The ice bucket challenge in which people film themselves having
a bucket of iced water thrown over their heads, has reportedly earned MacMillan
Cancer more than £250,000 in additional funds.
“That’s great!” I
hear you shout.
Well actually, no it isn’t for two reasons:
First, the bucket challenge was created by ASL (Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis) Association in the US for a specific reason: the shock
experience of being immersed in ice cold water is the nearest reversible experience
you and I can have to the experience of Motor Neurone Disease. So the original challenge was either to
donate to the cause or have the experience.
The “ice bucket challenge” makes a lot more sense now, doesn’t it?
So it is pretty disgraceful that MacMillan Cancer Care – an organisation
with an annual income of more than £132 million – should hi-jack this campaign
to fund their already bloated coffers.
And my objection is as much to do with public awareness as money – the
UK Motor Neurone Disease Association has an annual income of more than £13
million.
Cancer is one of the most publicised diseases, and cancer
charities enjoy an income that is disproportionate to cancer’s impact on the
population as a whole. Other diseases
such as stroke and heart disease have a much greater impact but enjoy a
fraction of the funds that go to cancer care.
Motor Neurone Disease is relatively rare, but it is a
horrendous illness. So when a campaign
to raise awareness takes off on social media, it is shocking to see bigger and
more popular causes circling like vultures to grab the attention… and the
money.
MacMillan has come in for a drubbing from many of their own
supporters. Some of the comments on
their Facebook page are instructive:
“Umm...although I support the
cause this idea was already in circulation in support of an ALS/Motor Neurone
charity in the US. Isn't it bad practice to hijack another charity's
campaign...?”
“So disappointed in Macmillan
taking attention from the ALS campaign doing the same thing. A high profile charity
should know better. And the excuse that ALS bucket challenge is only a US
campaign (as tweeted by you) doesn't wash with me. Something that successful
for a little known charity was always going to be picked up by sister charities
over here. Shame on you!”
“My mum has terminal cancer and I
support McMillan 100% but the ice bucket challenge is supposed to raise
awareness for ALS/MND as so many people are unaware of how cruel this disease
is. People need to know about this, just as much as cancer!”
MacMillan has attempted to counter these comments by
claiming that nobody “owns” the ice bucket challenge. They make the spurious argument that people
have been dousing themselves in water to raise money for charities for
decades. As such, they were as entitled
to jump on the bandwagon as anyone else.
We must hold them to this next time they produce a ribbon,
wristband or badge to raise money for cancer care. Presumably they will accept the argument that
people have been selling these items to raise money for charity for decades,
and as such, nobody “owns” them. Of
course, were the tables reversed in this way, you can guarantee that MacMillan’s
lawyers would be all over you!
Unfortunately, because of the bully-boy antics of
organisations like MacMillan, the ASL Association has now had to use precious
resources to try to trademark the “ice bucket challenge” in order to prevent
further abuse.
And remember, unlike a simple bucket of water, the ice
bucket challenge was devised precisely because it could be related to the
symptoms of Motor Neurone Disease. I
have yet to come across anyone with cancer who would relate this experience to
their (undoubtedly equally unpleasant) symptoms.
This brings me to my second reason for not accepting the ice
bucket challenge. Charities like
MacMillan have morphed into an unpleasant form of corporate body that has all
of the drawbacks and few of the benefits of the private and public sectors. It is a mutli-million-pound entity whose de
facto first duty is to more than 1,000 staff, some of whom enjoy the kind of
incomes that ordinary donors could only dream about. It privately provides a service that should
be being delivered by the state, and thereby adds to the decline and
privatisation of the NHS. And, as this
latest scandal shows, it has the predatory instincts of the most ruthless of
private corporations.
I refuse to fuel its direction of travel, irrespective of
the many people who undoubtedly benefit from its activities. Indeed, I am sure its beneficiaries would be
much happier if the service was delivered by the NHS and accountable to
Parliament.
So am I just some curmudgeonly old git who refuses to be
charitable?
Well, this week I have been doing a lot of pro bono design
work for a local charity in Cardiff.
Just a couple of weeks ago, and despite suffering with joint pain, I rode
a bicycle 55 miles from Brecon to Cardiff Bay to raise money for a local
charity. So I am not against charity per
see. Rather, I am against the direction
that a handful of super-charities have taken.
In my book, What’sWrong With Charity? I explain in greater detail how just 1.2 percent of
charities in England and Wales enjoy 70 percent of all charity income. This has led to a series of behaviours that
will ultimately destroy the charity sector as a whole. These include:
o Inadequate
legislation and regulation
- Increased fraud and mismanagement
- The end of “voluntarism” and the over-payment of employees
- Tax avoidance
- Hi-jacking political discourse
These are not reasons to stop supporting charity. They are reasons to stop supporting
multi-million-pound organisations in favour of supporting local charities that
can make a difference to your community.
Importantly, you can take the time to get to know your local charities,
find out whether they are any good, and (assuming they are) develop a
relationship with them that goes beyond throwing cash in a tin (or, indeed, a
bucket of ice water over your head).
