Time to stand up for fundraising spirit
Howard Lake | 21 October 2008 | Blogs
I sometimes wonder why people still bother. Imagine being Diane Tovey, a volunteer fundraiser who raises £900 a year from 8 cake and tea sales. Famous for her lemon drizzle cake and retired from work after a triple heart bypass, Mrs Tovey discovered that her local council thought that this outrageous activity might constitute ‘business activity’ and that neighbours might find it a nuisance. They might relent if Mrs Tovey and her husband take out public liability insurance, in case someone gets ‘poisoned’.
“I raise funds for the RNLI because they are one of the bravest groups of people on the planet and I appreciate lifesavers after what I have been through” Mrs Tovey said.
That’s the spirit, Mrs Tovey, that’s the spirit! So, am I alone in thinking that Diane Tovey’s spirit – and the public at large is being severely tested right now?
Some time ago, I spoke with some other fundraisers in a bar at a conference. We shared tales and examples of a tide of difficulty preventing people from doing something, anything – world class ‘can’t do’. From tales of bunting not being allowed because there was no insurance, to village parades (held for 100 years) that required £3000 to ‘hire’ road traffic managers and had to be cancelled.
My latest meldrew moment arrived recently. Market stall holders in Hexham have been banned from ‘shouting’ because someone complained and the council decided to intervene. Officials from the local authority have ruled they can only shout on Tuesdays and Saturdays and even then only if they “shout quietly.”
I don’t want to blow this out of proportion and I am sure that all these stories aren’t what they seem but it does feel as though we are living in a culture that if allowed to go unchecked will threaten the very spirit that fundraising is able to thrive in.
I am not against sensible regulation. Yes, I believe in good sensible risk assessments, safeguarding for children, reasonable health and safety and the law protecting individuals and communities for example. But somehow this seems to translate to a place in which a few are able to simply knock the stuffing out of doing good. Do we want that?
The sector and fundraising is faced with a real challenge. We hear a lot about trust. If the public trust fundraisers and charities then we hope they will continue to give. It’s that simple. Every one of us has a responsibility to raise standards to the highest denominator – not the lowest. But what if the balance is wrong?
Spirit means ‘breath’ or ‘soul, courage, vigour’. Where’s the role for championing peoples’ spirit? The essential, motivating, life giving ‘can do’ of kind people. Do we not owe them the same energy, passion and conviction that we currently direct in so many other areas? We need to be seen to be on the side of the very people who matter most to us.
So, here’s to Mrs Tovey and here’s to the spirit that is British fundraising tradition. Here’s to the day when we all turn up for a cup of tea, some lemon drizzle cake and when we all are brave enough to say no – now that’s the spirit.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.