Source: Third Sector

Joint venture could cut costs by up to 50 per cent, charity claims

The Children’s Society is to invite charities to set up a shared property management service as a money-saving measure.

Charles Nall, corporate services director at the Children’s Society, told Third Sector that he would raise the idea at a property conference next month. The proposed service would see a group of charities setting up a joint venture employing estate surveyors, building surveyors, facilities staff and a property helpdesk as a way of reducing costs for those involved.
Nall said he would look to charities with large or dispersed networks of offices or project buildings to take part in the scheme. It would operate in a similar way to IT-sharing service Charityshare, which is a joint venture between the Children’s Society, the NSPCC and the Alzheimer’s Society.

He added that using property management services through a joint venture would be between 20 and 50 per cent cheaper than using a medium-sized surveying firm.