Charity finance policy

One of CFG’s key roles is providing a voice for charities to government, parliament, regulators and other stakeholders to improve the environment that they work in.

This covers a wide range of areas from Brexit to public service reform.

As a membership organisation, we depend on members to highlight the challenges they face to do our work effectively. We hold regular discussions with members on how to shape policy and report back to them on changes that have resulted from our work.

In this section you can read more about how we work with our members to influence change.

 

London Property Survey Statistical Analysis
19 November 2018
Survey Results & Analysis of data undertaken by Charity Finance Group

London Charity Property Survey Findings
19 November 2018
The Survey reveals: how London’s charities hold and use property, whether rented or owned specific property related issues and how they impact on staff, volunteers and service users the capacity ...

London Charity Property Survey Results in Summary
19 November 2018

Findings at a glance

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Brexit For Charities
3 September 2018

The charity work force in post-Brexit Britain
5 June 2018

Economic Outlook Briefing 2018
9 May 2018
Headlines in this edition: Concerns over fundraising from the public over the medium term as higher inflation and weak pay growth means that households will feel the squeeze Interest rates ...

CFG Annual Handbook 2018
1 May 2018
Within this great publication you will find technically-geared content, suggested template documents and stimulating discussion pieces that will assist your endeavours throughout the year.

Apprenticeship Levy Guide
28 March 2018
Charity Finance Group, in partnership with Grant Thornton, has launched a free Apprenticeship Levy Guide for charities. The Guide clearly explains how the Levy works, how you can get the ...

CFG Handbook 2017
1 May 2017
We hope that you find this resource, tailored specifically to the need of members, useful and that it delivers content on the things you have highlighted as most important to ...

CFG Annual Handbook 2016
1 May 2016
CFG's Annual Handbook, also known as the 'Pink Book', is a compendium of advice and opinion pieces on key issues for charity professionals. Primary members in CFG member organisations receive ...

The Brexit deal is bad for charities says Charity Finance Group, as it urges MPs to vote against it on Tuesday
6 December 2018

Increasing number of charities fear property poses risks to their charitable mission
7 November 2018
Today the findings of the fourth Charity Property Matters Survey are published by the Ethical Property Foundation, in partnership with the Charity Commission and Charity Finance Group

Charity Finance Group's briefing on the Autumn Budget 2018
30 October 2018
Now the dust has settled, what did the 2018 Budget mean for the charity sector? Download our Budget Briefing for a full analysis and views from our corporate experts.

Brexit will be bad for both charities and beneficiaries, says new report from CFG
3 September 2018
In a new report on the impact of Brexit on charities, Charity Finance Group calls on the government to urgently adopt a six-point plan to create a better outcome for ...

Post-Brexit immigration rules could cause skills shortage in charities
5 June 2018
A new report from the Institute of Public Policy Research, commissioned by Charity Finance Group, has found that 82% of EU nationals currently working in the charity sector would be ...

Charities need to find nearly £4bn additional income by 2020 finds CFG
8 May 2018
Charity Finance Group’s latest Economic Outlook Briefing has found that inflation mean that charities have to raise £3.7bn a year extra by 2020 in order to maintain their spending power ...

Local infrastructure needs more support if it is going to meet needs of small charities, finds CFG report
8 August 2017
As part of its Small Charities Programme, funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Charity Finance Group has released a report on the state of small charity accountancy and support service providers ...

Charities could thrive with a ‘clean Brexit’ says major report
28 July 2017
Leaving EU could ‘unlock financial resources and cut red tape' ‘Clean Brexit’ poses ‘less risk’ to voluntary sector than remaining in the Single Market and customs union Reducing tax burden ...

The wealthy and business prioritised over disadvantaged communities in Brexit negotiations, say British public
15 June 2017
Just 9% of British adults believe that disadvantaged people and communities are one of the government’s top three priorities in the Brexit negotiations. This compares with 54% who believe that ...

Devolution and voluntary sector summit
9 September 2016
CFG, Locality, Children England and NAVCA host 30 voluntary sector leaders and produce a sector statement on devolution

Charities’ business rate bill set to double despite lack of public support for the tax
1 September 2016
Analysis of government data by Charity Finance Group has estimated that charities’ total business rate bill will double by the end of the decade. By 2020, charities will be spending ...

Charity Finance Group launches programme to help improve small charities’ finances
1 September 2016
The Small Charities Programme is being supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The programme will deliver subsidised training for small charities, develop and collect resources to help small charities manage their ...

Live Blog: Budget 2018
29 October 2018
On Monday 29th October at 15:30 the the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, will deliver the annual budget. We will be live blogging all the key announcements and how they will impact ...

Labour Conference September 2018 update - Brexit and Beyond
25 September 2018
CFG's Richard Sagar shares the latest from the Labour Party Conference.

Does the Civil Society Strategy deliver for charities?
16 August 2018
By Richard Sagar, Policy Manager, Charity Finance Group

Spring Statement 2018: What should charities be looking out for?
13 March 2018
Today the Chancellor stands up to deliver his Spring Statement. Didn’t this use to be Budget Day I hear you ask? Yes, it did. But now we have one fiscal ...

Review: Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing Report - Extremism in Charities
1 March 2018
Yesterday the Henry Jackson Society through its Centre for the Response to Radicalisation and Terrorism released a report on “How Islamist Extremists exploit the UK Charitable Sector.” 

A stairway to heaven on business rates for the charity sector?
1 December 2017
Now that it has been a week since the Chancellor submitted his Autumn Budget, CFG has been able to take a finer look at what the document says on business ...

Live Blog: Autumn Budget 2017
22 November 2017
On Wednesday 22nd November at 12:30pm the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, will deliver the first Budget since the General Election in June. If you can’t tune into the Chancellor’s speech, then ...

What should charities expect from the Autumn Budget 2017?
17 November 2017
It’s that time of the year again when the newspapers are full of gossip about potential giveaways or shocking tax changes which are going to cost eye-watering sums of money. ...

Serious but still lacking substance – Labour Party Conference 2017
29 September 2017
Labour Party Conference 2017 has ended and Jeremy Corbyn’s speech has laid out his belief that the party should now be seen as a government in waiting. The mood in ...

Government no longer has the luxury of ignoring charities
25 September 2017
Charity Finance Group has made two submissions to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. One alongside a coalition of other representative bodies. The other, on our own, regarding charity tax reform. ...

Could political instability create financial instability for charities?
23 August 2017
Charities have operated for some time in the midst of economic instability. This has become the bread and butter for most organisations - the recession, cuts in government spending or ...

Why has CFG written a report on potential Brexit deals?
1 August 2017
As you may have read in the newspapers, Charity Finance Group has drafted a report on the potential opportunities and risks facing the charity sector on Brexit. We have considered ...

The government is in danger of ignoring social issues in Brexit talks
5 July 2017
It’s only been a year and it is clear that the public are starting to get Brexit fatigue. The most recent General Election was dubbed the ‘Brexit election’ but yet ...

Celebrating small charities
21 June 2017

Record Management Toolkit Launch Roundup
20 June 2017
Last Thursday, CFG in partnership with  the British Academy Research Project ‘Digitising the Mixed Economy of Welfare in Britain’ based at UCL Institute of Education, launched the free Records Management in Charities: ...

Charities must not let Brexit negotiations get away from them
19 June 2017
The government has formally begun its Brexit negotiations with the EU – so expect lots of awkward looking photographs of UK and European politicians sitting across from each other. It’s ...

LIVE BLOG: General Election 2017
9 June 2017
Follow CFG's analysis of what General Election 2017 means for charities via our Live Blog. You can also keep up to date by following Andrew O'Brien, Anjelica Finnegan, Heather ...

General Election 2017: The campaigns through a charity lens
7 June 2017
Tomorrow the country goes to the polls and the outcome is still uncertain. CFG has been quietly working on this election campaign, doing a number of briefings for MPs and ...

CFG members should feel free to campaign in General Election 2017
2 June 2017
A message from Caron Bradshaw, Chief Executive, Charity Finance Group: Dear CFG members, As you will be aware there has been significant media coverage in recent days about the impact ...

General Election 2017: Conservative Manifesto Charity Analysis
19 May 2017
CFG will be analysing all the manifestos to understand what impact they may have on the operating environment for charities. Here is our third and final analysis, of the Conservative ...

General Election 2017: Liberal Democrats Manifesto Charity Analysis
19 May 2017
CFG will be analysing all the manifestos to understand what impact they may have on the operating environment for charities. Here is our second analysis, of the Liberal Democrats Manifesto.  ...

General Election 2017: Labour Manifesto Charity Analysis
12 May 2017
CFG will be analysing all the manifestos to understand what impact they may have on the operating environment for charities. Here is our first analysis of the Labour Party Manifesto ...

General Election 2017
8 May 2017
In the run up to the General Election on 8 June this blog post will provide you with all the resources and analysis CFG produces. We urge you to use them ...

GE 2017: Charities must not be afraid to make a case for themselves
18 April 2017
Theresa May has called a General Election for the 8th June. NCVO has some good information for charities that are thinking about campaigning and I am sure that they will ...

What the EU’s Brexit Strategy means for charities
31 March 2017
The European Council has published its ‘draft’ negotiation position for its future relationship with the UK. The BBC has a good article which gives an overview of the document. But ...

We must not see a rush to charging charities for regulation – House of Lords report
27 March 2017
There has been a lot of coverage in the sector media of the voluminous House of Lords report on the future of the charity sector. It is well worth a ...

Live Blog: Spring Budget 2017
7 March 2017
Welcome to Charity Finance Group's Spring Budget Live Blog.

IFS 2017 Green Budget – the good, the bad, and the worrying?
10 February 2017
On Tuesday I attended the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Green Budget for 2017. This is an annual event where the IFS looks at economic issues facing the Chancellor before ...

What does Theresa May’s Brexit Speech mean for charities?
17 January 2017
Theresa May has made ‘The Big Speech’ on Brexit today – although negotiation is a long process and the government’s position is likely to change and evolve over the next ...

Five things to look forward to in 2017
9 January 2017
It’s January, so it is traditional for people to write articles and blog posts telling you what you have to look forward to in 2017. And CFG is no exception! ...

Another referendum bites the dust
7 December 2016
CFG's Celeste Giuffrida, an Italian citizen living in London, reflects on what her countrymen's vote could mean for the EU and for the charity sector.  Italy said NO. On Sunday ...

Live Blog: Autumn Statement 2016
22 November 2016
Welcome to CFG's 2016 Autumn Statement live blog! For those of you that have followed CFG's Budget and Autumn Statement analysis previously, welcome back. To anybody new to this, welcome. This ...

Three things for charities to consider in the wake of Trump victory
9 November 2016
Despite the confidence of the pollsters, the unimaginable has become reality; Donald J Trump has been elected President of the United States. It goes without saying that the US ...

Saying what we want: Devolution & Voluntary Sector Summit
9 September 2016
On Wednesday, over 30 voluntary sector leaders came together in London to discuss devolution and the voluntary sector. Over the past few years, regions across England have been agreeing with ...

Tony Armstrong looks at Devolution: working with local organisations to transform public services
5 September 2016
Public sector finances are under severe strain. Local authorities have faced increasingly tight budgets over the last six years, and the localisation of business rates, the phasing out of central ...

Devolution is our chance to advocate for the most vulnerable
2 September 2016
Kathy Evans, CEO of Children England highlights the important voice that the voluntary sector has and how they can use it to be a power of advocacy. If those ...

How will the 'devolution revolution' be financed?
1 September 2016
At CFG, Locality, NAVCA and Children England's The Voluntary Sector and Devolution Summit we'll be looking at the key concerns about financing  local government under devolution deals. One of ...

Caron asks: 'Why does the voluntary sector need a devolution summit?'
31 August 2016
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Caron Bradshaw, CEO of Charity Finance Group, explains why CFG has worked with partners to organise the Devolution and the Voluntary Sector Summit and why she thinks ...

Post-Brexit Autumn Statement is first key battleground
14 July 2016
This is not a reshuffle blog. That probably means that it won’t be ready by many people today, because (and I am as guilty as anyone of this) reshuffles ...

EU Referendum: Keep watching this space…
24 June 2016
The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union and the Prime Minister has resigned. What does this mean for charities? The decision to leave the European Union ...

EU Referendum: What could this mean for charities?
6 June 2016
As the 23rd June appears closer and closer this Europe's Final Countdown song has never felt more relevant as the UK public decides whether they will be voting to remain ...

Apprenticeship Levy update: what charities need to know
31 March 2016
Earlier this month, CFG organised a round table with the Skills Minister, Nick Boles MP, to discuss the challenges the Apprenticeship Levy will impose on the sector and our recommendations ...

The Tampon Tax: how not to provide sustainable funding for charities
24 March 2016
After months of high profile campaigns, this week has brought the welcome news that the UK will no longer apply VAT onto women’s sanitary products. 

Early analysis of Budget 2016: a missed opportunity
16 March 2016
Whilst charities will no doubt be breathing a sigh of relief - not least because the axe over mandatory business rate reliefs seem to have been taken away - the ...

Hunting for the silver lining; the IFS, the economy and charities.
12 February 2016
This week I attended the IFS’s Green Budget 2016 event, which provides an essential commentary on the economic issues facing the current government over the next Parliament. The report comes ...

What did the Romans ever know about data protection?
19 January 2016
As usual, quite a lot. Caesar famously used his cipher device to protect important and sensitive military data among his generals. So what can we learn from the famous Roman?

What’s in local government’s Christmas stocking?
17 December 2015
It’s Christmas and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has unveiled the government’s provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2016-17. The Local Government Finance Settlement is effectively ...

Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme: Is it really working for charities?
10 December 2015
Charity Finance Group has launched a survey on Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme. But why are we doing this and how can you help? After repeated calls by CFG, the ...

Social investment: Government's Windex for civil society
7 December 2015
Those who know me know that I like a good laugh.  So it’s no surprise that I love the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  For those of you ...

What does the economic data mean for charities?
26 November 2015
The Spending Review gets all the attention, but the most important document in many ways is the Economic and Fiscal Outlook by the Office of Budget Responsibility. This sets out ...

What do charities need to know about the Spending Review?
25 November 2015
This Spending Review was full of surprises. As you may have seen from our live blog, we did not expect that the chancellor would have the wiggle room to avoid ...

LIVE BLOG: #SR2015
25 November 2015

What do we want to see in the spending review?
29 October 2015
The hotly (or anxiously) anticipated spending review is now less than a month away. CFG have been working with other voluntary sector leaders to develop a menu of policy proposals ...

Tackling some myths on the Spending Review
10 September 2015
If you listen very carefully when you walk down Whitehall you’ll hear the grumblings and table thumping of officials as they prepare for the Spending Review due to be announced ...

What’s the risk? Implications of the summer budget for housing associations
22 July 2015

Financial sustainability won’t be easy for the charity sector
22 July 2015

Welfare and employment dominate the Budget: What does this mean for charities?
8 July 2015

Government misses chance to integrate civil society into policy agenda
2 June 2015

CFG Live Blog - General Election 2015
8 May 2015

Manifesto Watch 2015: UKIP
16 April 2015
CFG’s analysis of the party manifestos concludes with the United Kingdom Independence Party which unveiled their manifesto yesterday. 

Manifesto Watch 2015: Liberal Democrats
15 April 2015
CFG’s analysis of the party manifestos continues with the Liberal Democrats which unveiled their manifesto earlier today. Stronger Economy.

Manifesto Watch 2015: Conservatives
14 April 2015
CFG’s analysis of the party manifestos continues with the Conservative Party which unveiled its manifesto today. 

Manifesto Watch 2015: Green Party
14 April 2015
CFG’s analysis of the party manifestos continues with the Green Party, which unveiled its manifesto today.

Manifesto Watch 2015: Labour
13 April 2015

Caron’s comment: Financial skills are a priority for any government
9 April 2015
In last month’s budget there was a welcome slug of cash to support the development of fundraising capacity building. I was pleased to hear it but couldn’t help thinking, why ...

Budget 2015 – Missed opportunities and targeted giveaways
18 March 2015
The Chancellor has sat down, the media are pouring over the budget documents looking for stories to come out of the figures, but what has been the impact of the ...

Capacity building – a dividing line in 2015?
10 March 2015

Audits, thresholds and transparency
30 January 2015
Last week, the Cabinet Office consultation on the future of the audit threshold for charities concluded. 

Are charities losing their voice?
24 July 2014
The campaigning role of charities has stayed firmly in the public spotlight for the last twelve months and appears to be gaining traction as we head towards the General Election.

Vision for sector post-2015. What did the politicians have to say at the CFG Annual Conferece?
19 May 2014
Following our overwhelmingly successful Annual Conference last Thursday, back at CFG-HQ we are now digesting the political nuggets that were debated in our closing plenary by the Minister for Civil ...

Managing in a Downturn Report Reflections....
11 April 2014
Yesterday saw the launch of the seventh ‘Managing in Downturn’ report – a survey series that we have run in partnership with the Institute of Fundraising and PwC since the ...

Time for budget bingo
19 March 2014

Diversifying your Board - the benefits for small charities
3 March 2014
Alex Swallow, Chief Executive of the Small Charities Coalition tells us...

'Professionalism' is not a dirty word
28 January 2014
2014. I can’t quite believe that this is my fourth year working within the sector, but I’ve been sensing that the pressure on us as a ‘sector’ has intensified... Pensions. ...

2014, politics, and charities
10 January 2014

Little good news for charities in 2013 Spending Review
27 June 2013
There was little cause for optimism for the charity sector in the Government’s 2013 Spending Review, with a few niche giveaways overshadowed by more details on planned welfare reforms and ...

Delayed reaction: what difference do Budget measures make to charities?
3 April 2013
As we toured the country last week, meeting over 200 charities to discuss Budget 2013, we were met by experts and charities that were, on the whole, underwhelmed by the ...

Bates Wells Braithwaite
Bates Wells Braithwaite is ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 as the leading charity and social enterprise lawyers in the UK. Our lawyers are personally committed to the charity sector ...

Gerrard Financial Consulting Limited
Gerrard Financial Consulting offers specialist charity training, consultancy and accounting services across Bristol and the South West and is registered with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Hempsons
As a top 10 specialist legal advisor to the UK’s top charities, our team has worked with this sector for many years and advises on all aspects from start up ...

Hewitsons LLP
The Charities & Education team comprises around 40 lawyers and advisors, some of whom work solely on core charity law, regulation and governance matters. The team is led by Chris ...

HSBC
Proudly providing banking services to over 35,000 charities from the very largest to the smallest local community organisations.

Lloyds Bank PLC
Based in Gresham St London, but with strategically placed colleagues in various geographic locations around the country to enable us to provide a local, personal service for charities operating in ...

Mills & Reeve
Our charities team is part of a full service firm with broad experience across the commercial sector and international markets. This means you get complete answers and best practice from ...

Russell-Cooke
Russell-Cooke is a top 100 law firm with 47 partners and 235 other staff offering services to individuals, businesses and charities.

Santander
Our dedicated and experienced Relationship Directors understand the unique needs of the charity & not-for-profit sectors.

Triodos Bank
Our bank was founded on the conviction that banking can be a powerful force for good. Through our range of financial and banking services, we connect individuals, entrepreneurs and organisations ...

Wrigleys
Noted for its “exceptionally high level of service, professionalism, integrity and knowledge”, Wrigleys Solicitors is a niche firm with 24 partners and over 170 staff which specialises in advising charities ...