This month marks 10 years since the death of Olive Cooke – the 92-year-old charity volunteer fundraiser who tragically took her own life. Those who remember that time will recall the media storm that ensued and the negativity that surrounded fundraising. Charities were blamed for “hounding” and “bombarding” Olive with direct mail asking for money, contributing – the headlines read – to her suicide, even though the family said on several occasions they did not believe this to be the case.
Those who are new to the profession may not quite appreciate the impact this had on fundraising – it was tragic, visceral. It led to a long period of introspection and ultimately sector-wide reform in response to Sir Stuart Etherington’s government-commissioned review and the creation of the Fundraising Regulator in July 2016.
A decade on seems like a good time to take stock and see where the sector has advanced and where perhaps it hasn’t. Guidance is much improved. The Code of Fundraising Practice is comprehensive and has recently been updated. The Fundraising Preference Service has its detractors but does offer support to the most vulnerable. Charities are generally more aware of their duties and mindful of their responsibilities as a consequence. Scandals still happen of course but at least there is a process and framework by which those who transgress can be held accountable to some extent.
There is one area though that I feel has been overlooked through the transformation: the wellbeing of professional fundraisers. In the rush to regulate during the “fundraising crisis” of 2015, fundraisers were bypassed, or worse, vilified. It was truly traumatic for many and the aftershocks are still reverberating. Coupled with the real-time pressures of funding cuts and the cost-of-living crisis, the wellbeing (nay, sanity) of those in the sector is constantly under threat.
Fundraising think tank Rogare recently published a report into burnout and to get some further insight into the current state of fundraiser wellbeing, the next issue of this magazine will feature analysis and commentary based on a separate survey conducted earlier this year. Perhaps it is time for the sector to take a moment to look at how it treats itself, as well as the public.
@stevejcotterill is editor of Fundraising Magazine
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