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Soap Box
Sector commentators discuss issues affecting charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.
Soap Box: Finger-wagging has no place after Shawcross leaves
With a new chief executive being hunted and a chair in its final year, it would be a good time for changes at the Charity Commission, argues Andrew Purkis
Soap Box: It's up to charities to maintain our links with Europe
The sector needs to ensure that communities and beneficiaries remain protected and strengthened in the wake of Brexit, argues Crispin Truman
John Picton: Quiet revolution of the freedom of information law
The Freedom of Information Act is something to be proud of but there is still more to come, writes the law lecturer
Soap Box: This sector-wide research can be so demoralising
There is too much doom and gloom around fundraising and donors, argues legacy fundraiser Richard Radcliffe
Soap Box: Social investment might deprive the sector of its soul
Should charities be looking at other methods of raising finance, asks Jake Hayman
Valerie Morton: Honesty is the best policy for fundraisers
It's perfectly reasonable for charities to ask for donations, writes our columnist, but in the right place, at the right time, in the right way and for the right project
Jon Scourse: Does fundraising need a preference service after all?
Opt-in policies and more awaress of the Telephone and Mailing Preference Services make an FPS unnecessary, claims our columnist
Wally Harbert: Role of the sector in the fight against radicalisation
It's a long-term strategy with no quick fixes, writes our columnist
Eleanor Rosenbach: The government is mounting a two-pronged attack
Whether state-funded or charity-run, no service can come for free, argues the campaigns and causes account manager
Penny Waterhouse: Civil disobedience may be the only way to fight back
There will be a time soon when it is one of the few remaining routes to express our democratic freedoms, writes the co-founder of the National Coalition for Independent Action
Has Movember done any good? I can't tell
It's time to secure the legacy of Movember before it dissipates, argues Chris Hiley
Mark Roy: Time for charities to stop targeting Dorothy Donor
Charities must cast their nets more widely when it comes to fundraising, writes the chairman of REaD Group
Catherine Demetriadi: Trustees should stop passing the buck to hired help
Trustees must take responsibility for fundraising or an industrial-scale fundraising industry will continue to grow, writes our columnist
Helen Walker: Time for sector representatives to stand up for us
We need to defend the little people who make up the majority of charities, writes the chief executive of TimeBank
Joe Irvin: Democracy is the poorer if charities don't campaign
Charities should not be stopped from having their say, argues the chief executive of Living Streets
Mark Flannagan: Charisma? Give me competence every time
Being able to do the job efficiently is the most underrated attribute of the charity leader, writes the chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer
Reuben Turner: Permission to ask lies in people's hearts and minds
We need to turn the conversation around and offer people great experiences, writes the creative director of the Good Agency
Graham Kirby: Supporters should be heard at the top of charities
More transparent engagement might be uncomfortable for big charities, but in the world of social media it is becoming necessary, writes the former telephone fundraiser
Dan Dufour: Forget the brand police - we need the paramedics
Managing a charity rebrand is not for the faint-hearted, says the associate director - brand at the Good Agency
Wally Harbert: Bring back the real-life theatre of the streets
Local communities have become soulless dormitories, writes our contributor
Jane Bailey Bain: Telling a good story can help to change the world
The writer and executive coach says we need to share stories with our intended beneficiaries
Guy Battle: Much more effort is required on the social value act
The fact that there has been almost no take-up by central government departments is perplexing, writes the chief executive of the Social Value Portal
Andy Howard: Want to invest ethically? It's not that simple, sadly
The founder of the research firm Didas Research says selling shares won't make oil or tobacco companies shut up shop or wind down
Wally Harbert: Why I won't join the resistance to the lobbying act
Large-scale political campaigning damages public confidence in the sector, and small charities might suffer collateral damage, writes our columnist
Julie Dodd: Let's hear less of innovation, more of test and learn
Great fundraising ideas might go viral in mere hours, but coming up with them and getting them right takes patience, writes our digital expert
Vivienne Hayes: Let's get poverty and equality on the agenda again
The root of what the third sector is about is in danger of being lost as charities face the dilemma of biting the hand that feeds them, writes the chief executive of the Women's Resource Centre
Reuben Turner: Don't bamboozle your donors with charity jargon
'Engagement', 'appeals' and 'legacies' are not words you hear at the bus stop, so charities should not use them when communicating with supporters, writes the creative director of The Good Agency
Elizabeth Balgobin: Come on, readers - Third Sector needs more BME voices
There are so many positive things going on in black and multi-ethnic communities, the LGBT sector and the disability sector; so let's hear about them, writes our columnist
Soapbox: Stale trusts should take a lead from the radical Edge Fund
Colin Rochester says too many trusts have bought into the risk-averse model of voluntary sector organisation and stopped funding new ideas
Alex Hilton: Charities must take drastic action against the lobbying act
The new regulations mean that charities are effectively banned from campaigning during the only time in the electoral cycle when politicians are prepared to listen, writes the director of Generation Rent
