Last week a number of MPs and Thomas Hughes-Hallet, chief executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care, criticised some charities for spending too much on advertising. The comments created quite a backlash on the Third Sector site and a question has been hanging in the air over whether some charities do indeed pump too much of… Read more »
Posts By: Sophie Hudson
Apple needs to get moving on a donation app before the brand gets tarnished
I’ve decided it’s time to add my two cents worth on the ongoing battle to convince Apple to allow people to donate to charity directly through apps on the iPhone. The saga has been rumbling on for a while now and if it’s ever going to have a happy ending it’s going to be critical… Read more »
Homeless Hacks fundraising challenge Day Four
We did it! Yesterday Kaye and I smashed through the £300 fundraising target and managed to raise £335 – and that’s without counting any of the Gift Aid. I would not necessarily say this is down to any particular genius on our part. Echoing what I wrote yesterday, I think it has been largely down… Read more »
Homeless Hacks fundraising challenge Day Three
So, Kaye and I did well with our fundraising yesterday. We’ve managed to raise £265 in two days. In fact, with the Gift Aid, we have already broken through our £300 target. We’re both lucky to be surrounded by a group of very generous friends and family, who have been incredible with their support. But… Read more »
Corporates: charities want decorating with cash instead of paint
There was a very loud groan from a room full of fundraisers at a recent conference when they were asked whether any corporates had offered to paint some walls for them recently. They rolled their eyes as they grumbled that they didn’t have any walls left to paint, explaining that this was one of the… Read more »
Stereotyping beneficiaries can have adverse consequences, but let’s not get over-sensitive
So, 57 per cent of Third Sector readers do not agree that it is acceptable to stereotype beneficiaries when making fundraising appeals, according to last week’s online poll. And I have to say that I agree with this majority – to a point. First of all, I must say something in agreement with the findings… Read more »
Ranking charities – interesting, but unrealistic.
I attended Martin Brookes’ RSA lecture last night, in which he called for someone – I’m not entirely sure who – to look into developing a ranking system for charities according to how much they benefit society. The idea is to inform people’s decisions on their charitable giving. To me it was clearly a very… Read more »
‘Micro-volunteering’ highlights positive impact of technology on voluntary sector
It’s easy to become jaded by the endless stream of technological advances we see practically every day. But one piece of technology I recently became aware of that made me sit up and take notice is an app which allows people to donate just a few valuable minutes of their time to charities in a… Read more »
Purple armbands will not revolutionise chugging, but they might make a small difference
This week, the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association launches a 12-week armband trial to improve the image of face-to-face fundraising. Thirty teams of chuggers are to be headed by team leaders wearing purple armbands with the words “team leader” written on them. The PFRA hopes the scheme will improve teams’ relationships with council officials, town centre… Read more »