RESOURCES: Talking point - Charities rely on donations to fund their work
PJ White
Tuesday, July 1, 2003
The UK is a nation of charity supporters. The most popular charity - Cancer Research UK - raised nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in donations last year. Talk about what motivates us to give to charities. Until this year, animal welfare groups raised more money in donations than children's charities. What does this say about us as a nation? What are our priorities?
Are there some services that are not appropriate for a charity to provide?
Some charities raise money for essential hospital equipment for babies, or for a powered wheelchair for a young person. Is it right that needs such as these should be dependent on charity? What is it like to be on the receiving end of other people's charity?
What about fundraising for schools? Parents fundraise and donate 120m a year to supplement the budgets of state schools. Should education depend on car-boot sales, social events and raffles?
Some schools have a nominated charity of the year. How are these chosen?
At what age do school students have a say? Some critics say that by fundraising in schools, charities are exploiting a captive market. Should there be safeguards to stop young people being used as unpaid charity collectors?
What's in it for them? Should fundraising be educational? Or is it just a bit of fun?
Charity NCH has just launched a web site (www.nch.org.uk/whatever) for young people that aims to encourage 12 to 18-year-olds to give to charities.
It says that 57 per cent of schoolkids want to help charities. That suggests a very big proportion don't. Why might that be?
Should children and young people give part of their pocket money or earnings to charity? What is a reasonable proportion to help others? For comparison, the Government has a target - which it has never yet met - of giving 0.7 per cent of its income as aid to the world's poorest countries. What would you think if a young person with 5 a week pocket money had a target of giving 3.5 pence a week to overseas charities?