It's official. Ed Vaizey agrees that chief executives need to understand and practice good fundraising. Doesn't mean they have to have been a fundraising director (you can still count those on your fingers I suspect) but it's a great step forward.
What with Adrian Sargeant, despite all his research, telling us that supporters have better links with government than charities and Ed telling us to sharpen up there must surely be some opportunities for improved communications (especially internal - THE most important audience) and for revisiting the case for support. Too many charites (and fundraisers) get locked into all the techniques and forget, at their peril, the reason the charity exists. And even worse, they take it for granted that supporters understand and share the case and the passion. I think we we better think it out again!
Off to a book launch, "The Charity First Series" take a look because whilst they are short starter texts (very suitable for starters and volunteers) they do all remind us of the case and the need for passion.
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Monday 10 October 2011
Why should anyone give to charity?
There's, what looks to be, an interesting feature on Channel 4 this week (see www.4thought.tv on at 7.55 each evening) looking at charity and who we should give our money to. Channel 4 are tracking the Big Lottery giveaway of £10 million to community projects and the 4thought programmes are two minute thought starters on and around, my favourite subject, that of philanthropy and giving!
I was filmed as "an academic voice" attempting to put some context to the questions and leave the audience with the message that, of course, it's all about, considered, thoughtful choice. However people benefit by doing their giving joyously in the spirit of, "Do as you would be done by!"
Sadly they now apparently have too many male WASPs so you're going to be spared my dulict tones. An interesting experience however as I was minded to quote the story about Alfred Nobel. He had, as it turns out, the good fortune to read his own obitiary when it was published accidently, when in fact his brother had died. He realised that as things stood he would be remembered only as the inventor of dynamite and an arms manufacturer. At that point he went out out and founded the Nobel Peace Prize.
How do you want the world to remember you?
I was filmed as "an academic voice" attempting to put some context to the questions and leave the audience with the message that, of course, it's all about, considered, thoughtful choice. However people benefit by doing their giving joyously in the spirit of, "Do as you would be done by!"
Sadly they now apparently have too many male WASPs so you're going to be spared my dulict tones. An interesting experience however as I was minded to quote the story about Alfred Nobel. He had, as it turns out, the good fortune to read his own obitiary when it was published accidently, when in fact his brother had died. He realised that as things stood he would be remembered only as the inventor of dynamite and an arms manufacturer. At that point he went out out and founded the Nobel Peace Prize.
How do you want the world to remember you?
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