Happy Friday dear readers! This week, dear reader, sit back and let Society Diary show you what a "special place in Hell" looks like for those who aren't into charity sector satire.
Breach or No Breach
This week, Gerald Oppenheim, head honcho of the Fundraising Regulator, gave a presentation about various changes the regulator wants to make to the The Code of Fundraising Practice. In what may have an attempt to liven the session up, he let it slip that back in the office the compliance team occasionally run a game of ‘Breach or No Breach’ to help explain trends in compliance work.
Diary can only imagine the fun the regulator’s staff have on a Friday afternoon as they gather round, dim the lights and cue up some jingles. In fact we’re a bit miffed we’ve never been invited to join in - surely this column has demonstrated several times over that it has a keen interest in all things regulation.
It also got us thinking about whether other bodies had similar fun with regulation. Could the Charity Commission adapt Countdown using charity names and income? Do the Almanac researchers at NCVO spend hours looking for Pointless answers in the data? Could the Institute of Fundraising refresh its understanding of corporate fundraising through a game of Supermarket Sweep?
A great tree has its time
This week started with a shot to the stomach for Diary when NCVO chief executive Sir Stuart Etherington announced his retirement after 25 years leading the umbrella body.
As you’d expect for the father of the sector, tributes flooded in from charity chief executives, funders, colleagues, politicians and podcast host Ed Miliband.
The most colourful paean came from friend of Civil Society News, Andrew Purkis, who published a blog that opens with: “We have been served notice that a very large, distinctive tree in the civil society forest will fall later this year.” The vivid piece goes on to liken Sir Stu to “a gigantic mongoose” that “will rush to defend his pups”, and commends his ability to be a “bruiser” if necessary. The blog ends by returning to the tree metaphor: “Every great tree has its time. But it will nevertheless be sad to see this one go.” Plant or animal, the point is he’s great.
Big Stu shared a similar love for animal metaphors himself at a Brexit discussion this week, declaring that the Charity Commission had "made a dog's breakfast" of its EU referendum advice for charities. Diary was delighted by this early display from demob-happy Stuart and is excited to see who the unleashed mongoose rips to shreds in his next public appearance.
Diary just hopes Sir Stuart’s retirement doesn’t overshadow NCVO’s 100 year anniversary celebrations. Don’t know about you, reader, but Diary thinks it is important that the umbrella body reminds people more often that it is their centenary year, just in case anyone hasn’t heard or has forgotten.
Spice family reunion
One of the great side-effects of charity fundraising is the way it can reunite old friends. This week, a Prince’s Trust fundraising event in London brought together Spice Girls Geri Horner and Emma Bunton and honorary Spice Boy Prince Charles.
The Spice Girls originally met Charles at another Prince’s Trust gala at the height of their fame in 1997, when they famously planted kisses on his royal face.
Speaking at the charity event this week, Geri recalled their previous meeting and said Charles was an honorary member of the band. But what Diary found most touching was the way in which Geri appeared to talk about 70-year-old Charles as though he’s her son.
She said: "He's part of our heritage. We consider him as a Spice Boy. I feel like Prince Charles his royal highness is part of the landscape of the Spice Girls, our journey. He was there from the beginning. To see him just grow and shine, our future king, I just think it's brilliant what he does and I really admire him as a representation of our country. I feel like we should be really proud of what he does. He's a modern man, he's a modern royal in everything he does. He has consciousness. He thinks about the world that we live in."
And with Posh Spice refusing to join the Spice Girls on their latest reunion, Diary reckons the scene is set for Charles to step up and finally win over the nation’s hearts by learning the lyrics to Say You’ll Be There.
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