Fundraising vs Begging - Controversy in a thousand words...

After a collection yesterday, which featured in the Flintshire Chronicle (check it out), I was posed with a great topic for my next Post... (Thanks... you know who you are Missy!!)


So, what is the difference between begging and fundraising?


OMG Where do I start?! Definitions? Reasoning? Context? Need?!


By the way, before I start, I want your comments on this! Post on here, Facebook (if that's where you got the link) or @TCAADave with #BvF.


So what's begging? A search on Google coughs these up:


1. To ask for as charity
2. To ask earnestly for or of


and fundraising?


"The organized activity or an instance of soliciting money or pledges, as for charitable organizations or political campaigns" (bloomin' American spelling...)


So taken literally on the basis of those definitions, the only distinction between begging and fundraising is that fundraising is organised...?


That's not true. The definitions could do with a little work, because we need to think about the context of the question. 


"begging" was referring to someone who might be in some difficulty, i.e. those of no fixed abode, who might be on the streets asking for money to help them along (yeah, check out the political correctness there!!). Whereas "fundraising" was referring to something that could be considered similar - a charity representative standing on the streets with a collection bucket.


So let's look a little closer. What is the "ask", what is the underlying psychology in the giver, and what governs the actions of the giver and beneficiary.


With the beggar, the ask is for some spare change. The giver is highly unlikely to know what the beggar will do with the money, so the Psychology behind it is that of true altruism - helping someone out for the sake of helping someone out (which doesn't exist but i'll leave that for another time). There is nothing that tells the beggar what to spend their money on, and the giver has no rights in the exchange. For anyone that gives to a beggar, there is an underlying assumption (that's important, don't forget it!) that the money will be used to provide food, water, shelter or warmth for the beggar, however, this isn't always the case. In this situation, the giver is committing an act of altruism  under the trust of the beggar which may be misplaced.Often the decision to give is based on how the giver perceives the beggar - do they look trust worthy, do they look like they will use the money appropriately, and often... have they got a cute little doggy? (I've never understood that...).

Ok take a mental breather...


When it comes to fundraising, the relationship between the giver and the beneficiary is different, however, the same principles apply. The giver needs to not only trust the person they give the money to, they also have to trust the charity. There are some fundamental differences here though. Firstly, the charity has to be properly governed and regulated, meaning they have clearly defined goals, policies and purposes. They are also automatically granted a certain level of trust - in order to collect on the street, the charity must hold a street collection licence from the local authority, which means they have been through a process to ensure they are genuine. 


Already, the giver has knowledge of clearly communicated use of their donation as well as the inherent trust from the local authority (remember the assumption from before?). The giver also has some rights. You may remember recent press coverage on "chuggers" which highlighted the unregulated practice of hard selling on the streets. With collections, it is illegal to ASK for money (unlike beggars who freely ask), even down to the fact you can't shake your bucket - despite the commonly referred to phrase "shaking a bucket". Also... you can get a refund on your donation - it doesn't happen often, but it does happen.


So in this scenario, the giver not only has the right to not be hassled, but they also have the opportunity to make an informed and safe decision regarding their desire to donate. 


In both cases we can say the act of giving is charitable, however, the differences lie in the interaction between the giver and beneficiary, the trust in the appropriate use of the donation, and context of the donation.


Are they different? It can be argued either way - I for one am more likely to give to a reputable charity who I have knowledge or experience of. Having said that, giving to a person of no fixed abode (PC again, go me!) is still worthwhile - that donation could well save that persons life, or at least, improve their quality of life, it's just that there is an inherent risk involved...


Amazingly, the UK public donated £11,000,000,000 in 2011 (UK Giving Report - read it, it's interesting). Yes, BILLION. This money went to the 161,000+ registered charities in the UK, working hard to solve some of the big social, health and political issues in and around the UK. The likelihood is, if you are reading this, you are part of that life saving, crime preventing and shelter providing staggering sum of money. For this, I tip my hat to you and say keep it up. £11bn might sound like a lot, but it's a drop in the ocean. And you'd be surprised how much of it comes from spare change - Mr Tesco was right all along.


Oh, and Ladies - once again you have tipped the balance as not only the most likely to donate to charity, but also with the higher donations. Come on guys, what are you playing at?!!


So what do you think? Which of the two would you give money too and why? Do you think there is a difference between begging and fundraising? Comment, Facebook, or tweet - @TCAADave with #BvF


Thanks for reading!


Dave


P.S if you're a fundraiser and you've got 10 minutes to spare - watch this light hearted video on fundraising advice (ish) - No Longer Broke