The Telegraph reports on the potential impact on donors of major charities as deficits and new rules on staff pension schemes hit.

Telegraph | Money | Charities say donors fear gifts are propping up funds
Charities are concerned that their pension deficits are deterring donors because they are soaking up a growing proportion of the funds raised for good causes.

Blogs, social enterprise and the health service - an interesting combination. Not quite the same as most blogs, and maybe not quite the same as most social enterprises, but an imaginative use of the concepts anyway.

Kable.net reports:

Patient Opinion has been set up to provide an independent outlet for patients to share views, experiences, complaints and messages of thanks to NHS staff. It is being run on a not-for-profit basis and is free at the point of use.

Users enter opinions into a weblog while a built-in social tagging system operates in the background interpreting simple language, such as the word “bones”, into medical terminology.

More: Kable - Blogging patient opinions - 20 January 2006

The current Volunteer Management Review psoting from the American Charity Channel covers blogging, and guess what we are one of the few sector blogs mentioned (although the link is to our archived pages).

Mentioned in their suggested Volunteering Blog directory is one other UK blog: ‘Multiple Sclerosis - MS Research Seeks Help’, so that’s been added to our wiki page Web In Practice along with other blogs, podcasts and news feeds.

Nominations for the Sheila McKechnie campaigning awards close on Friday (20th January). They “want to help emerging campaigners who are fighting for social justice but need the Foundation’s help to be more effective. ”

If this sounds like you or someone you know, visit www.sheilamckechnie.org.uk

The VolResource newsletter (and news pages) did cover this ages ago, but we reckon their reminder is worth a quick post.

A 20 minute BBC video report, on using mobile phone footage on stories like the London bombings has changed the way broadcasters can report news, also includes a piece on Felixstowe TV, run by a couple from their back room and ‘broadcast’ on the net. It asks “is news being democratised?”, and we add “should voluntary groups wake up more to this?”

(See our Web in Practice page for more pointers.)

BBC NEWS | UK | How mobiles changed the face of news

You may already have seen coverage of how the pro-hunting lobby have abused the postal system by sending rubbish and worse to the free post address of League Against Cruel Sports. The latter’s Head of Public Affairs asks what’s now to stop such tactics against other charity freepost facilites, such as refugee organisations?

On Society Guardian:
SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Voluntary sector | Post hate
Police investigate an orchestrated postal campaign targeting the League Against Cruel Sports,

From Community Newswire today (12th Jan):

Britain’s so-called “compensation culture” has left the Scout Association without enough volunteers to run the Scout troops because of fears they might be sued in the event of an accident, charity chiefs have claimed.

Derek Twine, the chief executive of the Scout Association, has told MPs that around 30,000 youngsters are having to wait to join the movement because the threat of litigation is driving away potential Scout leaders.

Speaking to the Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee, which is investigating the impact of litigation on society, Mr Twine said a major concern for Scout leaders was that accidents involving volunteers were seen by some parents as a chance to make money.

More at Community Newswire.

A Glasgow boating charity which provides training and cheap holidays for underprivileged youngsters has been forced to close. Accountancy firm PKF has been called in, who hope that purchasers can be found who will be able to set up a similar enterprise.

Galsgow’s - Evening Times: Nolly Barge closes after funding crisis.

Interpal, a registered charity based in London which has aims around aiding Palestinians, is under attack again.

It has been cleared by two investigations by the Charity Commission on whether it provided money to terrorist organisations, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews has recently withdrawn website claims linking Interpal to terrorism, under threat of libel action. But it a designation preventing US citizens having anything to do with it still stands, and now its banker, NatWest is being sued in the States in that it “knowingly collected, provided, and transmitted money and financial services to Hamas” and cites several atrocities which the group has claimed responsibility for.

No doubt more controversy is being stirred by George Galloway nominating Interpal for his Big Brother money.

See various newspaper reports etc for more e.g. Telegraph: Telegraph | Money | Terror victims target NatWest over Galloway’s chosen charity.

VolResource is experimenting with a wiki to develop information resources for the sector - for later transfer to the main site probably, or around an event. An example of the latter just set up is one on Databases for the voluntary sector. This is intended to contribute to a conference being held on 21st February (see main VR site events listings for details).

Also new is Web in Practice, transferred from main site and extended to cover podcasts, blogs and news feeds (RSS). This aims to rpovide good or interesting examples of charity/voluntary sector sites which in some way or another are promoting action by site visitors - whether its buying charity gifts, signing a petition or learning first aid!

General wiki link. Let us know what you think, suggestions for wiki pages etc.