Charity where artst thou you going?

Working for charities in the UK has made me wonder about a couple of things:

1. How come project funding from government is never enough to cover the full costs of running the projects? Where can charities then get the remainder of the funding from to make their activities sustainable?

2. How come charities are constantly being played off against each other in competition for funding?

3. Could charities really exist to the same extent as today without the input of young, energetic students and job-starters who are willing to work a lot of overtime for little or even no money in exchange for the hope of at some point getting a better job?

4. How can charities be trusted to handle responsibly the conflict of interest of serving those who are in need but at the same time “selling” that need to the ones who fund them?

5. Who should charities be serving – their funders or their “clients”?

6. How can charities’ clients be given an effective stake in the social services delivered to them and how can their experience be used as feedback on the service provided?