Joe Saxton looks at what the coming decade looks like for charities

There's no doubt the last few weeks have been a torrid time for the charity sector. Joe Saxton explores how it happened, why it happened and, more importantly, what we can do about it.

Listening to all the coverage over the general election made me wonder what it would be like to have a ‘politician’ working with us in our office. This is my imaginary appraisal write-up for the ‘areas for improvement’ that came back from the 360 feedback session for my imaginary colleague - Polly Tician.

The charity world has a conflicted attitude towards companies. There are many charities with large teams dedicated to building corporate partnerships and raising substantial income. There are campaign organisations that will have nothing to do with companies either in terms of income or influence, or that will only work with the most ‘ethical’ of the corporate world. It must be one of the few sources of income where some people believe that publicly lambasting donors is a productive way to increase income. However, some sector leaders have done it.

Over the last 20 years, an awful lot of the British public have started give to charity because some fundraiser or other persuaded them to donate a very small monthly amount. It might only be £2 or £3, but it’s fair to say that the widespread promotion of this type of giving has transformed both the fortunes of many charities and the number of people who give regularly.

Each year at nfpSynergy we aim to distribute a portion of our profits to our 20 or so staff. We have christened this ‘The Passion Pot’. The idea is that people spend it on something they are passionate about and it appears as a lump sum in November pay packets.

As the general election gets closer, sector bodies are publishing their manifestos and buffing up their policy requests. Sector leaders jostle to have the minister for Civil Society on speed dial and speaking at their events. As a sector, we do a good job of fawning over politicians and behaving like government policies are all that matters for the sector’s future.

All the evidence, however, points to the opposite. Politicians have had barely any positive impact on the shape of the sector over the last decade.

Lots of charities condemn government spending cuts. The list of things that charities say are threatened by spending cuts is almost endless and in many cases they are right. While charities are doing that, many politicians call for, or promote, tax cuts. If both of these wishes were granted, the government would spend more and earn less. However, spending more and taxing less is no way to plug the hole in the nation’s finances. The government already spends far more than it earns and that’s why we have a deficit.

There are many things that go together at Christmas: mince pies and brandy butter, carols and candles, presents and Father Christmas, TV and falling asleep and, hopefully, charities and giving. Evoking powerful emotions and memories is what much of Christmas is about and charities should be at the heart of that, exploiting the association to persuade people to give during the festive season.

Charities exist to do great work and a large part of that is having great trustees make the big decisions. But this is easier said than done, so what is the secret of success?

Joe Saxton draws on 25 years of experience in charities to advise how charities can pick great trustees, get the best out of them, get their board to make strategic choices and ensure that all the multiple roles are being played. It's an essential read for anyone in the sector.

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