CEBF survey asks if charity sector needs its own benevolent fund

Governance | Niki May Young | 28 Jun 2012

The Charity Employees Benevolent Fund (CEBF) has launched a survey to research attitudes within the charity sector towards the need for its own benevolent fund.

In February Hilary Greengrass, charity manager at CEBF, warned that while application levels had increased substantially, donations had not increased to match the demand on the fund, which supports charity employees and former employees that have fallen on hard times.

Subsequently Michael Brophy (pictured), former chief executive of the benevolent fund, made a statement in March lambasting the sector's CEOs for their lack of support and warning that without the support from larger charities the fund may have to "hibernate and if summer doesn’t come soon, shut down".

The CEBF was launched two and a half years ago and to date has supported 226 families through its grants and professional welfare advice. But the charity is forced to undertake a rigorous process of approval for applications, receiving over 50 enquiries every month.

"Applications to CEBF have trippled yet, despite the incontestible evidence of need, securing donations, however modest, from organisations and individuals in the sector is increasingly difficult," the charity advised upon launching the survey.

Released by Action Planning on behalf of CEBF last week, the survey asks questions such as:

Should the charity sector have its own benevolent fund?
Who should fund this?
Would your organisation support such a fund?

CEBF will use the data collected from the survey to "inform our future strategy and endeavour to secure the fund’s future".

To take the benevolent fund survey click here.

Directory: Charity Employees Benevolent Fund
Who's Who: Hilary Greengrass | Michael Brophy

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