14 February, 2017
The role charities play in society was highlighted on BBC radio last Thursday and Friday when #charitytoday kicked off a range of programming on local stations and a debate on Radio 4’s The Bottom Line.
The coverage was a welcome counter to some other recent programming – around the closure of Kid’s Company and Panorama’s investigation into the investment practices of Comic Relief, for example. And it was fantastic to see organisations joining forces in this collaborative venture.
This was an opportunity for local charities in particular to demonstrate their worth, backed up by a report from Acevo, CAF, the Institute of Fundraising and CharityComms that showed charities spend £1,500 per second improving people’s lives and up to 83% of us have benefited from charity services in the past year.
Those charities that took part demonstrated the positive impact they have, thanking supporters and sharing photos of beneficiaries and fundraisers on social media.
For those of us who support charities, this is not news of course. We all know the value of the sector.
For many, though, it’s all too easy to be complacent about charities, to take for granted that they are, and will always be, there for us if we need them. Most people never consider how our society would look if charities were not there – which is arguably the stronger message.
Telling the story of an individual, and how their life would be affected if a charity’s (or charities as there is often the involvement of more than one) support was absent would really bring to life the impact of these organisations and the service, the funding and the voluntary support they provide to so many of us every day.