Families and friends in mourning are often moved to honour their lost ones by setting up new charities, but criticised for replicating already existing organisations. Niki May Young suggests that there is still room for in-memoriam charities, if done well.

I'm in two minds. On one hand, I agree with ex-Dragon James Caan's analysis that egos and emotions stand in the way of the not-for-profit sector performing at its best. They prevent collaborations and have left the sector bulging with in-memoriam charities, many of which fulfil the same purpose as the next. On the other hand, I'm faced with the reality that emotion is what fuels the sector, and surely some good is better than no good at all?

It's a commendable response to tragedy to launch a legacy project that will remember a loved one long after their passing, and not an easy one to achieve. Initial impetus for funding can easily pass with time, and before they know it, the legacy becomes just another charity competing for funding, and diluting funds for other similarly directed charities. So why not collaborate?

I was recently approached by a family member asking for my help to set up a new charity with the specific aim of supporting a solitary project in South Africa. "It's too small to be helped by other funds, and I haven't found any other avenues of funding available," she said. Perhaps it's true. Small charities supporting small causes often suffer from donor apathy - "not another one?!" they may ask. I've  been cynically asked "why should we donate to you and not to Oxfam?" when approaching possible donors for the charity I support. The answer is that it shouldn't be an either/or situation - but it has to be. We are working in a landmark period of austerity, where there are record numbers of unemployed, salaries remain static and costs continue to rise. It's a turbulent time for a sector that often asks its funders to give and not receive.  

A new not-for-profit came to my attention today that, at first, had me reaching for the red card, "We don't need another charity for ex-soldiers..." I found myself thinking. But I was relieved to discover that 353, as named after the 353rd soldier to die in Afghanistan, has been set up to support existing charities working in the same field.

Fallen soldier Conrad Lewis's parents want to celebrate the life of their son and honour his bravery with the aim of raising £3.53m to fund long-term support of other charities helping members of the military community. It's a great example of what in-memoriam funds can do - support the cause without reinventing the wheel. Partnerships and mergers are not the only way to achieve an integrated and collaborative sector, utilising the impetus of a tragedy to temporarily bolster a worthwhile cause fulfils both the emotional need to create a legacy for the lost one, and the financial assistance to support existing facilities. In this instance ego has been cast aside and emotion allowed to flourish - that is, after all, why we work in the sector.