Charity Intelligence Newsletter

November 2023

Welcome to your latest update from Guy Davies and Lynn Pates ,Co-founders.

It was great to see some of you in September and October at two events we were fortunate to speak at.

The events explored where charities can start with ESG investment, and the role of sustainable finance in helping not-for-profit organisations make an impact. These are topics of growing interest and importance in the charity world, and there were some fascinating discussions and questions.   

Thanks to our partners Charity Digital and Charity Bank for inviting us along to speak and if you weren’t able to attend, you can watch a recording of the Charity Digital webinar here.

We established Charity Intelligence with a simple aim: To help charities access the right investment, legal, accountancy and insurance expertise from professionals specialising in the not-for-profit sector.

As ever, you can find out more on our website at www.charityintelligence.co.uk or get in touch with us at info@charityintelligence.co.uk

Also in this issue...

• Have your say – the sector needs to hear from you!

• Cybersecurity: What charities can do to stay safe

• Going out to tender? 8 reasons RFP could ease the pain

• Helping charities make the most of property investments

• Latest Charity Intelligence Investment Fund Quarterly Review

Have your say – the sector needs to hear from you!

This month: A Spotlight on Charity Excellence Framework trustees’ survey

Despite charities’ renowned resilience, there’s no denying it’s a tough time for many right now. What do you think should be done at sector level to help frontline organisations more? What does your board find most difficult to deal with? And what does it do best?

These are some of the insights being gathered by the Charity Excellence Framework team in their annual trustee benchmarking survey. And if you’re a board member, they need to hear from you.

It takes only a few minutes to complete and also explores important topics including whether trustees are being supported to develop in their roles, how well boards are working, and board members’ understanding of governance, legal and financial matters.

The aim?

To gather insights to help charities with their decision-making and understanding of others’ experiences across the sector. Everyone who takes part can get a copy of the report – and it’s very quick to have your say...

Click here to share your views.

Cybersecurity: What can charities do to stay safe?

In today's digital age, charities are navigating the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Whether it’s a cyber attack or an incident caused by unintentional human error, the average cost of a data breach to a UK charity is more than £560,000, according to the team at Northcap Cyber.

Taking steps to stay safe is essential in so many ways and there are some key issues that trustees and senior leaders need to address. From education and training, to compliance, budgeting and engaging external providers, there’s lots to think about. If you’re looking for guidance, Northcap Cyber have shared some tips for this edition of the newsletter.

Find out more on our website here.

Going out to tender? 8 reasons to use RFP

If you’re going out to tender to find professional advisers for your charity, choosing the right one can be time-consuming and – let’s be honest – painful.

Our Request for Proposal (RFP) is a free tool to help… but why use it?

1. It’s free

2. It’s easy. We provide you with a set of quick questions to answer, outlining exactly what you’re looking for. RFP then matches you to potential suppliers based on your answers.

3. We don’t tell them who you are, so you don’t get sent lots of information with information from them.

4. We present back each provider’s proposals to you in a simple, standardised format. You can then easily compare them before choosing one or inviting a few to a ‘beauty parade’ pitch.

5. We’ll search more than 65 vetted adviser firms that specialise in helping charities. And you can ask us for proposals from as many as you like.

6. Your leadership team or board can complete a fair and objective evaluation before choosing the specialist that’s right for you.

7. RFP offers a clear audit trail, documenting a fair and transparent process that demonstrates the highest standards of governance.

8. We’ve got 80 years’ collective experience in the charity sector, so we understand what you’re looking for.

Find out more and begin your free search for the expertise you need at www.charityintelligence.co.uk/request-for-proposal or drop us a line at info@charityintelligence.co.uk

Until a few years ago, owning and managing a property portfolio was pretty straightforward for charities. But with heightened inflation and interest rates, maintenance costs, and increased environmental regulation, it’s a different prospect.

To succeed, charities need technical knowledge of the market, plus hands-on, operational capabilities to keep modern occupiers satisfied.

And if a charity doesn’t directly own property, how might it generate reliable and sustainable income by investing indirectly in a pooled property fund, run by a specialist real estate manager? Find out more in this blog from the team at Swiss Life Asset Management here.

How are your Charity Investments performing?

The latest comprehensive guide is now available to help you...

The latest Charity Intelligence Investment Fund Quarterly Review is now available on our website.

It provides the most comprehensive guide to all charity-specific investment funds, including performance, costs, and other useful information. You can use the report to see how your charity investments are performing, providing you with reassurance on financial governance.

Access the free report on our website here.

Are you and your charity seeing the whole picture?

If your charity has multiple investments managed by more than one fund manager, it can be complicated and time-consuming to get a complete picture. But without a holistic view, it’s hard to know whether you’re achieving the best results.

Consolidated Reporting enables charities to independently quantify and analyse their overall assets and their performance to provide that complete view and get clarity.

You can find out more on our website, or by emailing info@charityintelligence.co.uk

Charity events, webinars and training for you

Every month, dozens of great webinars, training sessions and other events take place to help charity trustees and leaders. See the latest on our website events calendar here.

And don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn for regular events updates – plus our weekly top tips to help charities access the information they need to succeed.

We established Charity Intelligence with a simple aim: To help charities access the right investment, legal, accountancy and insurance expertise from professionals specialising in the not-for-profit sector.

 As ever, you can find out more on our website at www.charityintelligence.co.uk or get in touch with us directly at info@charityintelligence.co.uk