Donor Q&A

Q. Why should I support a charity that runs campaigns instead of helping people directly?

A. Many charities struggle to raise funds for ‘behind-the-scenes’ activities like campaigning. Donors rightly want to be sure that their money is making a difference. Often they prefer to fund activities that are making a tangible difference—from shelters for homeless people to reading support for children who can’t read.

In fact, behind-the-scenes activities like campaigns, if done well, can make a huge difference—potentially far greater than providing front-line services, which might offer only a sticking-plaster solution to a long-term problem.

Many charities are working away on campaigns to influence public opinion or to change government policies. Through this behind-the-scenes work, charities can potentially help many thousands of people to avoid the need for front-line services by tackling a problem at the root—or by trying to change the system.

To give just one example: Hibiscus provides advice and support to women in prison. It found that many of the women it was helping were foreign nationals who, because of their poverty, had been easily persuaded to act as drug mules. Hibiscus ran a campaign in Jamaica, using posters, films and comics to inform women and children of the dangers of carrying drugs abroad. Through this awareness-raising campaign, Hibiscus has contributed to a dramatic decline in arrests of Jamaican drug couriers in the UK from seven per day to one per month. Hibiscus’ campaign tackles the issue at its root, rather than responding to the resulting problems.

Research and lobbying carried out by charities can also be extremely influential. The ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign is one high profile example of how charities can exert pressure on politicians at the highest level. Another example is a project by the Norah Fry Research Centre, which assessed how well existing legislation protected the interests of disabled children at residential schools. Its findings prompted debates in both Houses of Parliament; as a result, the then Department for Education and Skills issued new guidelines, thus improving the lives of all disabled children living in residential schools.

If you are interested in a particular issue—from homelessness to illiteracy—consider how you can support behind-the-scenes campaigning and lobbying activities, so that your money can effect change at the highest levels.

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