Posts Tagged Charity sector

Crunch time for Comic Relief

March 12, 2009 at 11:45 am · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

It’s that time of year again. Perfectly sane adults start wearing their pyjamas to work, decorating their cars with all manner of bizarre red bunting, and generally making fools of themselves. A nine year old girl this morning asked me for some spare change. When asked what for, she gabbled excitedly that if she got enough, she would be allowed to throw a flan at her teacher’s face; a better reason than most to give money to small children, I thought.

Yes, Comic Relief kicks off tomorrow. Over the years, Red Nose Day has become an institution. Even the meanest, most negative people in the UK, who protest that aid sent to Africa “all goes on administration”, feel inclined to get into the swing of things and don the iconic red conk. This year, though, Comic Relief faces some of its toughest challenges, which indicated the difficulties all charities are going through in the current climate.

In 1999, Comic Relief raised a whopping £35 million, and in 2007, this had almost doubled to £67.7 million. It proves just how much money you can raise simply by doing something stupid for a bit of spare change. There are concerns for tomorrow’s fun, however, as charitable donations have slumped dramatically since the credit crunch hit, and charity jobs are beginning to be cut left, right and centre.

Chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations Steve Etherington told the BBC of the gloom surrounding charities as donors withdraw regular giving and people out and about start watching their spare change. He said that organisations such as Acorns Hospice, YMCA and Clic Sargeant have already experienced job losses and are planning to lose more staff to cope with rising prices and decreasing funds.

Better-known charities such as Oxfam will fare better, due to their established branding, but have also reported a plateau in donations. The issue presents a catch 22 type problem. Now is the time that charities are most needed, as people become homeless, indebted, and unable to afford care, yet the public is less likely to give to charity, making it impossible for charities function at their normal level, let alone perform better.

Nobody seems able to predict what will happen to Comic Relief this year. Although the credit crunch has spelled trouble for the sector, which is haemorrhaging charity jobs, Red Nose Day has everything a charity could dream of; primetime BBC coverage, heaps of celebrity endorsement, and over a decade of familiar, high-profile history for the public to engage with. The outcome of Comic Relief’s efforts tomorrow, in that case, will serve as a benchmark for the whole sector; is it time to tighten belts, pack up organisations entirely, or grit teeth and ride out the storm?

Author
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs; Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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The Slumdog Effect: Why a little Hollywood is good for the charity sector

March 4, 2009 at 4:57 pm · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

It’s a sad fact bemoaned by many grumpy old naysayers of charity jobs and humanitarian efforts, but your average man-in-the-street will not give away a penny to charity without having causes spelled out to them, preferably through a big budget, fluffy film or a high-profile celebrity drama.

Just look at ActionAid’s comments this week. Since the release of Danny Boyle’s dynamic blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire, there has been an explosion of inquiries by well-wishers wanting to sponsor children in India. Three times as many people per week are calling ActionAid, asking how they can help children just like Slumdog’s main protagonist.

Many people, both from die-hard charity career cliques and moody negative nimbys have whined most irritatingly about this phenomenon, known most recently as the “slumdog effect”. Perhaps the best case of it was the Live 8 effort to Make Poverty History. After the initial excitement over the tactics used in the campaign, through using fashionable wristbands and heaps of celebrity endorsements, criticism was harsh.

From a minority of hardcore charity workers and supporters, there was a distinct whine of “these problems have been around for years and now suddenly everyone’s an expert. You can’t fix everything with a silly concert you know.” The more of these I read at the time, the more it began to sound like, “I was in Africa first you know. Me. Me! I’m the really charitable one!” Poor darlings. Perhaps they didn’t feel special enough, and so attacked what was essentially a fantastic campaign, just because it was popularist, simplified and… well, properly marketed for once.

From the miserable people who see charity, or any effort to recruit donors, as and infringement of their personal rights, downright ungrateful as they always put their change in the blind box at the pub, or, dare I say it “political correctness gone mad”, criticism was much harsher, and wonderfully nonsensical. This particularly odious group moaned that it was all just “yuppies jumping on the bandwagon.” Perhaps it was. This, however, does not negate the fact that millions upon millions of people knew a little bit more, and gave a little bit more, than they would have done.

And so, back to now. I am sure that it won’t be long before the grouches start moaning that people are bandwaggoning the Indian poverty causes, just doing it because it’s fashionable, and that the film was one-sided and overly-simple, and all manner of other rubbish. What’s important is that whether or not these things are true, they remain irrelevant. If more people are even vaguely aware that their lives are actually incredibly happy compared to most of the world’s population, and if they only give to a charity once in their lives, it’s still a good thing, however empty the gesture is. For example, whatever you think of Jade Goody selling her death in all of its gruesome detail, you can’t deny that 20% more women having cervical cancer screenings, and a massive increase in donations to cancer charities, is something that charities just can’t seem to do alone. So, stop with the moaning, and get on the bandwagon.

Author
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs;  Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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IPPR says give charities more influence – but are they ready?

March 2, 2009 at 12:20 pm · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Institute for Public Policy Research published a report recently on the role of charities in local government policy at a regional level. The IPPR claims, as a result of this study, that charities should have more say in policy in their areas in order to better deliver services.

80% of charity chief executives said in the survey that regional engagement with the charity sector is important when it comes to decision-making, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, 60% said they did not have much voice in this area.

IPPR North research fellow Katie Schmuecker said:
“Given the backdrop of the recession, it is more important than ever for economic development plans to support deprived areas as well as areas of opportunity.

“The voluntary and community sector has much to contribute in this respect.”

More involvement and engagement with charities, in order to help them deliver services better, makes sense on paper, especially in a time of recession when more people than ever need access to those services. The question remains, however, whether the charity sector is ready for that kind of power.

In the past few weeks, there have been damning insights into the charity sector, claiming that charities need to be merged and streamlined, whilst being subject to the same scrutiny and efficiency standards as successful private sector organisations. Some of what has been said is fair. So, if charities need to buck their ideas up, is it right to hand over more power to them before that transformation has even begun?

The best way to improve the charity sector is with an influx of professional young blood. Competition for charity sector jobs is growing, with graduates shunning the private sector in favour of a job that is more innovative, ethical and fast-developing. If that sounds like the career you want, why not give it a try? You can check out the latest vacancies on JuicyJobs.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for JuicyJobs Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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Charities must change to survive the recession

February 5, 2009 at 2:10 pm · Filed under Charity news ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ron Aldridge, CEO of the Aldridge Foundation, gave an interesting interview on ThirdSector.co.uk this week. The former chair of Capita is something of a charity maverick. Bringing his experience as one of the best contract winners in the private sector, Aldridge claims that charities are ‘at a crossroads’, where the ineffectual and inefficient will be rooted out by the rise in demand for services combined with the decrease in resources. If he is right, what will that mean for the charity job sector?

Aldridge’s claims that many charities and not-for-profit organisations waste money on administrative expenditure and bureaucracy, are unaccountable, and more cut-throat than the private sector, have been made before, but often by those outside of the sector. His view that there are too many charities for the same causes, leading to consumer confusion over who to donate to, are in part justified; there are 200,000 charities and 600,000 not-for-profit organisations in the UK, all vying for the same funding. Only once money is won, Aldridge says, is a plan for how to spend it properly made.

Aldridge goes on to say that the recession will solve many of these problems, but the transition might be uncomfortable, even painful for some. With a general tightening of belts all around, some charities, and particularly those that lack efficiency, will go under. On the other hand, some charities will adapt to the change. Aldridge says that a great deal of time and money can be saved within charities by outsourcing some work such as IT and human resources to private companies. He also recommends mergers, such as that between Help the Aged and Age Concern, to end the competition of similar charities for the same funding, and to pool the resources of charities to deliver better services.

Another problem with the charity sector is the lack of performance monitoring that demonstrates to funders exactly how charities operate. It has often been said that if private sector performance monitoring was applied to charities that the latter simply wouldn’t meet the standards.

For people looking to start or further a charity career, Aldridge’s predictions for the sector might seem gloomy. Mergers between charities will mean job losses for some. The potential application of stricter performance monitoring, and the lack of funding, will mean some charities simply will not survive. There is, however, a silver lining. Aldridge’s remarks voice a charity fatigue felt by many in the UK. Streamlining the sector, whilst boosting efficiency and, in the end, better serving their causes, will create more respect for charities and those working for them. More competition for charity jobs, though tougher on the job-seeker, means better experience for those who do end up working in the sector, and more respect from other employers for charity employees.

Article by Rachel Charman – JuicyJobs

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Credit crunch creates charity jobs

December 11, 2008 at 2:40 pm · Filed under ethical jobs ·Tagged , , , ,

If you are looking to start an ethical career, the midst of a recession may not seem like a good time to do it. Every day, redundancies and repossessions are splashed across the headlines. In early December, however, the dreaded credit crunch has created jobs; in the charity sector.

Birmingham’s National Debtline, which provides support and advice for people struggling in arrears, has been under terrific strain since the recession hit, with demand for help and advice rising to 20,000 callers per month.

The organisation has been forced to begin its largest ever recruitment drive in twenty years, with 60 charity jobs to fill at its Five Ways headquarters. It has been granted £5.85 million from the government to help pay for extra staff over the next two years.

National Debtline is struggling to meet the needs of clients, with phone “ringing off the hook” according to staff, and so is looking to recruit 50 extra telephone advisors and around seven office managers on salaries between £25,000 and £30,000.

National Debtline chief executive Paul Mullins said: “We have helped over 90,000 clients this year, including 8,000 struggling with mortgage arrears.

“There have been various large-scale redundancies announced in the West Midlands and it is important that people know there is support and advice available, including various job opportunities.”

Beccy Boden Wilks, National Debtline press officer, said: “December is normally the quietest period because people are getting ready for Christmas but it’s showing no sign of slowing down this year.

“We are doing our best to cope but the calls are currently at the level they normally are for January, February and March.”

If you are looking to start a charity career, or find a more ethical job, the recession is likely to put debt, redundancy and homeless charities under unprecedented strain. Now could be the best time to start. To find great job opportunities within the charity sector, search JuicyJobs.biz listings, and don’t forget to keep updated on all the latest ethical career news.

Author and resource box
Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Ethical Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living.  For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal ethical jobs in London.

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