• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Business and Economics Business

Charity or Business? – It Is Never Either/Or according to fundraising MD Vaughan Thomas

I have something of a unique take on charity in so far as I only started working in the sector when I landed a role as the Managing Director of Personal Fundraising Services in 2013. I had never worked as a fundraiser myself, nor did I have more than an average amount of knowledge of […]

Jess Young by Jess Young
2017-07-24 13:56
in Business
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

I have something of a unique take on charity in so far as I only started working in the sector when I landed a role as the Managing Director of Personal Fundraising Services in 2013.

I had never worked as a fundraiser myself, nor did I have more than an average amount of knowledge of the charity world, but instead came from a very successful background in retail and sales with a leading supermarket chain.

I was used to a challenge, so when I was asked to start and run Personal Fundraising Services (PFS) back in 2013 I thought it was an interesting and important opportunity. Here was a chance to raise money for organisations that make a real difference.

As the new MD of a fundraising firm, I was keen to know as much about the sector my clients operated in as I could. What I found was a constantly revolving debate about what a charity should be and how it should act, with one recurring theme.

Should a charity be more like a business? Should a business be more like a charity? And following the discussions that surrounded the tragic death of Olive Cooke, a woman whose suicide was linked by some to repeated asks from charities, commentators were asking should a charity be less like a business and more like… well, a charity?

Fifty Shades of Grey might have been a bad book and a terrible film, but actually it is an important colour scale. It is so easy to get caught up in thinking everything has to be black and white, good and bad, simple and complicated. The charity versus business debate also arguably does not help those working in the charity sector who understand how difficult fundraising is and appreciate the need to get good value for money in everything they do so they can maximise what is spent on their core aims.

Visit LinkedIn and you will see how many business people aspire to become trustees or help good causes in another way. Trawl through the CVs of charity leaders and you will see that charitable organisations have recruited and secured impressive management and staff, many of whom have left better paid roles in the business sector because they want to work for a charity and make a real difference.

Fundraising agencies have come under a lot of scrutiny over the last few years and in some cases rightly so. But there are others that have always strived for the highest standards, through extensive staff training coupled with robust policies to ensure the highest quality service for charity clients and members of the public.

 

RelatedPosts

Trump unveils $499 gold mobile phones for ‘real Americans’

Shops could be forced to accept cash in future

Liverpool to introduce tourist tax from June

Labour’s bid to build 1.5 million new homes gets underway

It may seem obvious that the core aims of businesses and charities are different, but just like the aforementioned film and book, there is more to the picture than black and white. Most organisations recognise they cannot be good at everything, or lack the capacity to do everything themselves. This is why both charities and businesses outsource to experts.

Good fundraising agencies are fundraising experts, and we apply a business mindset to raise as much money as possible for our charity clients. We take pride in doing so, knowing how much social good they will be able to do with it. Whether it will help blind veterans’ independent living, support adults and children with disabilities or buy hearing aids for the deaf, I get great satisfaction knowing every pound raised can make a difference to the lives of people in the communities our charities serve.

It is a real privilege to be able to take the stories of charities and tell them to the public, helping them to reach new audiences and gain new supporters. We are not a charity, but that doesn’t mean we’re not here to help charities succeed.

It may not make for the best headlines, but the truth is charity and business each has a lot of learn from the other. By working together within those ‘shades of grey’, we encourage businesses to be more socially responsible, and charities a little more economically successful.

For more information about Vaughan Thomas and Personal Funding Services visit www.pfs-ltd.org.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Summer 2017: The start of the Brexit voter’s getaway ← London non-league guide: Wealdstone FC
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->