4-H Canada’s Post

“More than 70% of schools [surveyed in Ireland] have run at a deficit over the past 12 months due to rising costs and a shortfall in grant funding to cover expenses such as light, heat and transport. Stark reporting in yesterday’s (June 3rd) The Irish Times by Education Editor, Carl O'Brien, on a recent survey of schools in Ireland that shows how the majority of primary schools need financial help due to the cost of living crisis. “Schools say they are being forced to take a range of cost-saving measures to get by, such as reducing expenditure on school tours, delaying fire safety checks or dropping school alarm monitoring subscriptions.” This is where you can help. The Irish American Partnership supported 55 schools in 2023 with direct grants from our donors in the US, with a median grant size of $5,000. These relatively modest, direct grants have a massively positive impact on the schools, children, and communities they support. If you would like to support a school in need in Ireland – be it your old school, or a school in your home county – please consider doing so via the Irish American Partnership. Just get in touch or donate via www.irishap.org/donate.   As always, 100% of your donation will go to the school receiving the grant. https://lnkd.in/eNC2nHVP #irishamerica #givingback #education 

WHAT'S NEW WITH PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANISATIONS (PBO)? - New requirements for S18A certificates for donations made to the PBO. - New reporting deadline for PBOs starting 31 May 2024. Read more here -> https://bit.ly/3vIlpXl.

Our 2024 Integrated Report is now available! Highlights from our firm’s fiscal year include revenues of $2.2 billion, a Net Promoter Score that continues to be significantly above the industry average, and donations of more than $1.78 million and thousands of volunteer hours to our communities. Read the report to learn more: https://bit.ly/4eBrnu6

WHAT'S NEW WITH PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANISATIONS (PBO)? - New requirements for S18A certificates for donations made to the PBO. - New reporting deadline for PBOs starting 31 May 2024. Read more here -> https://bit.ly/3vIlpXl.

In 2008, we started Musana Children’s Home to rescue 80 children from unimaginable conditions—starving, sleeping on dirt floors, and living amidst garbage. To fund our initial operations, we started with what seemed like the obvious choice: child sponsorship. It worked… at first. Sponsors pledged $40 a month, creating a direct connection with a child they were helping. But as we grew, we began to see cracks in the system. Despite our best intentions, we realized that child sponsorship was creating harm—not just for the children, but for the community as a whole. 👉 It fostered unhealthy dependency—on sponsors, foreign aid, and external validation. 👉 It created inequality, with some children feeling abandoned and others overly reliant on special treatment. 👉 It undermined local ownership, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and limiting long-term self-sufficiency. We made a hard decision: to stop sponsorships altogether. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t popular. But it was the right choice. Today, Musana is transforming lives differently: - 1,943 scholarships funded annually—not by foreign donors, but by profits from locally owned schools, hospitals, and businesses. - A team of local social workers ensures scholarships go to the most vulnerable, fostering dignity and empowerment. The community—not outsiders—is at the heart of our mission. This shift to sustainability and local ownership embodies our belief that real impact doesn’t come from charity alone—it comes from investing in the Ugandan people. 💡 Curious to know more about why we made this shift and how it’s transforming lives? Read the full story in our latest blog post. Together, we can rewrite the narrative of development—from dependency to dignity. ✨ #Sustainability #SocialImpact #LocalOwnership #Empowerment #Africa #DevelopmentRedefined #MusanaModel

The second article in our series on the impact of the new freedom of speech legislation on students’ unions.

Our partner, Laura Moss discusses the new freedom of speech legislation and its impact on students’ unions in our latest article. Laura discusses various aspects such as the roles of students’ unions as charities, political organisations, and their complex governance structures. The article also touches upon the implications of the Equality Act and the challenges faced by student-led organisations. It is the second in a series of articles on this topic. Follow the link to read now: https://bit.ly/4cKrgey #studentsunions #freedomofspeech

Our 2024 Integrated Report is now available! Highlights from our firm’s fiscal year include revenues of $2.2 billion, a Net Promoter Score that continues to be significantly above the industry average, and donations of more than $1.78 million and thousands of volunteer hours to our communities. Read the report to learn more: https://bit.ly/3Zv0Rye

Our 2024 Integrated Report is now available! Highlights from our firm’s fiscal year include revenues of $2.2 billion, a Net Promoter Score that continues to be significantly above the industry average, and donations of more than $1.78 million and thousands of volunteer hours to our communities. Read the report to learn more: https://bit.ly/3B5RCu0

*New updated Fundraising Code* coming our way. The Fundraising Regulator is running its final public consultation on the revised Code, before it comes into force in early 2025. Some key changes in the proposed new Code are: 📏 The Code is 40% shorter than the current version (although the Head of Policy at the Regulator has reassured charities that none of the existing protections in the Code have been lost). 👩⚕️ New requirement for charities to take reasonable steps to ensure people fundraising on their behalf are protected from harm and harassment and have processes in place to allow them to raise any such issues. 👥 More detailed requirements for providing training and support to volunteer fundraisers that are fundraising "in aid of" or "on behalf of" your charity. Obligation to carry out appropriate checks to ensure "on behalf of" volunteer fundraisers are suitable. 🚶♂️ A "three-step" rule. In relation to not approaching the public at unsuitable moments, the Code introduces a rule that in approaching the public a fundraiser should not take more than three steps alongside / behind them, and if they have not stopped within three steps, they should end their attempt to talk to them. £ If a charity is aware that an organisation is offering a way to automatically add a donation to a transaction (such as rounding up a bill in a shop or restaurant), they must ensure the organisation gets active agreement from the donor. 😲 Charities cannot use claims or images in fundraising materials that people may find shocking "merely to attract attention". Warnings should be included if charities do use shocking content. 🚷 New rules on unstaffed collections. 📱 Requirement to use charity short codes when asking for donations by text message. ☎ Restrictions on fundraising calls after 9pm and ensuring the call is conducted responsibly (including not asking for a financial contribution more than three times in one call). ❌ Must include a simple opt-out message for people to tell you if they don't want to receive messages from you. ❗ Requirement to engage "constructively and in a timely manner" with enquiries by the Fundraising Regulator or the Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel. The consultation is open until 1 November 2024 so do submit your comments if you have any strong views on any of the above. https://lnkd.in/ejSE_MMZ #charitylaw #fundraising #fundraisingcode