NPC and NCVO debate charities’ performance

NPC and NCVO debate charities’ performance

News

A call for a new independent body to scrutinise charities’ performance and effectiveness was made last November by Martin Brookes, Director of Research at New Philanthropy Capital. His speech received a wide and mixed response. In our efforts to support and encourage robust debate, Philanthropy UK has invited Brookes and Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO, to share their perspectives.

As reported in Philanthropy UK's News Bulletin, Brookes, in his speech to an audience at the RSA, made a call for a new body to run parallel with the Charity Commission, and to produce performance data and rank charities by the value for money they deliver from donations.

Etherington, at the time, stated that setting up such a body would be “regulation gone mad” and would severely damage civil society.

Engaging in the Philanthropy UK dialogue, Brookes reiterates his position, stating: “A well functioning market requires good quality information. In the absence of this, there is a market failure which creates a role for government…If the charity sector puts its own house in order, then government involvement would be unnecessary.” 

Etherington responds: “Civil society is neither the market nor the State and as such government intervention in the assessment of performance is neither warranted nor welcome… There is much to do to help organisations improve their effectiveness, not least of which is educating donors that it costs money to measure performance.”

To read the full dialogue click here.