Cosmopolite: The work of Matt Tucker

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

On Tuesday 4th November 2008, America elected a new President to lead the country in its next Term. President-Elect Barack Obama said of his election triumph that “change has come to America.” 

As a world superpower, actions in America can have global consequences; the saying goes that in a global economy “America sneezes and the world catches a cold”. So what affect will this new leader and ruling party have on the Third Sector?

As well as public generosity, many charities rely on the financial support of businesses. With the current recession, corporate cash for charities is drying up. For example, the former Bank giant Lehman Brothers had a huge Charitable Foundation that now no longer exists. With dwindling corporate support, some charities now face an economic crisis of their own. The BBC One Show recently reported that The Butterwick Hospice in the UK has had to put vital expansion plans on hold as their applications to businesses for money received almost unanimous refusals.

The good news is that Barack Obama has vowed to deal with the American economy “head on” in January 2009, adding that “a stimulus package to boost the economy is long overdue and would be a top priority.” The UK government took similar action with the dramatic step of reducing VAT to 15% last Monday, with the purpose of stimulating Christmas shopping and in turn the economy. With a British economy returned to prosperity, many more businesses will be in the position to continue charitable donations in the UK.

However, it is not just Obama’s actions in the US economy that will affect the Third Sector; with a returning Democratic Party there will be new policies that will directly affect charities. Predicting the effect on the Third Sector is not easy; there appear to be no details on Obama’s campaign website which deal directly with charitable plans.

I used an Internet forum to put the question to American voters: “Is Barack Obama’s Presidency good news for charities?” A clear concern with a raise in taxes emerged:

• “[Obama] is going to raise taxes on ‘rich’ people who give a lot more than your average person to charity, so I would go with say [Obama] is really bad for the Third Sector.”
  
• “People will be taxed higher and have less to give."
  
• “I don't know what his policies on charity are, but I know when he starts ‘spreading the wealth’ by forcing people to give more taxes, people will stop giving so much to charity. I think charities will suffer under his presidency.”
  
• “Bad news. Obama plans to ‘close the tax loopholes’, which will no doubt include charitable giving and estate planning methods currently used to provide charitable trusts. He hasn't said this, but his talk of closing tax loopholes can hardly mean anything else. Charitable giving is about the best ‘tax shelter’ left.”
  
• “Just look at his plans for new government spending and look at his tax plans. The government is a better provider of charity.”

America is the world’s biggest giver of private charitable donations, with 1.67% of its GDP given away (as of 2005), and it has the wealthiest charitable foundation: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with an endowment of $35.9billion.  If higher taxes significantly reduce this trend of public donations then the third sector will inevitably suffer. However, as one contributor pointed out “If we don't need charities that would mean the government is working wouldn't it?” highlighting the notion that Charities exist to make up shortfalls in government provision. So with higher taxes, would the US government have more money to reach out to those in need, to spread the wealth more evenly? This question alone opens an entire separate debate on the possible future changes to the American capitalist model; a debate that will no doubt be played out in the media for some time.

The Bush administration did have foundations for charity, such as the The United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), however, one forum commenter pointed out that government funds will hopefully be better spent with the new President-Elect: “I personally think the situation is going to be easier for some international NGOs, especially those working in the field of HIV. During Bush, 90% of PEPFAR funds were spent on abstinence programmes (abstinence from sex). I really believe Obama will change this nonsense.”

Of course, with politics come strong views: “President-Elect Obama, will certainly do his part to help. Too bad Bush spent eight years ripping support for people down, and bankrupting our economy.”

Like all political affairs, America’s politics are complex and arguably unpredictable. In any political campaign there are policies and promises bandied around in an effort to win voters, knowing which ones will actually be implemented is not always easy. As Shami Chakrabarti, Civil Rights Campaigner, said in response to Obama’s triumph: “All Politicians are doomed to break our hearts.” Time will tell how Obama’s Presidency plays out and whether the Third Sector is in for an easy or a rough ride.

Webjam welcome your views; how do you think the new President will change the Third Sector? Tell the Charity Channel your thoughts by posting a comment.

(Please note: the opinions quoted in this article represent a small number of randomly selected individuals and are not representative of the opinions of Webjam.)

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

Flickr image from BohPhoto's photostream

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

New Media is changing the way we live, work and communicate. Harnessing the power of the digital byte is now commonly accepted as the cheaper and more effective alternative to traditional methods of communication.

Staying ahead in New Media and capitalising on the opportunities of the medium is also as important for charities as it is for businesses. Like any business or organisation, a charity must engage its audience, its ‘consumers’, to entertain and inform in its pursuit of gaining wider awareness of their good cause and, ultimately, to raise funds.

With a third of all small charities surviving on an income of less than £10,000 a year, keeping costs low is vital in maintaining healthy charity account books. With websites, viral campaigning, e-newsletters, online donating and online social networking (with your very own Webjam Charity Channel right here) the charity sector is hot on the heels of the benefits of New Media development.

One charity taking new media to the next level is the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with their recent launch of Emergency Response Unit (ERU); ‘The Red Cross Game’. The game is a simulation of what it is like to be a Red Cross aid worker; what they describe as possibly “the toughest job on earth”. With the initial free trial of the game, the player is given their first mission: a major flood has devastated a community in Mexico and they desperately need emergency aid. With 2000 people homeless, 150 dead and 700 wounded, the player has to help them survive for six weeks until local authorities can get the situation under control.

Founded in 1919, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian organisation, providing assistance without discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. The Federation carries out relief operations to assist victims of disasters, and combines this with development work to strengthen the capacities of its member National Societies.

Run directly through your Internet browser, The Red Cross Game has smooth cartoon graphics and realistic audio sound effects. In the trial tutorial you give evacuees medical treatment, moving them between shelter camps, medical centres and schools to complete your mission. A full version of the game can be purchased with 50% of the proceeds going to The International Red Cross.

Not only is The International Red Cross using New Media to its current potential, but it is tapping into a huge market of the Internet: online strategy gaming. Testament to the huge popularity and success of this entertainment platform is 'World of Warcraft'; a title that has become a household name among many computer gamers. Launched in 2004, 'World of Warcraft' dominates the online role-playing market with a 62% share and over 11 million monthly subscribers. So popular is the game that real currency exchanges hands in the trading of powerful characters, despite the official banning of the practise. Unlike World of Warcraft, The Red Cross Game is not multiplayer, but the potential is clear.

There is of course one big difference between The Red Cross Game and other online strategy game titles: The Red Cross Game is a battle to save lives, rather than battles to destroy lives, as is the case in World of Warcraft, Ultima Online, Command and Conquer, etc. Instead, the game guides you through the relief activities of the International Red Cross giving you the resources to deal with the humanitarian needs of a natural disaster in a virtual world.

The game goes to great lengths not to dilute the purpose of the charity and emphasises the Seven Fundamental Principles of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies proclaimed in 1965: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.

It is perhaps fitting that one of the oldest and most respected of international aid organisations should now be leading the way in new forms of charity marketing and establishing a new platform on which to reach a new generation.

The Red Cross Game combines the best of New Media, entertainment and education. Much like the recent televised Children in Need Appeal, which threw fun entertainment into a mix of informative charity campaigning, it appears that entertainment is a proven and effective fundraising method.

Webjam welcome your views on any of the topics in the Charity Channel blog; feel free to get involved and tell us what you think in the comments.

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel Flickr image from macinate's photostream

Have you ever thought that christmas is a time for giving and charity? Well this billionaire certainly doesn't: Gerry Harvey. Read this article about him, you really should. Firstly you will not believe that anyone outside of a Dickensian novel could think like him, and secondly you will not believe that someone would publish a book airing these sort of views!

I first heard about this article on the Webjam Charity Channel.

What do you think about Gerry Harvey?

"eminence grise" :a person who wields power or exerts influence behind the scenes.

This sounds like Jonathan Ross, now a broken man... Word of the Day is great - my vocabulary is expanding exponentially!

Here are a few more good ones:

adduce: to offer as a reason in support of an argument; bring up as an example; give as proof or evidence; cite

frowzy: 1. dirty and untidy; slovenly 2. smelling bad; musty

horripilation: the act or process of the hair bristling on the skin, as from cold or fear; goose flesh

aquiline: 1. curved like an eagle's beak 2. of or like an eagle

bivouac: 1. An encampment for the night, usually under little or no shelter. 2. To encamp for the night, usually under little or no shelter

gloaming: Twilight; dusk.

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

A round-up of some of the week’s charity news.

Friday 14^th November saw the Prince of Wales celebrate his 60^th Birthday. This has prompted media coverage on the Prince’s extensive charity work, including a BBC documentary on the Prince broadcast last Wednesday: Charles at 60: the Passionate Prince. Cameras followed Prince Charles for a year to see how the influence and power of the future British Monarch has allowed him to promote his campaign work and gain support from some of the World’s most powerful leaders.

Friday’s Birthday celebrations included The Prince and The Duchess of Cornwall visiting Beckton Community Centre in East London to meet young people helped by The Prince’s Trust. Founded in 1976 by Prince Charles, The Prince’s Trust seeks to help young people who are not in employment, education or training. The organisation’s work gives the practical and financial support to enable disadvantaged young people to develop the key skills, confidence and motivation to change their situation. For example, The Trust has helped tens of thousands of young people to set up their own business.

The Queen recently said she is “enormously proud” of her son’s achievements in setting up The Princes Trust and that The Prince's "vision and conviction" had transformed "countless lives". With a turnover of over £50million, the Trust has helped more than half a million young people to date.

Another big event on television screens last week was the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. Raising a record-breaking £20million on Friday evening, donations from the appeal will go to making a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people. Hosted by Terry Wogan, Tess Daly and Fearne Cotton, the evening’s entertainment included a Children’s Masterchef competition, a performance from the cast of the new West End revival of Oliver! and an exclusive preview of this years Dr Who Christmas Special.

In addition to the £20million raised on Friday, millions will be donated over the coming weeks and months from many Children in Need fundraising events across the UK. This unexpected result has proved many wrong over concerns of public generosity, as raised in my recent The Credit Crunch bites post. The recession has made the public more sensitive to their financial needs and worries. In turn, it appears this has made the public more aware of the more serious needs of others, stimulating charitable giving in this difficult time.

The fundraising methods of Children in Need might also be responsible for its continuing success in the face of recession; the Appeal promotes a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach to fundraising and encourages fun events, providing a pack with posters, stickers and event planners. It is a known fact that when in a recession, avenues of escapism are sought. Children in Need provided this in bucket loads on Friday.

But speculation is still rife over the future downturn of charitable giving. The National Council of Voluntary Organisations recently published a survey showing 70% of charities expecting conditions to worsen in the sector in 2009. However, The Guardian newspaper reported last week that according to new figures for religious donations, faith charities are set to weather economic conditions better than secular charities. The charity Islamic Relief raised £4.3million during the recent holy month of Ramadan and this year’s Christian Aid Week is expected to raise as much as last year’s £14.6million. Lindsay Boswell, chief executive at the Institute of Fundraising, believes all organisations can learn from the experience of faith charities: "It's due to the relationship they have with their supporters ... it's the unity and sense of community."

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel
Flickr image from Trinidad-News.com's photostream

I've written my third article for the Webjam Charity Channel.

Initially, I planned to write an article on Barrack Obama's Presidency and what this means for the charity sector in the US and the consequences for the rest of the World. However, finding his policies on charity and non-profit organisations proved difficult, and when asking a few leading questions on the 'Yahoo Answers' forum it appeared to be a complex and controversial topic. Many say that Obama's plan to raise taxes for the wealthy will restrict American people's charity giving. Also, Bush's stance on charity is an equally complex topic that should be addressed with equal emphasis as Obama's stance. I thought this needed more time so I opted for a different subject for my article this week. I wrote about a couple of high profile news topics that were in the media last week: Prince Charles 60th birthday and with it the celebration of his charity work, and the unexpected success of BBC One's Children in Need.

I'll be posting the article here in full shortly, but in the meantime you can look at it on the Webjam Charity Channel.

I've just come from a book signing event at Waterstones, Reading, where a family friend is promoting her new book: Cherrybrook Rose by Tania Crosse.

I also bought Barrack Obama's book: Dreams from my Father. This is Waterstone's #1 seller at the moment, presumably a boost in sales caused by his Presidency. I'll be reading this to help me write an article for the Webjam Charity Channel. I'll be looking at how the new President will affect the charity sector in the US and the World. A huge topic, which may take me some time.

If anyone has any views on Bush's policies and their affects on the third sector and the future affect Obama will have on the sector, please let me know.

Have a good Saturday evening.

The knack of nudging internet users into the direction you want them to go is proving more elusive than I thought. I have been given the advice below, which you might find useful to get people reading your blogs and your work:

Try to get more backlinks for your blog and try to write about something interesting. Backlinks are the links that u paste on other websites that directs to your site. Providing backlinks is the way of leaving your web address on various sites so that people can visit your site thru them. To get your blog popular: you can advertise about it on social sites and other internet media forms like news releases, press releases, social bookmarking etc. You need to advertise about your blog a bit so that people will know how great your posts are.

For the latest news and networks on charities and fundraising, visit the Webjam Charity Channel.

I’m on my fourth instructor, and he’s better than the rest….

• My first instructor: Didn’t speak to me, I drove around like I was his taxi driver. Learnt very little.

• My second instructor: Had a road rage problem! Leapt out the car at a garage stop to hurl verbal abuse at a young driver in front of us. Weird. Had issues. Stopped learning with him.

• My third instructor: stressed old man, boasted of having 80 students a week. Not surprising he couldn’t remember my name half the time.

• My fourth and current instructor – much better: patient and friendly. Hopefully the one I pass with!

And of course there is the silent fifth instructor in the background – My Dad! He has tolerated my bad driving habits, which is not so good for my learning, but it’s worth it for all the practise I’ve got with him!

For the latest news and networks on charities and fundraising, visit the Webjam Charity Channel.

I've had some bad luck with interviews this week.... but it's all a steep learning curve nonetheless. I trust everyone had a good bonfire weekend, despite the rain. I got to see a few fireworks in a village near where I live.

There was also a bonfire with a Guy Fawkes figure perched on top, sitting in a wooden chair. The Fawkes dummy quickly disappeared in the flames but his chair spent a long time balanced on top of the fire. The audience watched as the chair buckled under the crumbling foundations - eventually the chair collapsed into the centre and whoops went round the families watching. What is it about fire that gets us all excited? We love to burn things and enjoy the hypnotic and comforting effect.

After the display I went to a friends’ house and watched ‘The Orphanage’, produced by Spanish Director Guillermo del Toro, the man who gave us ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. Very spooky film, I recommend it!

Sunday involved lazing around and writing an article for the Webjam Charity Channel.

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

Celebrities: they can make us laugh, smile, cry and they can charge good money for the pleasure. The more we spend on our idols, the more they earn.

British broadcaster Jonathan Ross is the highest earning BBC presenter at £6million a year and Johnny Depp is reported to have been paid $55million to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in the planned “Pirates of the Caribbean 4” film.

These are sums of money which many charities can only dream of. So with fame, money and power do celebrities have a moral duty to support charitable causes?

Many already have a portfolio of charity work on their CV. To name just a few, British comedians Matt Lucas and Jimmy Carr support the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $8million to charity in 2006 alone. In fact, celebrity giving is enormous. The Look to the Stars website, a source of celebrity charity news and information, lists over 1,500 celebrities and the charities they support.

Some celebrities have even carved separate careers as charity campaigners: Bob Geldof and U2’s Bono have arguably become more famous for their charity events and concerts than their artistic careers. Geldof’s achievements are often viewed as a classic example of the power of celebrity endorsement in charity. His charity work gained international attention in 1984 when he galvanised the pop world to produce Band Aid’s ‘Do they know It’s Christmas’ in response to the Ethiopian famine. Becoming the fastest selling single of all time, the success was followed by the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.

Some charity work can have a personal dimension for the celebrity. US talk show host Oprah Winfrey suffered childhood abuse and grew up in rural poverty, often wearing dresses made of potato sacks. After meeting Nelson Mandela, Winfrey pledged to help those from a disadvantaged background and invested $40million in the ‘Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls’ in South Africa. Similarly, music artist Tori Amos is the founder of The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), the largest anti-sexual assault organisation in the US. Having been a rape victim herself, Tori Amos’ charity and music has helped many women deal with rape since 1994.

But not all celebrity involvement is heaped with praise. Following a G8 Summit Bob Geldof declared that the Labour Government deserved “10 out of 10” on debt relief progress and “eight out of 10” on aid issues. However, a spokesman for the World Development Movement spoke out against Geldof’s comments: “The Make Poverty History Campaign was perhaps bravely naive and there were some good elements in that it raised public awareness [but] there are celebrities who really didn't seem to know what they were talking about and Bob Geldof's comments after the G8 were very unhelpful, because they made people think everything had been achieved.”

However, it is generally recognised that celebrities can and do make an enourmous difference to the success of charities. Perhaps the biggest donater to charity by a famous person is Bill Gates and his wife who have donated a reported $28billion to charity as of 2007.

On some issues, charity and politics often go hand-in-hand and a celebrity can reach an audience effectively, as shown with the appointment of Dame Joan Bakewall as champion of the elderly by the government. The writer and broadcaster has been a regular on television and radio since the 1960s and her new position will allow her to campaign for the elderly alongside other organisations.

Many British celebrities will be on television this Friday with the annual Children in Need appeal. Raising £37million last year, the campaign’s mix of informative documentary and entertainment is always a success.

But, without the celebrities can a charity raise anywhere near as much money? Are famous faces the only thing that will ‘sell’ a charity? How do smaller and less well known charitable causes compete with high profile fundraising tactics? Well, advantages can be taken of the effective and clear communications afforded by new media: websites, blogs and videos can reach a wider audience than previous traditional methods. Webjam provides all these resources to spread your message.

This article is part of the Webjam Charity Channel. Flickr image from Cristiano Betta's photostream.

I have published my first freelance blog article on social networking website Webjam! My first feature looks at how charities and fundraisers are coping in the face of the recession: read it here.

I will be regularly contributing to the blog of Webjam's Charity Channel, commenting on topics and current affairs in the third sector and posting a feature article each week.

Webjam is a kind of Google Reader for the MySpace generation, letting you pull together news and blogs from all over the web into one convenient place. As a free service, Webjam is the solution of choice for local communities, interest groups, charities, fan clubs and families who want to easily connect online and share content in a controlled and safe environment.

To join, click on the logo above.

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel

The bank bailouts and sliding house prices have made spending less and saving more a necessity for many of us. Combined with rising living costs the pressure is now on all our budgets; including those of charities and fundraisers.

The credit crunch will also affect another important factor in the third sector namely public generosity. The media have made the financial crisis an unavoidable reality; pick up any newspaper or switch on the TV and you are bound to find advice on how to make cutbacks and earn extra cash on the side.

People’s pockets are not as deep as they used to be. If times get worse then a thrifty outlook may become the norm. But recession is a time when charity is needed most by those worst affected by the downturn. Now, more than ever, is the time to stay charitable; especially true for our Governments.

In September of this year Gordon Brown and Bill Gates announced a pledge of around £1.5billion to help the fight against global malaria. This is a significant step toward combating world poverty but it pales in comparison to the proposed $700billion cash injection into the economy put forward by President Bush just weeks later.

When motivated to do so, Western governments can find vast sums of money. $700billion would eradicate all world poverty for over two years.

None of us have billions of pounds down the back of our sofas and not everyone is in a position to give. But we can refresh a person’s sense of perspective on their situation, especially when comparing with others around the globe. Whilst we in the West now have the financial crisis much of the world has an ongoing food crisis. We may worry about the best-priced garage for our next tank of petrol or slashed credit limits in the approach to Christmas, but others worry about how to feed their families from one week to the next. The current crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced 250,000 people in the last two months. Thousands have no food and need humanitarian aid quickly.

Major UK charities are already developing tactics that deal with the credit crunch. Oxfam are tuning in to the public mood by appealing to the public to design their campaign posters to be displayed on giant digital billboards in London. If you can think of a powerful message that will shake people out of their credit crunch gloom then visit the Be Humankind Campaign.

But restrained donations have not yet gripped the West as a whole. A cause that has received tremendous support in the face of hard economic times is the pledge from Western donors to rebuild Georgia in the wake of the conflict with Russia. The predicted pledge figure stood at £1.8billion with the actual sum exceeding expectations at £2.7billion. The Georgian Prime Minister, Lado Gurgenidze, said that “at a time like this, to show such support is something that no Georgian will ever forget.”

If you are raising money for an event or charity during these difficult times then the danger is to be more pushy and heavy-handed. Here are some tactics that won’t cause a stir:

• With the recession, more people are now choosing to give to charity by donating clothes, books and toys rather than cash. Take advantage of this by holding a bring-and-buy sale. It may have been done many times before, but this will prove popular in the current climate. • Shoppers are increasingly turning away from supermarket brands to charity shops to get the best deal. Oxfam’s annual sales have reached a healthy £80million this year. Encourage people to visit a charity shop at least once a week, not only will they find bargains but they will have more cash left over for giving to your charity.

Despite the current recession, figures from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations reveal that while donations to charity may not have fallen yet, this will only be maintained if Christmas donations equal previous years. Here are a couple of easy Christmas fundraising ideas:

• Are you struggling with Christmas shopping? Lost with what to get loved ones? Then give to a charity on your friends’ and family’s behalf – put the donation receipt in their Christmas card and see them smile.

• Don’t like your Christmas present this year, or received something you already have? Give it to a charity shop, or get a cash exchange and make a donation.

This article is part of the Webjam Charity Channel Flickr image from annia316's photostream