The tighter funding environment and heightened public scrutiny of the sector have combined with the normal tensions between government and the sector to create a "perfect storm" for charities, Dame Fiona Reynolds said last night.

The former director general of the National Trust was chairing a lecture given by Andrew Purkis at Cass Business School about the history of charitable campaigning.

“My sense is that we are describing a bit of a perfect storm,” she said.

As well as the normal “ebb and flow” of the relationship between charities and government, Dame Fiona cited "the sheer size of charities and perceived lack of transparency" and "a sense that charities are the last big group to be battered by this question about trust and accountability”, as factors that are contributing to the pressure.

Added to these is the funding squeeze caused by growing contract funding and “people with money able to launch campaigns against charity”, all of which have combined to create the current climate.

“These things are coming together with a particular potency that leads to a sense of needing to be certain, to be clear about the purpose and the role of political campaigning that is not party-aligned,” she said.

Purkis: ‘Shrinking political space’

Andrew Purkis, meanwhile, warned that the recent campaigns against the coalition government’s austerity policies had combined with the “perennial issue” of government questioning the legitimacy of single-issue campaigns to lead to a “sense of threat” and “shrinking" of the political space.

But he denied there was an organised conspiracy against the charity sector.

“Many people want charity to be something that brings people together,” he said - and charities need to respect this view.

Purkis also called on the Charity Commission to change its language around warning charities to consider the impact of campaigns.
 
He said: “I would like there to be a change in the way the Charity Commission talks about these things - where the finger-wagging about upsetting part of the public is balanced better than it has been of late with the campaigning role of charities and what that has achieved over the years.”

Purkis added that: “There is an obligation on trustees to consider from time to time whether what they are doing is the best way to pursue their charitable objectives, including political activity.”

Being a charity is a privilege

Julia Unwin, chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, told the audience that it was important that “charities take up issues that might not be popular” and allow themselves to be independent, “not just from government but from others with vested interests”.

She said: “We are privileged in the power we have”, adding that the sector has “a responsibility to make sure we get this right”.

Unwin also urged the sector to “remember that some big campaigns are against other charities” and that this should be viewed as a strength.

Andrew Purkis has written a blog calling for the sector to 'reclaim our shared history of charitable campaigning' which can be read here. He has also written an analysis of the history of charitable campaigning for Charity Finance magazine which online subscribers can read here.