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Spotlight on charity fundraising

The UK charity, Christian Aid was one of our first long-term funders and is well known for tackling the root causes of poverty. It has few corporate donors and a strict funding policy. 

However, like other charities, it is looking for appeals that will be financially successful. Since the sight of a hungry young child soon has people reaching for their purses, its tempting to use messages such as in the advert above. This promotes a fortified nutrition supplement and donors are told that if they donate £3 'In the next 10 seconds you could save a child’s life.'  

Christian Aid told us that the aim is to follow through with donors, taking them on a journey where the wider context and complexities of land-grabbing, dispossession, mono-cultures, corporate tax breaks etc are explained. Hmmm, maybe. But doesn't the ad set the scene for the very companies responsible for these problems and whose top strategic priority is to change traditional eating patterns? And what message does the general public receive? 

Given the complexity of these issues and the lack of evidence of  efficacy (see pg 19 and pg 24)  we believe it would be safer if appeals were not based around nutrition products - especially branded ones. 

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