It’s time for the ‘good guys’ to stand up and be counted!

It’s time for the ‘good guys’ to stand up and be counted!

Yet more bad press damaging the third sector!

Sadly again this week (w/c 14th May) we hear of another third sector CEO charged with criminal activity, defrauding a high profile charity.

This time, a court found former CEO, from 2007 to 2015, John Br

iers, guilty of stealing £700,000 from Age UK Concern.

The third sector has been riddled with bad press of late and it’s having a seriously damaging effect on the industry.

If the public lose their faith in charities millions of people, both in the UK and around the globe are affected.

Deprived communities could be starved of farming supplies to feed their families, miss out on fresh water supplies, patients could forgo life changing mental health care, our oceans will drown in a sea of plastic, children will miss out on vital end of life care; the list is endless…

As an industry we need to fight back. We need to stand up and be counted! Just as the suffragettes stood up for the women’s vote, just as Martin Luther-King stood up for black civil rights, just as Malala Yousafzai stood up for female education, we too need to stand up and be heard!

As good guys we need to reassure the public that their thoughtful and generous donations do not line the pockets of ‘fat cats’, instead it goes exactly to the causes they have donated to.

It’s a bit like a bad review, for every 5 derogatory reviews, there might only be 1 positive review on an internet review website, for example. The vocal minority perhaps? Yet a powerful minority!

Just as there are only a few minority ‘bad guys’ out there, we need to restore the confidence in the public as to the many, many wonderfully good and amazing things going on in this sector. The millions, the billions of pounds being raises for charity that’s going to good causes. Money that otherwise would not be available to help so many vulnerable, deprived and needed causes.

That’s why, we must come together – in unity, in collaboration – we must take a stand (again); community driven action is a powerful driver. Our community is the third sector – it’s like a family. Let’s not be afraid to use our voices together.

We need to reassure the public that the overwhelming majority of charities and respected employees that work for them care, do good, make a difference, but above all live everyday with honesty and integrity.

Mud sticks, yes, sometimes it becomes yesterday’s ‘fish & chip paper’ but as the mounting evidence against the sector continues it’s essential we reiterate our honour as a sector – shouting it from the roof tops. We must stand up and be heard. It’s easy to stand with the crowd, but it takes courage to stand alone. Yet we won’t be alone. We should as a sector, stand together, standing strong. Follow our moral compass. As Barak Obama quotes, “The biggest challenge, I think, is maintaining your moral compass.”

Here at Purity Fundraising following our moral compass is not a challenge, yet we stand by the principals in which Mr Obama quotes. We believe in social good over profit. After all, it’s how Purity came about – check out our blog article, Live it. Love it. Work it. – Our sole purpose, our sole being is to provide the best possible telephone based fundraising to our NGOs as possible. Through this integrity our results are some of the best in the business.

You see, our offering isn’t just about donations, it’s also to engage and communicate with our clients’ donors; a chance to say thank you, a chance to pass on good news. Through a genuine passion for fundraising and charity work, our fundraisers speak from the heart – a donor can tell that. It’s this kind of attitude that assures donors that their donations matter, that they do make a difference. And right now, it’s this kind of access to donors that can help restore the sector. Real people, having real conversations. As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog article, We Practice What We Preach – our voice, your voice matters!