Family giving
New research shows that a higher proportion of families in the US give to charity - as families - than in the UK. Family giving has a long history and occurs in every region of the world. How important is giving within the family? Would it be a way of getting more people involved in giving in the UK?
Do hard times lie ahead for the third sector?
What lies ahead for charity income in 2008? People give more when they have more. If consumer confidence falls they are likely to give less. The paradox of this is that just at the time when an economic downturn increases the need for charity, the amount given is likely to fall. Charitable giving is often one of the first things to be cut when times get harder.
The civil society debate
NCVO's new research aims to show that there is a wider civil society of voluntary organisations to which we belong: it goes way beyond charities - to include universities, trade unions, political parties and co-operatives.
Many of us give as much, if not more, to such groups than to traditional charities. But is membership of such bodies mainly about our own personal benefits and interests?
Is civil society about many different, sometimes competing and clashing, interests - or about belonging to the best of social clubs?
Don't give to your favourite causes
Many people don't realise how uneven charitable giving is. Some causes attract more and bigger gifts than others. Of course giving is a personal choice, but is it fair that some needs struggle to attract donations?
