Culture minister Ed Vaizey has hit out at charities’ ability to thank donors and build relationships with their supporters, claiming in his own experience it was “almost non-existent”.
Speaking at a fringe event at this week’s Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Vaizey said he had raised money for several charities but had been disappointed by the experience.
“Most of the charities did not engage me or give me feedback,” he said, adding that his relationship with these organisations was “almost non-existent”.
Vaizey claimed that too many of the smaller charities were doing similar activities. “I find it intensely frustrating that there are myriad individual charities that are often involved in the same sector doing similar work,” he said. “Often they don’t know of each other’s existence or, for personal reasons, they won’t work together.”
He said the government should help to create a culture change. “We should celebrate people who give money,” he said. “I see nothing wrong with having your name put on the door of a building if you have helped to fund that organisation.”
Vaizey said he thought the Gift Aid system was too complicated. “That is a matter for the Chancellor and the charities minister to address if they see fit,” he said.
There is a fine line to tread, however. A few years ago, Cancer Research UK was forced to rethink its marketing strategy after it ran a campaign which showed how many people had survived cancer because of its work. Donations plummeted as supporters viewed it as “job done”.
