VoluntaryNews

The Directory of Social Change has taken the online charity database GuideStar UK under its wings, along with subsidiary trading company GuideStar Data Services.

The UK was the only country where GuideStar International owned the local body, and it will now be able to focus further on developing new GuideStar database services around the world. This does appear to be a good fit, given the slightly unstable history of GuideStar UK.

The latest sector body to issue a manifesto in the run up to the general election is Volunteering England. Entitled 'The Power of Volunteering'. (See earlier news item for other manifestos.)

The Charity Finance/Civil Society IT Survey for this year is now open for responses, to 22nd March. It aims to assess how the IT capabilities and budgets of charities are changing over time.

Results will be published online on http://www.civilsociety.co.uk, accessible to all respondents who provide an email address. on SurveyMonkey, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NFS7KPT.

Ten Tactics for Turning Information into Action is an independent film that explores how rights advocates use information and digital technology to create positive change. It documents inspiring info-activism stories and uses the lessons to create advice for others.

A more considered (and relevant) analysis of Barrack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign than many earlier ones has been written by Duane Raymond on the Fairsay e-campaigning website. He starts off by explaining that its not just about effective use of technology.

'How to Campaign like Obama' at http://fairsay.com/blog/how-to-campaign-like-obama.

Volunteering England has issued a policy briefing on 'Volunteering and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games'. It gives brief notes for volunteering organisations on the state-of-play in the development of national-level strategies, programmes and activities for volunteering at and around the 2012 Games. In pdf, 51KB.

The independent expert group set up to look at the issue of expenses in the charity sector, following the uproar about the parliamentary system, has produced its final recommendations.

New Philanthropy Capital's latest report explores youth offending and highlights some of the innovative and promising ways that charities are helping young people to stay out of trouble. Aimed at charities and funders it highlights areas where investment could create the greatest impact.