Chair of Charity Commission calls existing levels “shameful”
The Charity Commission for England and Wales has promised to do more to raise philanthropy levels by providing new guidance to donors.
Orlando Fraser KC, the Charity Commission’s new chair, said in a speech at the Beacon Philanthropy Forum, that he will grow philanthropy after research shows a significant decline in contributions. Fraser referred to research which showed that the fortune of the top 1% of earners in the UK grew by almost 10% between 2011 and 2019, but donations from these individuals declined by 20% in the same time period, which Fraser has described as verging on “shameful”.
Fraser said these findings reflected a failure to “salute the greatest givers”. He stated:
“Charities…directly suffer if we inadvertently discourage such giving. When faced with an economic crisis such as the present, I do think that we must work together to create a culture in which the wealthy are encouraged to give, and indeed are celebrated for giving.”
Fraser promised to reverse this trend by using all the initiatives and powers he can to increase philanthropy, as he said:
“As part of our duty to provide legal guidance on charity law, I can confirm that next year we will publish updated guidance on returning and refusing donations. Its direction of travel will be a promotion of lawful philanthropy, and ought to further empower trustees to use their discretion in making the right decision for their charity, starting from the principle that charities must have funds in order to deliver on their purposes.”
Fraser also stated that he will defend charities receiving unfair criticism, such as from politicians, the media, or the public, as he concluded:
“Given its obvious importance to the disadvantaged in society, I will very much do this in the context of philanthropic giving, where otherwise lawful and reasonable.”
