The future of Jersey’s Charities Sector ....an opinion

I had a really interesting meeting with someone today and was challenged to outline my thinking for the future of the Charities Sector. These are my thoughts. They aren’t necessarily right ( or endorsed by any of the organisations mentions). I am however genuinely interest in challenge and feedback.

So here goes….


ASSOCIATION OF JERSEY CHARITIES

This is going through a lot of change both in terms of the committee and in response to the new Charities Law. If you see the website you’ll see a lot about services (eg training, notices, workshops) and functions (eg grant allocation from Lottery funds). I believe the next 24 months will bring a change in strategy and structure as the AJC seek to serve a broader audience in a period of significant change and I am keen to work with the AJC to help them through that period of change.

I would commend you to look at the AJC website, the Charities Commissioner website and the Charities Law to get a big picture view. I would also encourage you to promote the AJC grant application process to any great initiatives and good causes.

http://www.jerseycharities.org/grants/how-to-apply
https://charitycommissioner.je/

JERSEY POLICY FORUM

I am interested in macro-economic thinking and policy. How can government use funds and policy to serve the community as a whole? This doubtless might consider the relationship between government and the voluntary sector. For example joined-up health care between government, business and the voluntary sector. I believe as government downsizes and outsources there are challenges and opportunities that need to be considered and change that needs to be managed. I am keen to work with the JPF to help them through that period of change.

http://www.jerseypolicyforum.org/


IOD AND CHAMBER

I believe that there are skills, resources, talent and funding that can be used more effectively be collaboration and co-ordination between businesses and the voluntary sector. I think the charity sector is fragmented and there must be benefits that can be realised by working together on common interests. I believe working with IoD and Chamber of Commerce can advantage both businesses and the voluntary sector when looking at how we may make more effective use of people, process and technology.

THINKING NOW AND THINKING FUTURE

Change doesn’t happen quickly and I think the sector is going through evolution rather than revolution. We need however to “keep the show on the road” and continue “business as usual” whilst we also think about the needs, challenges and opportunities 5, 10 maybe 15 years ahead.

If you really want “future” thinking, perhaps think about how Google, Microsoft or AI could benefit the Charities Sector (£80m turn-over, 11,000 people and 535 organisations). What thinking, tasks and conversations are necessary now to prepare for the future?

THINKING SMALL AND THINKING BIG

I think we need to be practical (tasks) as well as theoretical (policies). Take for example grants and grant funding. There are some quick-wins that we can do in the next 3-6 months and some things that take longer.

Example: Grant Funding

There are some quick-wins that we can do in the next 3-6 months to greatly improve the grant application process. But there are also big opportunities to examine how we distribute funding across the voluntary sector and how we measure impact and value for money. This necessarily may take a little longer.


Example: Website

There are some quick-wins that we can do in the next 3-6 months to greatly improve the website look and feel. But there are also big opportunities to examine what charities need and how we can use technologies (not just website) to better serve the whole charity community.

If you really want “big” thinking, perhaps think about how we have a full integrated, compatible, secure interconnected sector working seamlessly together for the benefit of all. What thinking, tasks and conversations are necessary to imagine big and deliver?


JOIN US

If you have an opinion, talent or contribution to make please get in touch.

My vision for Jersey’s Charity Sector: Dystopia or Utopia?

STRUCTURAL CHANGES

I suspect that with the new Charities Law and the ever present challenge of being efficient and effective we will see consolidation in the sector.

I cannot believe in an Island 9 x 5 miles there are 535 charitable organisations and I anticipate mergers and collaborations in an effort to reduce costs and share resources.

If this does happen it will necessitate support for organisational change which may impact people, process, and technology.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS

I suspect that government will reduce and outsource an increasing number of public functions and services and demand increasing assurance and standards of governance and compliance, for example the growing insistence over Cyber Essentials as a prerequisite for doing business.

If this does happen it will necessitate support for better governance and improved mechanisms for reporting on Key Performance Indicators or other metrics relevant to Service Level Agreements, Grant Funding or related to public functions and services.

A NET BENEFICIARY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Interestingly whilst there are predictions that Artificial Intelligence [AI] will benefit a few who will get rich as the designers and suppliers of AI, the majority of office and clerical workers will lose their jobs. We may be looking at 30% of office workers being unemployed or under-employed within 10 years?

Let’s be honest not all these bankers, insurance agents, public sector clerks and the like are going to re-tool as coders for the new economy.

Interestingly Vocational and Care Work is a sector that can benefit from AI through better use of technology to diagnose problems and direct funding and resources. Even more interestingly these are the jobs that are not easily replaced by an algorithm. Maybe with an aging demographic and changes Political, Economic, Social and Technical factors the Charity Eco-System is the best place to be?

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

I think the 535+ Charities and NPO which has a turn-over of £80 million plus, and 11,000 people volunteers is a micro-economy. I believe there is an opportunity to explore how best to direct resources and funding to the areas that most need it, and provide high-quality feedback on the benefits.

There are relatively simple benefits: Like having a standard approach to GDPR and Cyber Essentials that means that it is simple and effective for the whole industry and government, rather than each organisation taking a different and incompatible approach.

There are some extreme “out there” ideas: Like adopting crypto currency that can be used within the Charities, Island and Government which can be only used within Jersey and provide a means and history to account of how funding is used.

There are some narrow improvements: Like improving the email, database, and other systems and technologies for one or two charities.

There are some broad and wide improvements: Like re-thinking the integration and collaboration. What if, for example, all Charities adopted Google Platform (email, docs, database) Or perhaps the Miscrosoft-365 approach for the same. What would be the economies of scale and the benefits of a common and secure platform for all members of the economy?

SO WHAT?

Following my appointment to the Committee of Association of Jersey Charities I will be looking to see what more we can do to help members and the Charity Community as a whole.

In the next week weeks I will be seeking views from all sectors and of all talents to see what we can do to help the Charity eco-system of 500+ organisations which collectively turns-over 80 million.

Feedback welcome.

SOME DATA ABOUT CHARITY ECO-SYSTEM

There are 535+ Charities and NPO
Donations in 2016 were £80 million
Lottery funding adds to this figure
11,000 people volunteer or act as trustees
80% use unpaid volunteers
48 million is raised by just 15 organisations


In the above blog I quote the findings of the KPMG survey extensively.

You can find all this data online here https://youtu.be/gRLdp5x8XkY

The full '2016 Jersey Charity Survey; KPMG and Jersey Community Partnership' Report is available from Jersey Community Partnership website and I highly recommend getting in touch with Jersey Community Partnership if you are interested in finding out more.

I also recommend the Jersey Community Partnership website here http://www.jerseycommunitypartnership.org/

I am delighted to acknowledge and thank Jersey Community Partnership for hosting this really helpful video and emailing me a copy of the '2016 Jersey Charity Survey.

OTHER RELEVANT BLOGS

I have posted a variety of articles about Jersey’s Charity Sector
https://charitymattersjersey.blogspot.com/

The most relevant this this article include
https://charitymattersjersey.blogspot.com/2018/07/what-is-future-like-for-charities-and.html

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-future-like-charities-should-government-helping-tim-hj-rogers/

The views outlined are my own, but I am interested in meeting with like-minded people to see what we can do together to help the Charity Sector and the community that they serve. If you are interested in lending your talent, expertise or experience please get in contact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is a keen supporter of the Association of Jersey Charities and Jersey Community Partnership. He has provided presentations, workshops, free advice and guidance amounting to £20,000 to various charities and runs a FREE GDPR Question and Answer service to local Jersey Charities Jersey https://gdprjersey.blogspot.com/ You can contact TimHJRogers@gmail.com

The best open data sets available to charities now

Ahead of Microsoft’s AI envisoning workshops for charities, we take a look at how charities can make use of open data to advance their machine learning and AI projects.

https://www.charitydigitalnews.co.uk/2018/07/11/the-top-open-data-sets-available-to-charities-now/?utm_source=Technology%20Trust&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9683020_CDN%20Newsletter%2023rd%20July&dm_i=O,5RJGS,RKIZZP,MH1SG,1

JERSEY AND AI ENVISONING WORKSHOPS FOR CHARITIES

Following my appointment to the Committee of Association of Jersey Charities I will be looking to see what more we can do to help members and the Charity Community as a whole.
We can be better at keeping data private, safe and secure and I am keen to work with key partners (like government) to adopt standard policies, procedures, tools and technologies that means we can work together better and safer.

In the next week weeks I will be looking to set-up an advisory panel of people from all sectors and of all talents to see what we can do to help the Charity eco-system of 500+ organisations which collectively turns-over 80 million.

If you feel you can add value, please get in contact.


SOME DATA ABOUT CHARITY ECO-SYSTEM
There are 535+ Charities and NPO
Donations in 2016 were £80 million
Lottery funding adds to this figure
11,000 people volunteer or act as trustees
80% use unpaid volunteers
48 million is raised by just 15 organisations

ICO’s annual report shows most fines ever

Data governance regulator hits UK charities with £138,000 in fines – and that’s before penalties for GDPR non-compliance have started to bite the Third Sector…

https://www.charitydigitalnews.co.uk/2018/07/20/charities-pay-138k-in-fines-for-unlawful-data-ico-reports/?utm_source=Technology%20Trust&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9683020_CDN%20Newsletter%2023rd%20July&dm_i=O,5RJGS,RKIZZP,MH1SG,1

Following my appointment to the Committee of Association of Jersey Charities I will be looking to see what more we can do to help members and the Charity Community as a whole.

We can be better at keeping data private, safe and secure and I am keen to work with key partners (like government) to adopt standard policies, procedures, tools and technologies that means we can work together better and safer.

In the next week weeks I will be looking to set-up an advisory panel of people from all sectors and of all talents to see what we can do to help the Charity eco-system of 500+ organisations which collectively turns-over 80 million.

If you feel you can add value, please get in contact.





SOME DATA ABOUT CHARITY ECO-SYSTEM

There are 535+ Charities and NPO
Donations in 2016 were £80 million
Lottery funding adds to this figure
11,000 people volunteer or act as trustees
80% use unpaid volunteers
48 million is raised by just 15 organisations

The Association of Jersey Charities great grant give-away – just apply!

The AJC through good management has strong reserves, but there is only so much that you need for a rainy day, so the Association has amended its grant process to encourage more Charities to take advantage of the funding available.

Big Charities

Any charity can make a single application for a grant of up to £30,000 p.a. for three consecutive years. There is a lot you can do with £90,000. There are conditions to verify need, ensure good value and charitable outcomes, but the funding is available for those that satisfy the application criteria.

http://www.jerseycharities.org/grants/how-to-apply

Small Charities

It is recognised that very small charities looking for smaller sums (up to £3000) need a simplified application process. So, the Association has creation of a “small grants” fund exclusively for small charities.

http://www.jerseycharities.org/grants/how-to-apply

Non Members

You don’t even have to be a member of the Association of Jersey Charities (which only costs £15!) The Association has £125,000 set aside for non-members charitable needs.

http://www.jerseycharities.org/grants/grant-applications/grants-to-non-members

In summary, if you have a great idea and can demonstrate a well thought out plan with good value and charitable outcomes the Association of Jersey Charities is there to help everyone.


CONTACT

Association of Jersey Charities
http://www.jerseycharities.org/
01534 840138
lyn@jerseycharities.org

Does your Charity need help with the States approach to Cyber Essentials, Data Sharing and Encryption.

The States of Jersey have taken a stance on Cyber Essentials and Data Sharing and Encryption.

In an effort to improve data security across the Island organisations are being encouraged to meet the Cyber Essentials. Indeed, it has been indicated that from 2019 it will be a requirement for any organisation doing business with of receiving funding from the States of Jersey.

Also, because of GDPR and the new Data Protection Law, and frankly because it is just common sense to keep personal data data private, safe and secure the States of Jersey have toughed up on Data Sharing and Encryption.

However, whilst it makes sense (and is a legal requirement) to have Data Sharing Agreements for the exchange of personal data between organisations it is clear that the first wave of Data Sharing Agreements coming from the States of Jersey are not very well written, have some significant implications and are poorly understood.

• There is ambiguity over whether these are joint-controller or controller-processor agreements
• There is uncertainty about risk, responsibility and indemnification
• There is little explanation or support on how to implement the conditions of the contract

It makes sense that some special category personal data is protected by encryption for the exchange of personal data between organisations and the States of Jersey. But is it not helpful when each of the 20+ States of Jersey are free to choose a different and costly encryption tool and there is no funding or support for organisations are now expected to go out and buy and use these tools.

If Charities are to be used either as an extension of public service, or a replacement for services that can no longer be provided by government it seems both logical and fair that government should extend its funding, infrastructure and expertise to help them.

If you would like help with Cyber Essentials, Data Sharing and Encryption or would like to support the idea of a common approach (for 520 charities to use the same tools, templates and techniques to save time, money and confusion) please get in contact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is a keen supporter of the Association of Jersey Charities and Jersey Community Partnership. He has provided presentations, workshops, free advice and guidance amounting to £20,000 to various charities and runs a FREE GDPR Question and Answer service to local Jersey Charities Jersey https://gdprjersey.blogspot.com/ You can contact TimHJRogers@gmail.com

Privacy
Blogger is a standard application provided by Google. Tim Rogers does not capture any personal data from the site, unless of course you choose to leave you personal details in a comment. However Google does track data: it is for example how we know if this page has been read by 10 people or 10,000 people.

What is the future like for Charities? And should government be helping?

As government will inevitably seek to outsource more and fund less, what is the future like for the 500+ organisations in Jersey’s third-sector who are increasingly bridging the gap between social need and public service?

Without doubt the new Charities Law will have an affect where smaller organisations cannot satisfy the demands of governance.

It seems predictable that, for example, with 30+ Charities all competing to serve and support those affected by Cancer we are bound to see some rationalisation and consolidation as organisations with similar objectives merge.

It seems logical that there will be an increased drive to share back-office resources like HR, Training and Technology.

This is not an issue unique to Jersey.

The UK Small Charities Coalition help small charities access the skills, tools & information they need to get going and do what they do best, but this is becoming more difficult.

GDPR and Cyber Security will demand increasing attention on policies and process. The Times wrote Smaller charities have been “left in the dark and confused” about how they can comply with strict new data laws.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/small-charities-struggling-with-general-data-protection-regulation-7582x9z26

In parallel with the planned government reform it seems timely to also consider a review of the relationship between the public and the third sector, perhaps with a view to leveraging the central admin functions of the public sector to support Charities.

For example, why not standardise and streamline the data-sharing agreements between government and the Charities that provide public services under a Service Level Agreement.
Why doesn’t government, perhaps, offer every Charity that operates under a Service Level Agreement free Cyber Essentials and free Secure and Encrypted email – just as it would any Public Sector Department.

If Charities are to be used either as an extension of public service, or a replacement for services that can no longer be provided by government it seems both logical and fair that government should extend its infrastructure and expertise to help them.