Next month we vote for who will lead our country for the next term in office, so it was with baited breath and collection tins poised that we awaited Mr Osborne’s Budget. Was it worth it asks Stephen Cotterill?

So, an election year Budget and what did the Chancellor have in his battered box of promises for the nation’s fundraisers? Not much frankly. A raise on the cap for Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme claims but no review, provoking a unanimously tepid reception from sector players and a further promise of draft legislation to allow regulations to be made to give intermediaries a greater role in administering gift aid. If you listen carefully, you can hear the tumbleweed tumble.

There was, however, a chink of light. In the report, George Osborne went on to say that the Office for Civil Society will take forward the procurement of a partner to deliver subsidised fundraising training to small charities in 2015/16. This is something for which the sector, and in particular the Institute of Fundraising, has lobbied for many years.

Chief executive of the IoF Peter Lewis was quick to commend the move, saying “skilled fundraisers are key to building good relationships with donors and securing vital funds for good causes. That’s why our members will be pleased to see that the Office for Civil Society plans to work with partner organisations to deliver subsidised fundraising training to small charities.”

Although the government has not procured services yet, the IoF is in a good position to forge a partnership, having designed and delivered similar programmes in the past. It may well suit the government and the sector to build a network of such partnerships to gain a greater reach.

One issue, however, was conspicuous by its absence from the Budget report. In the 2014 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor had announced that the government would continue and extend the scope of a review of donor benefits that was launched in the 2014 Budget. He said at the time that an update on this would be provided in the Budget 2015. However, no such update was forthcoming. Perhaps that’s something we can look forward to from the Chancellor next year, whoever that may be.