward. We’ll be sharing the work of the Understanding Charities Group to date, including our theory of change, action plan for the year, media strategy and draft narrative. We look forward to hearing more detail and to shaping and informing this important work.”
