Shaw Trust has responded to criticism it has received for asking attendees of its flagship Disability Power 100 event to donate towards its costs.
For the first time in eight years of running the event, the charity has asked attendees to donate £85 each.
Meanwhile, Shaw Trust has confirmed some redundancies and “several hundred” new roles following a staff consultation in the summer.
Event donations
Launched in 2015, Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 celebration recognises the most influential disabled people living and working in the UK.
This year, the charity asked attendees to donate £85, just over a third of its estimated costs of £250 per head for the event, which is also supported by sponsorship.
Its invitation to attendees reads: “We know at the moment many disabled people are facing rising costs, and making a donation may not be possible.
“Therefore, any donation is entirely voluntary for anyone listed in the Disability 100 2023 and should not be a barrier to attending.”
However, some social media users criticised the charity’s decision to ask attendees, with one describing it as “horrendously inappropriate”
Charity response
Asked why it is asking attendees to donate for the first time, Shaw Trust told Civil Society that this year’s celebration will be its “biggest event to date”.
The charity, which recorded an overall income of £296m in the year to August 2022, said that 30% of attendees who responded to invitations in the first 24 hours made a donation.
“In the first 24 hours of invitations being sent 54 people booked to attend. Of those responding to date, 31 are finalists and 70% have booked their ticket without making a donation,” a spokesperson for the charity said.
“We’re delighted that they are joining us and are pleased to see that our clear messaging about donating not being a barrier to attending has been understood.
“We’re also very grateful to those who have chosen to make a donation so far with the amounts varying between £10 and £250 per person.”
Redundancies and hires
The charity consulted workers on 90 roles at risk in its central support and wider operational teams this summer.
It has now confirmed to Civil Society that it made 46 redundancies including 15 in its central services and 31 in its wider operational teams.
However, the charity said it has hired “several hundred” staff in recent months, exceeding the roles made redundant.
It also plans to recruit further, with 123 vacancies currently listed at the charity.
Mark Earl, chief people officer at Shaw Trust, said: “There was change occurring. There have been, unfortunately, some colleagues that have left via redundancy.
“But we’re hiring more than are being made redundant and we’ve been successful in helping people secure roles elsewhere in the group.”
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