charityinformation.net ran a debate forum in the early part of the summer taking the following quote “Should charities be "working at the heart of society"¹ or should they be complimentary and adding value to society? as a springboard for discussion. The results of the debate are given below.

“Should charities be "working at the heart of society"¹ or should they be complimentary and adding value to society? ^{(1 Charity Commission)}

Overview 

The general feeling of the debate was that charity was at the heart of society, but that society did not mean government.  If anything, the charity sector filled in, or replaced what government lacked.  What the quote perhaps also illustrated, was how imprecise the term “society” is, and how, as ever, the use of words is very important to the charity/third/social sector.

The full text of each comment, and the subheadings their authors have chosen to give them, follows;

Government is the heart of a society

Surely it is Parliament, the elected representatives that is the heart of our society.  They are the people's voice and should provide the services the people fundamentally require.  Anything that is additional is the province of the third sector.  Logically, therefore, the rise of the charity sector is the failure of government.  ZP, Kent, 21/03/06

Heart is smart

The word "heart" is the key.  Yes, the role of government has decreased to the point where the phrase "welfare state" is as archaic as the word "charity".  But the third sector, or social sector as I would call it, is more about people co-operating at grassroots which is where people know what other people need.  At this level, you can please all the people all the time, at government level, you never can, so only broad strokes are, or should be possible.  Leaving the "heart" to the social sector is smart. Bill, West Yorks, 21/03/06

Heart is adding value

I think someone is missing the point here.  Just because the third sector (the phrase I prefer) is working at the heart, doesn't mean it doesn't add value; quite the contrary.  And as for Big Government and Grassroots, when our society is 60 million strong, surely we need both?  LP, London, 22/03/06

Intrinsic

It is not for nothing there are the proverbs "charity starts at home" and "home is where the heart is". TBM, (Ed), 14/4/06

Government

In an ideal world we, as citizens, elect our government, and in an ideal world, that should give us a civil society.  However, I would go further than Bill, Governments, by their very nature are soul-less, and charities, by their very nature have a soul.  Therefore, charity is not just at the heart of society, it is the heart of society.  Something that is a good thing to remember as this is Good Friday. Karen C, Bristol, 14/4/06

Heart of Society

The conscience of society maybe, not the heart. TBM (Ed), London, 15/4/6

Working at the heart

The quote is more precisely  "working at the heart of society" - this is surely saying that charity, and the third sector are now regarded as professional - we are "doers" rather than "do-gooders" - an excellent change in mindset I think, and one that reflects that the sector is far better at looking after this country's people than it's government.  JP, 18/4/06

Government

I think saying government doesn't look after its citizens is only correct in the most pejorative of senses.  There may be room for improvement, but even the most unfair of commentators could not say it does nothing.  And I refer to all shades of government, blue, red, yellow or chameleon.  Tellitasitis, England, 22/4/06

Icing on the Cake

Anything essential to the functioning of society is the responsibility of Government, to ensure inclusivity. Charities provide the icing on the cake, the complimentary extras that the country does not wish to afford through taxation. Jonathon.S, 27/4/6

We're people not ants

In my book charity is about alleviating and preventing the suffering of individual people and animals. For as long as there is suffering it will be charities which find and help those that society has passed by. Real charities are adding value to deprived people's lives, not to society. Ron, 3/5/6

Both

Our charity is both working at the heart of society and adding value. It also contributes where the government is lacking.  JB 13/6/6

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