Good afternoon,
And thank you again for joining us.
As Ian has said, we are delighted that so many of you have made time to take part in our Annual Public Meeting.
In some ways, I regret that the uncertain circumstances mean that I am speaking to you through a screen again this year.
I miss 'real life' events.
Because it was often in the margins, the tea breaks and cloakrooms of our public meetings, that the real magic seemed to happen for me.
A serendipitous conversation with a trustee over a cup of tea that helped me see the Commission's work from a fresh perspective. A visit to a local charity that grew my understanding of the diverse ways in which charities deliver on their purposes.
Such experiences cannot - or cannot yet - be easily replicated online.
So I hope that a Commission public meeting will be coming to a town or city near you again soon.
In the meantime, knowing that that this virtual event makes us accessible to a larger group of people, and a greater range of charities, than was possible in the past, serves as a welcome silver lining.
The numbers bear repeating:
- there are 170,000 charities on our register
- they are run by 700,000 trustees, volunteering their time almost always entirely for free
- they employ over a million people, in this country and around the world
- and they have a combined income of over £84 billion
Attempts have been made to quantify the value that charities bring. And this really matters.
But I'm not sure it will ever be possible to reduce the role charities play in our society to a purely economic measure, to a fact or figure.
Charities support us throughout our lives, cradle to grave, they curate much of what makes life worth living in the meantime.
And they are a source of immense civic pride. They bring us together.
Events since last March have only served to highlight how tightly charity is woven into the fabric of our communities and our national life.
In the face of national crisis, many charities stepped up to the plate, and visibly so.
Assisting our emergency services. Tackling poverty. Supporting those left lonely and vulnerable.
Conversely, the work of some charities became conspicuous by its sudden absence.
By the many and varied acts of charity that were no longer possible when restrictions were imposed.
In other words - charities have shown the difference they make, both in what they have contributed during the pandemic, and the gap that was left when their work was interrupted.
That visibility may be having a positive effect on public trust in charities.
Research carried out earlier this year showed that levels of public trust have risen, in a small but significant way.
After an all-time low three years ago, there's evidence that people's trust in charities may be recovering.
This is welcome.
But there is no room for complacency, for charities or for the Commission.
The upheaval of the past 18 months may have changed how many charities operate, how they fundraise, how they communicate. More on that later.
But the pandemic has not altered the fundamental relationship between charities, the public, and the state.
Every single charity on the Commission's register runs on the fuel of public support and trust in one way or another.
Whether in the form of voluntary donations.
Through people's willingness to volunteer their time for charity.
Or in the tacit support of taxpayers and citizens for the fiscal benefits and status associated with being a charity.
And it's important to remember that people's basic expectations of charity remain unchanged.
Their sense of what makes charities special, and worthy of the status they hold in our society is unaffected by the pandemic.
These expectations are shared among people from a wide range of backgrounds, and they are simple to understand, if not always easy to live up to.
- people expect charities to show that they make a positive difference
- they expect them to spend a high proportion of funds on the end cause
- and they expect charities to live their values, showing charity not just in what they do, but how they behave along the way
The Commission plays a crucial role in protecting and promoting the relationship between the public, charities and the state.
We are guardians of a covenant of trust that plays such a central role in our communities and in our society.
We do so by ensuring trustees meet what the law requires of them, and understand what the public expects.
How we do so - our immediate focus and priorities - is rightly responsive to the needs of the time.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have prioritised the support we offer trustees, helping them during a time of unprecedented challenge.
Since March 2020, we have regularly updated easy-to-find online guidance on responding to common situations arising in charities because of the pandemic.
This included guidance on the use of reserves to manage financial difficulties, and on holding AGMs during periods of restriction.
We created a new facility for charities to apply for extensions to their annual reporting requirements - we granted nearly 5,000 exemptions in total.
We also launched a new set of 5-minute guides which cover the 'core syllabus' we expect all trustees should be across.
The guides were not created in response to the pandemic.
But recent disruptions made it all the more important that trustees have access to basic information on how to run a charity well. The guides are about helping trustees be certain in uncertain times.
We want our online guidance to serve as the first stop for trustees who have questions about running their charity.
But there will always be times when a trustee needs more bespoke help. When they need to speak to a human being.
So I am proud of the uninterrupted service
