News

Action for Kids angry at Commission's sanction of NCH rebrand 1

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 17 Sep 2008

National disability charity Action for Kids has vowed to challenge the Charity Commission’s decision to allow NCH to change its name to Action for Children if it sees any evidence of public confusion.

Tomorrow, NCH will officially relaunch as Action for Children as part of its Change for Children programme, which aims to effectively reflect and deliver its work supporting vulnerable children, young people and their families.

The news has upset Action for Kids (pictured), along with West London Action for Children, Action for Sick Children, Action for Children’s Art and the Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital who had banded together to urge the Charity Commission to prevent the name change.

‘Document any confusion’

Chief executive of Action for Kids Mike Hayes has promised to continue to monitor and document any confusion caused after the launch of the new name and communicate this to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

In evidence to the Commission this month, all the charities complained that the name change would cause confusion.

Action for Kids said there was a risk of an administrative burden if it received post, phone calls or legacies intended for Action for Children. The charity recalled when NCH was known as NCH Action for Children in the 1990s and it received correspondence in error.

Smaller charities to lose identities

Smaller charities West London Action for Children, Action for Sick Children and Action for Children’s Art complained that they could lose their identities as a result of the name change.

However, although the Charity Commission admitted that there was a risk of public confusion as a result of the name change, it felt that NCH’s evidence clearly demonstrated that the charity would operate much more effectively as Action for Children.

NCH told the Commission that its name did not reflect the charity’s values or accurately describe what it did and this had a detrimental affect on its fundraising performance. NCH felt that ‘Action for Children’ provided a stronger connection to the identity, values and activities of the charity and would boost the brand.

The Charity Commission agreed that the name change was necessary in the interest of NCH’s beneficiaries, and that there was no “material risk” of public confusion with other charities.

Confusion ‘from the past’

“The evidence of public confusion was from the past,” said the Commission. “Today the public are more likely to access information via the internet whereas in the 1990s other sources of information such as telephone directories would have been relied upon. Accessing information about a charity via the internet means not only that branding is more visible but also that more information can be given at the time of making a donation or accessing information.”

Action for Kids chief executive Mike Hayes said he was disappointed with the decision: “The potential confusion and administrative burden which may be imposed on Action for Kids as a result of the name change is huge. Charities that have similar names and causes may well have their profile swamped.”

The Charity Commission has said Action for Children needs to clearly explain charities with similar names are separate entities from it and not connected to it, to mitigate any risk of confusion.

Tweet

Who's Who: Vibeka Mair