Letters | 6 August 2015

Exploiting our charity

Sir: Melissa Kite (‘Asking too much’, 1 August) is spot on about charity fundraising. This has changed charitable sentiment into an exploitable business asset. The consequences are bad for both givers — who are likely to become more cynical as time goes on and therefore less charitable — and the charities themselves, which will suffer in the long term from reluctance by donors to continue to give.

One might broaden the picture and question the number of charities (more than 150,000), the details of what they do and achieve, and say that their use of ‘business models’ is simply inappropriate (for instance, salary packages for senior staff that are comparable to those in private businesses, the use of commercially oriented outside firms for fundraising, and so on).

Sadly the concept of charitable giving and activity has degenerated from its roots in Christian caritas (and its equivalent in other traditions), and is clearly ripe for re-assessment.