zimtim wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:15 pm
Many people I know won't want to commit to a monthly donation but would be more than happy to bung some change into the bucket.
I have asked why they don't do have a collection bucket for this.
No one seemed to have a clue.
Yep, this is the problem for a lot of charities. They are desperate to guarantee for themselves some reliable cash-flow, but they inevitably rely upon human compassion and generosity - which is sometimes fickle and very variable.
That's why so many of them have adopted the monthly subscription or annual direct debit model. It provides some surety that a certain amount is likely to flow into the charity in a fairly reliable way. Charities funded solely by street donations into shakers/buckets or seasonal campaigns are susceptible to sudden large swings of income and to the dedication of volunteers. If you are 'Save the Locust' then perhaps this means you just save fewer locusts this year compared to last, but if you are the Air Ambulance you face selling helicopters, standing down crews and no longer offering a service to a whole region.
However the direct debit commitments (and the 'charity muggers' who accost people for sign-ups in the street), while giving the charity some reliable cash-flow, also tend to lead people to regard the charity as a business - which can seem to fly in the face of the good charitable work they are doing. The big charities now have Chief Execs on £150,000+ and tiers of management responsible for fund raising, accounts and operations. You can't run something like Save The Children without a lot of organisation. But people don't like to think of any of their donation going anywhere but the coal face. These are real dilemma for modern charities.
Interesting debate.