I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about feelings of guilt. And that's not easy for someone who has been described variously as being relentlessly cheerful and a remorseless optimist.
Interviewed on in the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/video/2010/feb/01/chuggers-street-fundraising) about street canvassing I remarked that people need to sort out their own preferred giving and then stop feeling guilty about saying no to canvassers. In fact, I said, if they still felt guilty they'e better see my wife the pyschotherapist!
However I've just seen a Muscular Dystrophy poster using a child in a wheelchair with the caption " He'd like to walk away from this poster too". In my grumpy view this is guilt fundraising of the worst kind. Why make people feel bad when, with a bit more effort, you can inspire them to feel good about helping to change the world? It got me thinking that maybe I'm dismissing guilt too readily in pursuit of relationship fundraising.
I'm doing research into the motivations of those who give to charity and maybe I need to revise my methodology. After all if we accept that some people simply want to transact with the charity and not have a relationship that maybe we need to look much harder at some of those negative drivers? What do think? Do you feel guilty passing a blatently emotive, heart wrenching ad?
Glad you posted this, and in my opinion (having worked with disabled young people for 6 years) is that *that* poster merely objectifies the young boy (Bradley) and cheapens the enjoyment he gets from life, and the independence he could have with the right mobility equipment. Essentially, it's a cheap shot - and having learned that it's a 'revisiting' of a poster campaign from 20 years ago (when a sizeable portion of the public thought calling someone spastic was fine) baffles me - in 2010.
ReplyDeleteI've had my rant over here: http://robdyson.posterous.com/10711832
Rob, Absolutely agree with you regarding the inappropriateness of the shot. However I can't help beginning to wonder if some "guilt provoking" fundraising asks may, in fact, be appropriate for those who only ever want to "transact" with the charity. Worth thinking about?
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