Collected views on The Big Society
Howard Lake | 27 July 2010 | Blogs
I’m confused by the new government’s Big Society initiative, not least because it has had to be “launched” twice within a few months. My first, and indeed second impressions, are that it is a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes: lots of reverent talk and media coverage of a ‘big idea’ that in practice simply describes current practice and the experience of many.
I’m sceptical, having worked in the fundraising and charity sector for 22 years now, and having seen the vibrant, multi-faceted, innovative, and dedicated work that charity staff, volunteers, community groups and individuals do. We’ve always had a ‘big society’ and I’m wary of anyone trying to hijack it and use it for their political ends. I see self-help, self-reliance, community spirit, volunteering and giving everywhere I go.
I’m even protective of what I understand as the charity sector – or “third sector” or “civil society” if you want to name or go to the trouble and expense of renaming a government department that covers it.
But it’s not right simply to carp from the sidelines, especially if I don’t understand something, so I am trying to see if there is anything new or valuable in the notion of The Big Society. I’ll keep my discriminating faculties to hand, but here, in the spirit of trying to get to grips with this notion, are some collected thoughts, reactions and discussions about The Big Society that I’ve come across, and which are helping to shape my understanding.
Guides to the Big Society
* New Philanthropy Capital’s June 2010 report, Scaling up for the Big Society, offers guidelines on how the most effective charitable solutions can be identified and scaled up to meet the challenges of the Big Society.
* NCVO’s research team is gathering some of the key evidence sources on the Big Society, “in order to inform the debate and contribute to current thinking about how the different dimensions of the agenda might be taken forward”.
What the Big Society looks like
* The announcement from the Community Foundation Network about the Evening Standard’s anti-poverty fundraising campaign was given the subject line: “What the Big Society looks like…”
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Comments and reactions
* On 20 July Serial social entrepreneur Malcolm Hurlston welcomed the Prime Minister’s “renewed commitment to the big society”. The founder and chair of debt charity CCCS, who also helped devise Unity the trade union bank, said: “Social and community enterprises have enormous scope which the government is right to unleash. At the same time they need to be able to work as equal partners with government departments.
“Here there is an inherent imbalance and it is vital that the government strengthens the mandate of the Commission for the Compact (between government and the big society) and enables it to exert similar powers to that of the National Audit Office.”
* The Directory of Social Change’s Head of Policy Jay Kennedy discussed whether the “apparent lack of enthusiasm for the Big Society agenda matter[s]”?
* Martin Sime, Chief Executive of SCVO, said: “We welcome the sentiment that people can be encouraged to play a greater role in supporting each other and contributing to their communities. But government needs to learn to nurture and support rather than direct and control such initiatives.
“In this case, that means understanding what role people actually want to play. Yes, they want a say, but the majority don’t want to be strong armed into the position of actually delivering front line services. Most people simply don’t want the responsibility for filling the gaps between what the public purse can afford.
“The Government needs to understand that the key to this is building trust and supporting the third sector to grow by removing red tape. If the UK Government really want to help charities and voluntary organisations do more then there are some pretty simple steps it can take: by removing petty restrictions which prevent unemployed people from volunteering, allowing charities to reclaim VAT on the things they buy, and by making Gift Aid easier to claim.”
SCVO recently published a Manifesto (PDF) encouraging national and local politicians to help the voluntary sector by Doing Things Differently – with the right support the sector can do more to mobilise people to help each other and to help themselves.
* Social entrepreneur and business author Robert Ashton (‘The Barefoot Entrepreneur’) said: “Big Society is not about money. It’s actually the long overdue recognition that no expert or bureaucrat can ever understand what communities want better than those communities themselves.
“Public ownership can once more come to mean that local people can collectively own and manage local resources. It’s not rocket science but simply what deep down we always knew was right.
“The challenge facing Government right now is that people will rise to the challenge as and when they are ready. It’s like sitting a baby on its potty. It will perform when it’s ready and in ample amount. But the more you try to cajole, coerce and even bribe, the longer you wait for the realising thud of success”.
* Unite, the largest union in the UK, which has 60,000 members in the not-for-profit sector, said that David Cameron’s passion for the Big Society was “intellectually flawed” and a throwback to a 1950s Britain that never existed.”
It said that his revival of the Big Society “pipedream” failed to answer two vital questions:
• who is going to do all the volunteering when men and women now both have to work to pay the household bills and the increased taxes that the coalition government is imposing?
• and where is the cash coming from when the contracts that ccharities bid for and third sector money are being slashed, such as the case of the leading legal agency for asylum seekers – Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) – which collapsed last month due to cash flow problems?
Big Bank and financing Big Society
* Malcolm Hayday, Chief Executive of Charity Bank, said: “We have called for the ‘Big Society Bank’ to be a wholesale provider of finance to existing independent intermediates so we are pleased that this seems to be the case. The involvement of current social investment organisations will provide the most effective way to leverage the impact of the money available and therefore multiplying the effect of the funds available…
“The social sector needs to scale up, and if funds are directed towards intermediary organisations like Charity Bank who are established players working towards the long term sustainability of the sector, this is a positive step.”
* Commenting on David Cameron’s speech, John Low Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation said: “News that every penny held in dormant bank and building society accounts will be used to fund charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups is very welcome. This significant policy shift will go some way to making the Government’s vision of a Big Society a reality”.
* Hannah Terrey, Head of Public Affairs and Policy at Charities Aid Foundation commented on Nick Hurd’s confirmation that the Big Society Bank will be a wholesale provider. She said: “We have been calling for the Big Society Bank to be a wholesale bank for existing providers and this was one of the key points in our consultation response so we’re delighted that Nick Hurd has confirmed that this will be the case. By working with existing independent intermediaries who are in it for the long-term such as Venturesome, the Big Society Bank can provide a lasting legacy, ensuring investment will be available to charities and social enterprises for years to come.
“However, until the Bank is open, there will be charities seeking investment that will have been affected by the recent announcements that two of Social Investment Business’s government-backed funds have been suspended. This comes at a time when the Big Society agenda is offering charities and social enterprises a greater role in supporting communities. Alternative providers like Venturesome have funds available to invest at present, but given the likely demand additional funds cannot come into the social investment sector soon enough.”
I’ll try and add other links or comments that are useful, focusing perhaps on fundraising rather than the broader discussions.
How does The Big Society impact on your fundraising? Are you just keeping your head down and getting on with everyday fundraising? Or do you perhaps see a positive opportunity in any of this?
Photo: Victoria Peckham on Flickr.com
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.