The public have the right to know where their money is going, but there are better and cheaper solutions out there
The government is reportedly planning to extend the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to cover charities who receive public money. In what is undoubtedly fallout from the Kids Company debacle, the proposal that anyone should be able to keep charities honest by submitting requests to see correspondence, performance data and policy discussion from them will prove, in all likelihood, popular. But would it work? And is it right?
Before asking whether it is right, there is a strong – irrefutable, even – argument that charities, as public benefit organisations, need to be open. Even if purely from a self-interest perspective, charities should be transparent – why would anyone give time or money to an organisation that isn’t willing to explain how it is operated or governed? Why would anyone give to a charity where they couldn’t establish whether or not they make a difference, or how they make a difference?
Continue reading...from Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1S8wYLj
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