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CPAA Insight: Innovative Charity Fundraising

2nd May 2013
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This article first appeared in the March 2013 edition of CPAA's membership magazine, Practising Accountant

By Robin Cooke

www.robinsforensic.com

CPAA Council of Management member Robin Cooke looks at new ways of fundraising for charities and considers how things may change in the future

WE HAVE HAD recent criticism of some fundraising methods used by various charities; ‘Chuggers’ it seems are not top of the popularity charts with many people. The name they have acquired even seems to express dislike, apparently being derived from a shortening of ‘Charity Muggers’.

National Trust for Scotland

There are though other innovative charity fundraising techniques that have stood the test of time for many decades. 

A Particularly innovative form of charity finance is just about to celebrate 60 successful years. The National Trust for Scotland faced the problem of how to raise funds and maintain buildings, jetties, etc on the remote islands it cares for. This was not an easy thing to do for remote islands with no regular ferry, difficult access and World Heritage Status. 

One solution has been to charter a cruise ship, so they could both take their supporters to the islands and raise money from the cruise sales at the same time. 

St Kilda cruises

Remote St Kilda, an isolated archipelago in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland was always likely to be top of the list for cruise itineraries. 

It is one of the best places in Britain for diving because of its clear water and its submerged caves, tunnels and arches.  

Abandoned by its population in 1930, as living conditions had become too difficult, landings were never easy on St Kilda – even in the calmer summer weather, when 40% of landing attempts might have to be curtailed. 

St Kilda is also the only double World Heritage site in the United Kingdom. A status it enjoys because it is one of Europe’s largest ganetries with estimates of over half a million sea birds.  

The remote and high sea cliffs, the tallest in the UK, provide excellent nesting facilities for various types of sea bird. 

The abandoned village at St Kilda is the reason why St Kilda is a double World Heritage site. Small signs in the now abandoned dwellings tell one a little about who the earlier occupants were.

Overlooking the Churchill Barriers and Scapa Flow is the Italian Chapel, built in the 1940s by Italian prisoners of war. So popular is the Italian Chapel for tourist and other visits that its charity collection boxes alone can largely pay for its routine upkeep. 

CRUISE CONTROL

Find out more about some of the National Trust cruises on offer:

www.nts.org.uk/culturalcruising/

On the cards

Charity Christmas cards have long been with us and all manner of charities have used this method of fundraising. Rising postage costs and electronic mail is though impacting on this aspect of fundraising. 

A number of professional firms and other organisations have now dispensed with printed Christmas cards, favouring electronic cards and a donation to a charity chosen typically by staff. Cards of another kind are perhaps taking over for charity fund raising. 

Organisations as diverse as the Open University and the World Wildlife Fund have loyalty credit cards from which they receive commissions on use. 

CASH CARDS

Check out a variety of charity Christmas cards in the sure knowledge that 100% of profits will go to charity:

Go to www.cardaid.co.uk

British Legion – Poppy Day

The annual Poppy Day appeal for armed forces is a long-standing and popular form of charity finance.  When it was first introduced it was undoubtedly a novel and unusual form of fund raising. 

The very moving scenes of Poppy leaves, falling from the ceiling of the Albert Hall, is perhaps engraved on all our minds. The laying of poppy reefs at war memorials around the British Isles is also an aspect of this annual remembrance event which is a major charity fund raiser for the Royal British Legion. 

The site of the sunken HMS Royal Oak, in Scapa Flow, is another location that has seen poppy wreaths and other memorials placed annually, either from a ship above or by naval divers. 

POPPY POWER

For information about the Royal British Legion and related fundraising go to: www.britishlegion.org.uk/support-us/

Holiday accommodation

The National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland have both made use of historic buildings that can be converted into holiday lets. This allows them to raise funds for the preservation of historic buildings and also provide unique holiday locations in castles, lighthouses and other diverse buildings. 

The former lighthouse keeper accommodation at the Mull of Galloway is just one example of this type of unique leisure location. The Mull of Galloway is the most southerly spot in Scotland and provides views, in clear weather, to the English Lake District and Northern Ireland. Stopping at such locations is clearly a very pleasurable way to provide charitable support. 

What changes we may see in future charity fundraising techniques we can only guess at, as the world comes closer together from the internet and jet airliners. 

STAY SOMEWHERE UNUSUAL

National Trust  Cottages

www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk

0844 800 2070

National Trust for Scotland Cottages

www.nts.org.uk/holidays

0844 493 2108

Landmark Trust  Cottages

www.landmarktrust.org.uk

01628 825925

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