In the height of 80s, Bananarama and Fun Boy Three sang their classic line, "It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it, and that’s what gets results." Let me explain how this applies to charities today.
Currently, many charities are concerned about recent Budget changes and are, in some cases, seriously worried about the rises in Employer National Insurance Contributions. I have heard of cases where charities think this could be the final straw for them on an already tight budget process. In frustration, many are speaking out publicly and doing as much as possible to highlight the impact these changes will have. However, care must be taken to ensure this is done in the right way, and that charities don’t inadvertently stray into activities that they are not allowed to undertake.
Navigating political campaigning rules
One risk on speaking out against Government policy is breaching rules on political campaigning. There is an incredibly helpful guide on the Charity Commission website which summarises the key issues. It is well worth spending five minutes reviewing these rules to make sure you are up to date, especially if there is a plan to speak out publicly against government policy. It also provides guidance on making sure that activities which are not in line with the charity objectives are not inadvertently undertaken.
Collaborating for greater impact
It is also worth considering if there is a larger organisation you belong to that could assist the cause and give the benefit of many voices. A good example of this is Hospice UK which made a robust response to the recent budget. This has resulted in there being encouraging discussions around providing support to hospices to limit the increases. A lone hospice campaigning would most likely not have achieved this, but the campaigning of a national body has given huge weight here.
A recent example: Zoe’s Place
In Liverpool, Zoe’s Place recently had amazing success with a fundraising campaign, and the way it was conducted was particularly noteworthy.
A brief background
The hospice, which had been trying to build new premises, faced significant challenges: planning permission was only recently granted, the costs of the project had increased, and the lease on the existing building was expiring. As a result, the hospice announced that it had no choice but to close by the end of the year.
The announcement
The key thing to note here is how they announced the closure – there was never a launch of an emergency appeal, or a press release setting out that, unless £6 million was raised in the next few weeks, they would have no option but to close. Rather, the statement made it very clear that there was no alternative and the hospice would be closed by the end of the year.
The outcome
For those familiar with the unwavering sense of community the people of Liverpool have, it will come as no surprise that this announcement was taken as a call to action - and indeed, what an action!
The owners of Home Bargains pledged £2.5 million, other businesses raised hundreds of thousand almost overnight and community fundraisers went into overdrive. Within a month, over £6 million was raised, ensuring the hospice would remain open and enabling the move to new premises.
Whilst not every appeal will have a happy ending, the above does give a very good example of “it’s the way that you do it that gets results”.
The next step
If your charity is facing challenges or considering a public campaign, we are here to help. Please get in touch with Dave Allum at d.allum@uhy-uk.com or reach out to your usual UHY charity adviser.
