Labour MP's Twitter retweet campaign nets £14k for Comic Relief
Howard Lake | 16 March 2013 | News
Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart has said she will donate £14,268 to Comic Relief after offering on Twitter to donate £1 for every retweet received in the next hour.
At 8.25pm she tweeted:
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I will give £1.00 to Comic relief for every retweet of this message before 9pm
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 15, 2013
At 9.01pm she tweeted:
Ok stop now I owe comic relief£14,268. Phew! Cheque soonif you don't believe me check with comic relief
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 15, 2013
Her campaign showed once again how some Twitter campaigns, especially those that don't cost Twitter users a penny, can take off quickly and effectively in terms of the sum unlocked for charity.
Criticism
Ms Mactaggart was criticised by some Twitter users who accused her of self-promotion and encouraged her to make the donation personally. Others questioned whether she would make the money, or indeed whether she could afford it, with others suggesting she might even try to claim it back via her parliamentary expenses.
“@kevwhitt: @fionamacmp an MP giving money away?? Doubtful. You'll probably just claim it back as 'expenses' of course not, I hope ur giving
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 15, 2013
“@jamielpike56: @fionamacmp can you afford this?” I thinkbut I amtwitter naivethank you all for being so generous for me!
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 15, 2013
Others retweeted her with the clear aim, perhaps politically motivated, of trying to make her pay as much as possible. Similar retweet campaigns for charities by companies have experienced such 'support'.
Mactaggart responded to some of these arguing that she was making a genuine offer, did have the cash, would not reclaim it on expenses, and was hoping to have some fun and "to remind twitter folk to give". She acknowledged that she was "twitter naive" but was committed to make the donation.
“@em_ip: @fionamacmp Why not just give the max you can give without the self promotion?" I thought it would be fun and remind others to give
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 15, 2013
She summed up the result:
“@msmithuk: @iaindale @fionamacmp what has happened?”£14268 to comic relief, some abuse and quite a few giving who might not have. Worth it.
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 16, 2013
She continued today by urging people to give direct to Comic Relief:
For all who haven't donated to #comicrelief it's easy go to bank for preprinted paying in slip with gift aid declaration which adds 25% #rnd
— fiona mactaggart (@fionamacmp) March 16, 2013
Ms Mactaggart is the daughter of the later baronet Sir Ian Auld Mactaggart, who left her one fifth of his £6.5 million estate.
Before becoming MP for Slough in 1997 she worked for NCVO. In June 2003 she became a junior minister at the Home Office with responsibility for charities and the voluntary sector.
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.