Matt Smith’s Post

👉🏻News Update: Montana is set to increase oversight on nonprofit hospitals to ensure they provide community benefits in exchange for their tax-exempt status. New rules will require these hospitals to report their charitable acts, yet specifics on acceptable giving are still being defined. 🏥 This move aligns with a national trend to enforce transparency and accountability. #Healthcare #Montana #CommunityCare #NonprofitHospitals

Jo, your message highlights the critical challenges that service providers across England are grappling with. While our sectors differ, the financial strain from increased NI contributions, thresholds, and the NLW impacts us all in delivering essential care. Commissioners must understand the unique pressures across the care sector, so we can all continue to provide high-quality support to those in need. Ambition24direct

Worried about the cost of home care? We've put together practical options to help, including government benefits, local charities, and family support. Start exploring your options today and make home care more affordable. #HomeCare #FundingSupport #SeniorCare #OllieCare #homecaremanchester #homecareagencyuk

Almost a quarter of staff at hospice charity facing redundancy - Third Sector 🚨 Rising costs, stagnant funding, and National Insurance hikes are putting immense pressure on the charity sector. ✅ Read more about how these financial challenges are impacting both charities and their workforce: https://lnkd.in/ekrup9qH

A New Era for Hospice Care! We were thrilled to see the news before Christmas that the government is making a much-needed investment into hospices across the country! It was announced that they will be providing a landmark £100 million for adult and children’s hospices, and £26 million to support children and young people’s hospices. This vital new funding will help hospices to: ✅ Enhance patient comfort and dignity ✅ Modernise equipment and spaces ✅ Provide better support for families Vivid Care have been so lucky to support countless hospices over the years, both through the provision of specialist seating and beds, and also by running campaigns to raise funds for the hospice charities. Read some of our hospice case studies here: https://ow.ly/1icI50UAeY6 Read our blog article titled “Best Chairs for Use in Hospices”: https://ow.ly/akiG50UAeY7 #VividCare #HospiceCare #PatientComfort #HealthcareSupport #healthcare

In response to the recent UK Budget announcement, we’re facing tough news for charities like ours—impacting our ability to support children facing serious illnesses and their families. While we welcome increased NHS funding, the increased employer contributions mean we will need to divert funding away from the services that we provide to families, including counselling, peer to peer support, a range of creative therapy services, and respite breaks. Read our full response to the UK budget announcement here:  https://lnkd.in/e_aRm7ps #UKBudget #CharitySector #NonProfits #UKCharity

No doubt this story will cause X, formerly known as Twitter, to go into a periodic meltdown about charity sector salaries. Thousands will make posts claiming they'll be cancelling direct debit donations to charities, that they probably don't even have in place. But few are left on that site that can put the matter in perspective. Phil has done a good job putting the latest attempt to create a scandal out of a molehill in context, but the sector needs to communicate more robustly and openly about pay as a whole. However, I don't see the likes of The Telegraph getting uppity and upset about the issue of low and stagnant pay that affects many people who work for causes. Or the fact that a recent survey found that 46% of charity sector job adverts posted on LinkedIn failed to include salary details. Perhaps it thinks charity sector workers don't have bills to pay, and can survive on a diet of air and raindrops? Perhaps there's a need for a new campaign, #GrowTheSalary, to be run alongside a revived and reinvigorated #ShowTheSalary?

The Charity Commission looks like it is waving a large stick covered in tar, which is unhelpful guidance (threat?) for Trustees of small and medium sized charities (the vast majority of charities) who, in my experience, are trying to ensure they attract the right CEO to survive first and then thrive. The right CEO is hard to find and, whilst average salaries are significantly lower than the private sector, market dynamics are just as competitive.

I am starting to wonder if the Charity Commission for England and Wales needs to add categories of membership to stop some of these damaging headlines and help the public understand the sector better. Because I read this and my hearts sinks, because I know what the implications of the piece will be. All because 19 charities (out of 170,000) paid 44 people (out of a workforce of over a million) more than £400,000. Yes it is a huge sum but it is worth noting that 20 of these come from Wellcome Trust who have a turnover of >£500million and won't be in receipt of individual donations. And a handful more come from Nuffield Health whose £1billion+ turnover would dwarf most private sector companies. As a sector we need to do more to educate the public on the modern day role that charities play in society, but I can't help but think that we might also need a better way of categorising the 'super charities' so that it is clear that charity in the year 2025 takes many forms - and this is not a representative one.

West Midlands helps to make Quality Moments Matter with £5,000 donation to Hope House 🤝   A #Shropshire-based children’s hospice has secured a £5,000 donation from our West Midlands team, helping to support the hospice’s latest campaign, Quality Moments Matter.   Hope House received the funding boost as part of our Community Champions initiative. Hope House Children’s Hospices is a charity that gives every local child with a life-threatening condition and their family access to professional care and improves their quality of life from the point of diagnosis.   The Quality Moments Matter campaign aims to raise £400,000 to bring fun and joy to all local children suffering with a life-threatening condition. As part of this, the hospice will be holding a fundraising marathon on the 17th and 18th November to achieve this wider goal. Our funding will help to contribute to the wider target, supporting the hospice and its families to improve the quality of life of sick children.   The donation was marked by a visit from Lee Perry, Technical Director for Persimmon West Midlands and Cllr Dean Carroll, Portfolio Holder for Growth, Regeneration and Housing at Shropshire Council. #PersimmonHomes