Too few qualified staff to handle legacies, says institute chief

Chris Millward, chief executive of the Institute of Legacy Management, also tells seminar that a lack of qualifications and training means many charities lack the soft skills that would help

Charities are not employing enough qualified staff to handle legacies and will struggle with rising volumes of cases, according to Chris Millward, chief executive of the Institute of Legacy Management.

A lack of qualifications and training has also meant that many charities lack the soft skills to help them deal with difficult or disputed legacy cases, he said.

Speaking at a seminar on the issues facing charity legacies, held by the law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite in central London yesterday, Millward said the problem of staff recruitment was one of the things that kept him awake at night.

“There’s a challenge at the moment in that charities aren’t necessarily employing professionally qualified people to undertake the role of legacy administration,” he said.

The institute needed to work to establish legacy administration as a recognised and respected profession, he said, in much the same way the Institute of Fundraising was with fundraising.

“I think there are some challenges coming down the line, particularly in regard to the rising death rate of the baby-boomer generation,” Millward said.

“What that actually means is that hopefully we’re going to get more legacy gifts, but also that we’ve got a resourcing issue because we can’t currently recruit as many people as we need to do the job let alone do the job well to handle those increasing numbers.”

He said the sector needed to consider what kind of training or professional qualifications candidates should have to make them effective legacy administrators, how they should communicate with those people and encourage them into the profession and how they should be supported once they entered it.

This would also put charities in a better position to focus on supporter care and deal with more complex legacy disputes, Millward said.

“We portray ourselves quite often as the victim in some of these scenarios, unable to do anything about our own situation,” he said.

“But what we’ve failed on is some of those softer skills: communications, being sensitive, influencing, managing internal stakeholders – the stuff that actually is critical and creates those breakthrough moments.”

Michael Clark, legacy and in-memory manager at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, who also spoke at the seminar, agreed there was an issue with recruitment because the career was not well known and was not seen as a sexy. He said that charities should start raising awareness of legacy administration at universities.

He said there was also a problem with retention.

“Some of the larger charities are starting to implement, good robust structures to enable legacy staff to develop,” said Clark. “But an awful lot don’t employ anybody in the legacies department over management level despite the income probably being greater than any other income within their organisation.”

Legacy administrators tended to stay in post for only 18 months or so because there was very little opportunity to move on once they reached manager level, he said, and for small charities, replacing them could mean having to start again with a new strategy.

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Movers: Mark Adams becomes chief executive of Community Integrated Care

Plus: Rohan Putter joins Bloodwise; Stephen Ballantyne to take up new role at the Amber Foundation; NCT welcomes Peter Pedersen and more

The health and social care charity Community Integrated Care has appointed Mark Adams as chief executive. Adams, who joined the charity today, was working in Dubai as chief executive of the healthcare operator Anglo Arabian Healthcare, which he founded.

Rohan Putter has been appointed director of fundraising and marketing at the blood cancer research charity Bloodwise. He was deputy director of fundraising at Barnardo’s.

Stephen Ballantyne has been appointed head of fundraising and communications at the Amber Foundation, which works with marginalised young people. He was executive director of fundraising at Together for Short Lives.

The parenting charity NCT has appointed Peter Pedersen as chief technology officer. He joins from a similar role at Channel 4. The charity has also announced that Carey Oppenheim, outgoing chief executive at the Early Intervention Foundation, David Shanks, senior legal counsel at Google, and Stephanie Maurel, chief executive of the volunteering charity Concordia, have all joined its board.

The humanitarian mapping charity MapAction has promoted Ian Davis from head of partnerships to director of fundraising and marketing.

St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset has appointed Max Watson as visiting professor, supporting teaching at the charity’s academy, which provides training for professionals working in end-of-life care. Watson was medical director at the Northern Ireland Hospice.

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Regulator must understand charities’ concerns about its levy, says Acevo chief

Vicky Browning says the Fundraising Regulator must not treat all charities in the same way when it comes to persuading them to pay for its upkeep

The Fundraising Regulator must avoid treating all charities in the same way if it hopes to persuade more of them to pay its levy, according to Vicky Browning, chief executive of the charity leaders body Acevo.

In a statement made after the Fundraising Regulator published a list showing the names of the 162 charities that have not paid the levy to contribute towards its costs, Browning warned that the regulator needed to do more to tailor its arguments to different types of charities.

She said the list published by the regulator showed that certain kinds of charities were more likely than others not to pay, primarily religious or medical charities and those in the arts.

“This demonstrates a need for the Fundraising Regulator to engage with representatives from these types of charities and understand what their concerns are,” Browning said.

“The sector is not homogeneous: the same argument isn’t going to work with everyone. Charities that have concerns about paying need to see and hear that their perspective is understood and being taken into account.”

Browning said it was up to each charity to make up its mind on whether or not to pay the levy, but Acevo’s view was that it was better to have the voluntary self-regulation offered by the Fundraising Regulator than to have government legislation imposed on the sector.

The regulator’s list included 1,570 charities, the majority of which had paid the levy, but showing the names of 162 that had not. The regulator said another 95 charities not included on the list were currently negotiating with it about making the payment.

Of the 162 that have not paid, 13 have agreed to pay the levy next year, but not this year.

At least 85 of the 162 have charitable objects relating to medicine, religion or the arts, including museums.

Browning said: “Charities not paying the levy on the principle that donors’ money was not intended for the Fundraising Regulator must measure the risk against the principle and consider whether the principle should itself be subsidised by the majority of the rest of the sector that is paying the levy.”

A spokeswoman for the regulator said it engaged with all charities that got in touch to express concerns about the levy, but if charities did not reply to emails and letters it was “near impossible” to discover exactly what their concerns were.

“Where charities have refused to pay, we will continue to engage with them individually, and it is helpful that some have said they will start to pay the levy in year two,” she said.

The regulator was always happy to discuss any issues, she added.

“Many arts, faith and medical research charities have paid the levy, and we are pleased that they support independent regulation,” she said.

“We are working with the Arts Council, the Institute of Fundraising, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and others to reach out to those organisations, and will continue to do so.

“As Acevo points out, the sector is not homogeneous, so it can be difficult to do this where charities are not part of wider networks.”

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Dame Kelly Holmes Trust names Scott-Spicer as chief executive

The former chief executive of the Carers Trust will join the trust on 4 September

The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust has appointed Gail Scott-Spicer as its next chief executive.

Scott-Spicer was the chief executive of the Carers Trust, a charity for unpaid carers, between February 2015 and May 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile, and before that was director of marketing and communications at the Scout Association for six years.

She is also vice-chair of CharityComms, the membership body for charity communications professionals, and is deputy chair of the Money Advice Trust.

Scott-Spicer replaces interim chief executive Tracey Fletcher, who was appointed in June when Emma Atkins left after nine years in the role.

Scott-Spicer will take up her role at the trust on 4 September.  

The trust was established by the 2004 double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes in 2008 and trains world-class athletes to deliver programmes to disadvantaged young people.

The trust’s annual income has more than tripled in recent years, to £3.7m in 2016 from about £916,000 in 2012. The increase can be attributed largely to securing funding from Sport England to expand the trust’s Get on Track programme.  

Michael Kelly, chair of the trust, said in a statement: “We had some truly exceptional candidates shortlisted as part of a widespread selection process. However, Gail stood out for her passion and innovation, which will be crucial for us in terms of reaching our ambitious 2020 vision and goals.”

Scott-Spicer added: “The trust’s trained workforce of hundreds of world-class athletes is a phenomenal vehicle for change in young people and communities. It will be a real privilege to work with this high-performing group and continue to develop the support and training we offer them to benefit society through the trust’s programmes.”

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Movers: Richard Piper becomes chief executive at Alcohol Research UK

Plus: Dame Helen Ghosh to stop down at National Trust and Janet Vitmayer to retire from top job at Horniman Museum

Richard Piper has been appointed as chief executive of Alcohol Research UK. Piper, who is a former chief executive of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, will join in September from the learning disability charity Mencap, where he is director of impact transformation.

Dame Helen Ghosh is to step down in March as director general of the National Trust to become master of Balliol College, Oxford. She has led the charity since 2012.

The Anglican mission agency USPG has appointed Rev Duncan Dormor as its next chief executive. Dormor, who is dean of St John’s College, Cambridge, succeeds Janette O’Neill, who is retiring after six years in the post.

Janet Vitmayer, chief executive of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, is to retire in March after 20 years in the role.

The Lake District Foundation, a new charity that is being set up to continue and build on the work of the tourism and conservation charity Nurture Lakeland, has appointed Sarah Swindley as its first chief executive. She was chief executive of Lancashire Women’s Centres.

John Christensen, founding chief executive of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, has announced that he will retire at the end of the month after nine years in the role.

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Catherine Johnstone appointed chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service

The former chief at Samaritans will take over from David McCullough, who is in turn becoming chief at the Abbeyfield Society

Catherine Johnstone, the former chief executive of Samaritans, has been appointed chief executive of the older people’s charity the Royal Voluntary Service.

Johnstone will succeed David McCullough, who leaves at the end of the month to become chief executive of the older people’s housing and care charity the Abbeyfield Society after more than five years at the RVS.

Johnstone, who left Samaritans in 2015, was until March interim chief executive of the Dover-based charity Migrant Help. She is chair of the Directory of Social Change and was last year appointed CBE for services to suicide prevention.

The charity, which employs 1,200 staff and has more than 25,000 volunteers, supports more than 100,000 older people each month.

Johnstone, who before joining Samaritans was interim chief executive of Capacitybuilders, the now defunct quango that provided infrastructure support to the voluntary sector, became a trustee of the RVS in January, a role she will relinquish before she becomes chief executive of the charity on 1 August.

Income at the RVS has been falling in recent years: it was £64.7m in the year to the end of March 2016, £10m less than in 2011/12.

Johnstone will be paid £136,500 for the role, the same amount that McCullough was on.

Richard Greenhalgh, chair of the RVS, said Johnstone’s record in building sustainable services, driving innovation and inspiring and enabling volunteers would be invaluable.

Johnstone said she was privileged to take up the role. “With an increasingly tough time for our society, I am looking forward to working with the staff and volunteers to ensure that Royal Voluntary Service can be the best it can be,” she said.

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Movers: Martin Warhurst made chief at Martin House Hospice Care for Children

Plus: Jim Minton takes over at Toynbee Hall, Julia Margo appointed head of the Genesis Research Trust and CICRA makes Nick Posford its first chief

Martin House Hospice Care for Children has welcomed Martin Warhurst as its new chief executive. He was managing director of Cestria Community Housing.

Jim Minton, director of membership and communications at London Youth, has been appointed chief executive of the community anti-poverty charity Toynbee Hall. He will take up the role in October.

The Genesis Research Trust, which funds medical research in gynaecology, obstretrics and the care of new-borns, has appointed Julia Margo as chief executive. She has been chief executive of the Family and Childcare Trust since July 2015.

CICRA, which funds research and provides support for children and young adults affected by Crohn’s and colitis, has appointed Nick Posford as its first chief executive. He joins from the same role at Kingston University’s students union.

Laura Thurlow has been promoted to chief executive of the Community Foundation for Surrey. She had been deputy chief executive of the charity since 2012 and interim chief executive since May this year.

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Review sector’s response to Grenfell-like emergencies, says British Red Cross chief

Mike Adamson says the response to the fire was good, but some lessons still need to be learned; however, he rules out a domestic DEC

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, has called for a review of the voluntary sector response to UK-based emergencies after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Adamson said that although there was a lot to celebrate about the sector’s response, coordination could be improved and it was important to reflect on what could be learned from such events.

But he rejected calls for a domestic equivalent of the Disasters Emergency Committee. He said that the DEC’s focus was on raising money, something that had not been a problem in the wake of Grenfell or recent terrorist attacks because of the public outpouring of support.

“We need to be looking at how we frame the way in which the voluntary sector responds in a whole variety of ways in these kind of emergencies,” Adamson said. “We need to work out what is inevitable in an emergency situation and what we need to learn from and get right.”

For example, he said, the immediate aftermath of an event such as the Grenfell fire or a terrorist attack was always likely to be chaotic.

But he said responding to the fire had been much more complex even than the recent terrorist attacks, because of the need to support community recovery as well as the immediately affected victims.

A review, Adamson said, should look at “creating the mechanisms that allow coordination, fundraising and funding distribution for the medium term”.

He said: “We want to be engaging with government about what kind of arrangements we have in place for the future, for a terrorist attack or other emergency. How much do you have as a standing fund? How much do you set aside for immediately affected victims and how much do use for community recovery and development?”

Since the Grenfell fire, a number of people have called for a domestic equivalent of the DEC, a coalition of 13 charities that coordinates its members’ responses and fundraising efforts for overseas disasters.

Last month, the Charity Commission said it was in talks with a number of charities about a more coordinated response to disasters.

Adamson said the commission had been playing a helpful low-key coordination role with charities and community groups that were responding to Grenfell, but he did not believe a domestic DEC was the answer.

“The DEC raises money in partnership with the broadcasters for huge emergencies overseas affecting hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.

“There’s no shortage of money in the response here, but there are lots of different funds and what I think we need here is some improvements to the coordination of fundraising and funding distribution.”

But he said that any review and a wider debate about society’s response to Grenfell should happen in parallel with the continuing relief effort on the ground.

A commission spokeswoman said the regulator agreed there were lessons to be learned from the sector’s response to the fire and it would be working with charities to coordinate their responses in the future.

“In the short term, however, our priority is to help ensure those affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower know how to access the charitable support that is available to them,” she said. “We have supported and welcomed the collaborative approach that the key funders have taken in a complex environment.

“As the largest and most experienced charity on the ground in west London, the British Red Cross has a key role to play in making sure that happens.”

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RoSPA promotes Errol Taylor to chief executive

Taylor, who has been deputy chief since 2006, takes over from Tom Mullarkey, who stood down in April

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has promoted Errol Taylor to chief executive.

Taylor, who has been the charity’s deputy chief executive since 2006, takes over from Tom Mullarkey, who stood down in April after almost 11 years in the role.

Taylor, who has been acting up as chief executive, joined the charity in 2004 as head of its commercial activities.

The charity, which had an income of £7.6m in the year to the end of March 2016 and employs about 120 people, is marking its centenary this year.

Mike Parker, chairman of Rospa, said: “The board believes that Errol’s passion for accident prevention, energy, skills and experience will ensure RoSPA’s continued success for the foreseeable future.

“His enthusiasm for working in partnership with Rospa’s many like-minded stakeholder organisations should, in time, lead to a significant reduction in the burden of accidental injury.”

Taylor said: “I am proud to lead a fantastic team of dedicated colleagues and look forward to continuing to develop RoSPA’s valued relationships with other individuals and organisations across the health and safety community.”

A spokesman was unable to confirm how much Taylor would be paid for his new role.

According to the charity’s most recently available accounts, for the year to the end of March 2016, its highest-paid staff member, who is not named, was paid between £160,001 and £170,000.

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