Great interview here. Enjoying my time with @johnlyonscharity.bsky.social. An interesting example of a charity with long established roots thinking carefully about the future.

It was my first time as a member of the John Lyon's Charity Grants Committee yesterday. A fascinating setup, I’ve admired from afar for a while. A fun day and not just because I met John the Lyon in his natural habitat.

Time to wheel out the quintessential philanthropy valentine again, I guess:

Roses are red,🌹
Violets are blue,
Philanthropy's wonderful,
If you pay taxes too.

Very interesting set of free lectures for trustees coming up from @thinknpc.bsky.social

The first one is on AI, future ones include this one. Good stuff.

www.thinknpc.org/events-and-t...

Good to hear @bbcr4today seeking out both sides of the academies debate today. But this debate often seems to generate more heat than light. Brief thread now, with some thoughts, given I’ve been investigating the policy since 2000.

Links to all my charity sector starter packs

Starter pack 1 of UK charities (early adopters): go.bsky.app/UVMCfpi

Pack 2 of UK charities (2nd wave): go.bsky.app/7mP5Af9

Pack 3 of UK charities: go.bsky.app/VshNPMC

Support organisations: go.bsky.app/TnicTFM

Community centres: go.bsky.app/9LNkxRN

Absolutely brilliant news. Has been fascinating seeing a grassroots campaign come from nowhere to save a community asset in less than 2 months.

It’s the official start of Christmas with the @choirwithnoname.bsky.social singalong at the Brighton Dome.

If you ever have a chance you have to see them. Truly life-affirming stuff from a brilliant charity!

New: No links to the Cayman Islands, says academy trust’s leader. But its “sponsor” is registered there, published accounts state
www.educationuncovered.co.uk/news/172886/...
A look at comments by CEO of Aurora Academies Trust +connections to its “sponsorship,” via the company Pansophic Learning.

I really like this new report by NPC who I don’t think have the big leap over this way.

Lots of useful actionable points in there about rebalancing the power dynamic between funders and fundees.

Looking at Brighton and Hove council's response to 2 schools proposing to academise to US company-controlled Aurora Acads Trust. States: "Academies on average pay their teaching staff less than maintained schools. Exception is pay for headteachers and senior trust leaders". True.

This is a massively important article. My daughter’s school is trying to become an academy. The academy chain is controlled by a US company, who can appoint a majority on the board.

So many questions about how this privatisation of Uk state schools is allowed to happen.

At the Community Works AGM this morn for some Sussex charity sector catch ups. Anyone around do say hi! #cwagm

Very proud to be a trustee of Octopus Giving! Great to be helping build a culture of philanthropy inside and outside a dynamic set of companies. More info in this new report- octopusgroup.com/futuregenera...

Looking to find charities to follow? Start here -

My starter pack 1 of the early adopters: go.bsky.app/UVMCfpi

And now starter pack 2: go.bsky.app/7mP5Af9

Very interesting looking into proposed academisation of daughter’s school. Multi Academy Trusts can be so murky. Not the most transparent of organisations!

Think today might be Blue Friday as the numbers here explode.

Do say hi if your charity is new here and I'll add you to the pack.

#BlueFriday

So, time to start again, hopefully with a few less Nazis. Liking it all so far!