The White Paper which was released earlier this week announces a range of measures designed to encourage the giving of both time and money and includes: a Social Action Fund and Challenge Prizes around volunteering; a Giving Summit in late autumn 2011; £30m for a Local Infrastructure Fund in order to encourage more effective support for frontline civil society organisations; and a year-long national payroll giving campaign.

Philanthropy UK offers a useful round-up of reactions to the initiatives in the Paper, including from organisations such as the Centre for Giving and Philanthropy (CGAP) and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Also worth reading is the blog post  White Giving Paper: good ideas but no game changers by James Allen, Policy Manager, at NCVO:

“The White Paper is full of ideas, many of them good ones, but none of them are really “game changers”. Cashpoint giving, for example, has potential. Opening up mobile technology to giving is important too. Also in the white paper is a progress report on important, though not headline grabbing, initiatives around making the Gift Aid system work better and cutting some of the red tape that presents barriers to many charities. Government is to be commended for its taking up of NCVO’s Funding Commission recommendation on the need to support the sector in investing in and modernising its own support mechanisms – this money is important and will make a difference. There is a gap, however, between the desire to see a new culture of giving and the proposed mechanisms to achieve it…”

To read the full post.