Opinion

By John Baguley, the Chair of the International Fundraising Consultancy With fundraisers following bankers onto the naughty step, uncertainty over the effect of Brexit on accessing funds from Europe, and a new draconian fundraising regulatory regime set up to curb aggressive fundraising techniques, 2016 will definitely go down as annus horribilis for the not-for-profit sector. Public confidence in charities was damaged, fundraisers were concerned about income levels dropping off proverbial cliffs, and charity services to the vulnerable were hacked cut....

This morning's Metro led with the news that British taxpayers footed a £1 million bill for the Daesh bomber who is suspected to have blown himself up in Iraq. Manchester-born Ronald Fiddler had been freed from Guantanamo in 2004 following a legal case that reportedly ran into the millions. On Sunday he drove an explosives-packed 4x4 at an army Base near Mosul, killing and injuring a number of troops. That it comes as a shock that confinement in a known...

As the conflict in Yemen approaches its third year with no end in sight, wide spread devastation has forced millions from their home, and the worsening nutrition situation is threatening more lives than ever before. Mothers and young children are amongst those most heavily affected. Doaa Kutbi, International Medical Corps’ Health Programme Officer based in Aden, knows the struggle better than anybody. She has recently returned to work mere two months after her youngest son was born. Life has changed...

By Nicky Goulder, Create Co-Founder and CEO Last week the Hands Off Our Revolution campaign was launched, through which more than 200 artists, musicians, writers and arts professionals from 40 countries pledged to take part in a series of exhibitions and arts projects around the world confronting the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, the US and elsewhere. Hands Off Our Revolution is a great example of the most common way in which people experience art and creativity being used...

It's a strange state of affairs when the prospect of an all non-league FA Cup quarter final isn't the wackiest thing that could happen in the news this week. But move aside Lincoln, Sutton too perhaps, because regardless of the outcome of tonight's clash no tangible news can any longer compete with fake counterparts been peddled by news outlets, prominent politicians and celebrities. One man who is entangled in all three is President Donald Trump, who despite speaking out about the media's...

By Dr Nigel Mellor, author of the Good, the Bad and the Irritating  ADHD and attention seeking are often confused. In this article I will have a close look at dealing with attention seeking in children and how to cope with it using mindfulness. PARENTS AND GUILT As parents we are generally racked with guilt and anxiety when managing our children. We often feel inadequate and try very hard to be “good parents” - we may, for example, do our utmost...

In 2015 it seemed shocking that over the past six years the number of households forced to install key meters owing to debt for their gas and electric supply had exceeded 500,000. The utility regulator OFGEM, under pressure from the public, launched an investigation into the reasons for this and, as such, dissenting voices went quiet.  However, the outrage of 2015 has been replaced with an acceptance that fuel poverty is part of the so called “Third Sector” and that...

Creating a successful business model isn’t always simple, but given the increasing challenges and competition that the not-for-profit industry faces these days, it has never been more crucial for charities to ensure that their business model is effective and impactful. Over 170,000 children in the developing world are born with cleft lip and /or palate each year, and many do not have the resources to undergo surgical repair. These children often live in isolation due to their untreated clefts, and...

Britain is set for decades of been overworked and underpaid as a perfect storm of stagnant wage growth and low-paid work meets inflationary pressures in the most pronounced real income squeeze of our generation. Although the Tories will most likely be celebrating the latest employment figures showing flat unemployment the self-proclaimed jammy diagnosis that has come to caption their time in office is the number of people who are working hard but struggling to manage. Ever since George Osborne shocked...