Philanthropy with Balance: The Rise of Participatory Grant-Making

Philanthropy has the power to transform lives and communities, but at its heart lies a persistent challenge: a power imbalance between funders and those they aim to support.

As Kirsty Gannon points out in a Fluxx blog post, “one of the biggest challenges of the traditional grant-making model is the power imbalance between funders and grantees. Funders hold the purse strings, and grantees have to cater to funders’ priorities and preferences rather than pursue their mission and vision.”

This top-down approach often stifles the autonomy and creativity of grantees, limiting their ability to address the real needs of the communities they serve. In response, a growing number of funders are adopting a participatory approach to grant-making, shifting the balance of power to the people closest to the issues.

What Is Participatory Grant-Making?

At its core, participatory grant-making involves ceding decision-making power about funding to the communities the funders aim to serve. As Learning for Funders defines it, it’s “the practice of ceding decision-making power about funding – including the strategy and criteria behind those decisions – to the very communities that funders aim to serve.”

This collaborative approach allows community members with lived experience to shape funding programmes. They help define criteria, decide how resources are allocated, and evaluate the success of initiatives. Proponents argue this leads to more effective grant-making, as funding priorities are aligned with the specific needs of local communities.

Participatory Grant-Making in Action: The Camden Giving Model

One organisation demonstrating the power of participatory grant-making is Camden Giving, an independent charity dedicated to tackling poverty and inequality in Camden.

Since its launch in 2017, Camden Giving has operated as a participatory funder because, in their words, “the people who are surviving inequality are the people who can, and should, fund the solutions to the challenges facing communities in Camden.”

Each year, 50 people with first-hand experience of inequality are recruited to form grant-making panels. These teams of 8-12 individuals take charge of setting funding priorities, reviewing applications, visiting applicants, and deciding who receives grants.

To date, the charity has distributed over £6 million with the help of 200 people who have lived through the issues the grants aim to address. Camden Giving’s experience confirms the value of this model:

"We know that participatory grant-making leads to better outcomes for individuals, communities, and civil society than traditional grant-making. It ensures funding goes where it is most helpful and builds power, connectivity, and networks for individuals and communities.”

A Radical Shift for Philanthropy

Participatory grant-making is a significant departure from the traditional ways institutional philanthropy operates. But given the scale and complexity of today’s challenges—climate change, poverty, inequality—it may be exactly what’s needed.

Moving beyond the status quo requires funders to rethink their role. As Dennis van Wanrooij explains in a Grantcraft report, “Participation is not just about making funding decisions. It’s about rethinking your role as a funder and seeking community participation in all layers of your work. True participation is about supporting, learning from, and partnering with grantees.”

Looking for an expert in trust fundraising?

Give us a call on 020 3880 6655 or email contactus@ferntalent.com to get the ball rolling.

Reputation is earned in drops and lost in buckets.

This saying has never been truer than in today’s hyper-connected world, where a single post, comment, or tweet can turn public sentiment against you in a heartbeat.

For charities and nonprofits, whose very existence depends on trust and goodwill, a social media misstep can have devastating consequences. It’s not just a matter of embarrassment—it can lead to lost donors, tarnished reputations, and long-term damage to your mission.

Let’s explore how to safeguard your organisation’s reputation and avoid being the next headline for all the wrong reasons.

When Good Intentions Go Wrong

Even the most well-meaning organisations aren’t immune to digital backlash. Sometimes, a poorly phrased tweet, an ill-judged campaign, or even an employee’s personal social media activity can spark outrage.

Take the hypothetical example of a small animal welfare charity posting a cheeky meme intended to engage younger audiences. While the intent may have been harmless, the tone comes across as flippant about animal cruelty, igniting a storm of criticism online.

The result? Donors pull their support, the media catches wind of the controversy, and the organisation is left scrambling to repair the damage.

Why Prevention Is Better Than Damage Control

Once your organisation is in crisis mode, it’s much harder to regain the trust of your supporters. That’s why it’s crucial to lay the groundwork for avoiding these situations altogether. Here’s how:

1. Establish Clear Social Media Guidelines

Every organisation needs a social media policy that provides clear guidelines for both official accounts and employees' personal activity when representing the organisation.

Your policy should cover:

• Who can post from official accounts and under what circumstances.

• Rules for tone, language, and acceptable content.

• How to respond to negative feedback or complaints.

• A crisis management plan for addressing serious incidents.

This document doesn’t have to stifle creativity, but it should ensure everyone understands the stakes and their responsibilities.

2. Train Your Team

Even seasoned professionals can misjudge tone or context online. Regular training sessions on social media best practices, cultural sensitivity, and audience expectations can help your team stay on track.

Make sure your training includes examples of how posts can be misinterpreted, even with the best of intentions. Understanding the potential pitfalls is the first step toward avoiding them.

3. Monitor Your Digital Presence

Social media monitoring tools can be your best friend. By tracking mentions of your organisation and key issues, you can spot potential problems early and address them before they spiral out of control.

Some tools worth considering:

• Brand Mentions: Aggregates online mentions across platforms for real-time tracking.

• Mentionlytics: Helps you monitor sentiment and group similar mentions for easy analysis.

• Hootsuite Insights: Combines monitoring with scheduling tools for efficient management.

4. Craft a Thoughtful Crisis Response Plan

Despite your best efforts, mistakes can happen. When they do, having a crisis communications plan in place can make all the difference.

At a minimum, your plan should outline:

• Who is authorised to respond on behalf of the organisation.

• The approval process for public statements.

• Pre-approved messaging templates to speed up response time.

• How to escalate serious incidents internally.

A Trust-Building Opportunity

Handled correctly, a crisis doesn’t have to be the end of the world. In fact, it can be an opportunity to demonstrate your organisation’s integrity, transparency, and commitment to learning from mistakes.

By responding quickly, owning up to errors, and taking steps to make things right, you can often turn a negative situation into a trust-building moment.

Need Help Protecting Your Organisation’s Reputation?

If you’re feeling unsure about how to manage your digital presence or prepare for potential crises, we’re here to help.

Give us a call on 020 3880 6655 or email contactus@ferntalent.com to get the ball rolling.

The Power of 1%: Philanthropy in 2024

According to the Sunday Times Giving List 2024, Sir Chris Hohn remains the UK’s most generous philanthropist. Over the past year, the hedge fund manager donated £600.9 million, a staggering contribution that underscores the potential of wealth when used for good. Hohn, who founded the Children’s Investment Fund (TCI) in 2003, directs a portion of the fund’s profits to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

Speaking about the responsibilities of the wealthy, Hohn doesn’t mince words: “If they could understand, even on a simple level, the joy they could have by sharing their wealth, I think they might all be happier people. Even for those who are into philanthropy, they’re only giving away a half percent of their wealth. They’re not really doing more than tokenism.”

His suggestion? A minimum of 1% of wealth committed to good causes.

The Growing Appeal of 1% Giving

The concept of committing 1% to philanthropy is gaining momentum. It’s a simple but powerful idea that’s inspiring individuals and organisations to integrate giving into their financial practices. Movements like Pledge 1% and 1% for the Planet are global examples of how this model can drive significant impact.

Since its inception, Pledge 1% has encouraged more than 18,000 companies worldwide to donate 1% of equity, product, profit, or employee time to charitable causes. Meanwhile, 1% for the Planet, founded by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies, focuses on environmental sustainability. Businesses across the globe, from outdoor brands to record labels, have pledged 1% of sales, resulting in over $500 million donated to environmental causes.

How Is the UK Faring?

While much of this activity has historically been led overseas, the tide is turning in the UK. According to the Directory of Social Change (DSC), 70 UK companies have pledged or donated at least 1% of their pre-tax profits to charity, amounting to £230 million in cash and in-kind contributions.

Examples of Impact

British businesses are increasingly demonstrating the value of structured philanthropy. Alpkit, the outdoor equipment brand, donates 1% of its sales to grassroots projects through the Alpkit Foundation, which has funded over 1,800 projects since 2015. Nationwide Building Society allocates 1% of its pre-tax profits to tackle housing issues and financial education, awarding millions annually to community projects. Similarly, the Central England Co-operative reinvests 1% of its trading profit in local communities, funding everything from schools to small businesses.

A Call to Action

The DSC is urging more UK companies to join the 1% club, noting the profound impact even small contributions can have when pooled together. As Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO of DSC, aptly puts it, “When we’re talking about companies who make huge pre-tax profits each year, 1% can have a large cumulative effect. The 1% Club is a great example of corporate organisations supporting charities and helping those who are facing the most challenging of times.”

Are you ready to make an impact?

On the hunt for a fundraiser or want to explore how your organisation can give back? Give us a call on 020 3880 6655 or email contactus@ferntalent.com to get the conversation started.According to 2023’s Sunday Times Giving List, the UK’s most generous philanthropist is Sir Chris Hohn.

The hedge fund manager set up the Children's Investment (TCI) Fund in 2003, structuring it so that 15% of the profits would go directly to Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Hohn urged more wealthy individuals to give a significant proportion of their income to good causes.

He said: “If they could understand, even on a simple level, the joy they could have by sharing their wealth, I think they might all be happier people. Even for those who are into philanthropy, they’re only giving away a half percent of their wealth. They’re not really doing more than tokenism.”

He suggests that corporates and wealthy individuals can give effectively to charities by committing to donate a minimum of 1% of their wealth to good causes.

Gaining traction

The 1% concept is gaining traction. A growing number of campaigns are encouraging wealthy entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and corporates to share their wealth.

For example:

Pledge 1%

In 2014, Pledge 1% founding partners, Salesforce, Atlassian, and Rally, came together with the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado to accelerate a shared vision of every business around the globe integrating philanthropy into its corporate DNA.

They came up with Pledge 1%: a global movement that aims to inspire, educate, and empower businesses and entrepreneurs to be a force for good.

They help companies of every size and stage leverage their unique assets and pledge 1% of equity, product, profit, and/or employee time to a charity of their choice. 

To date, over 18,000 businesses in 100 countries have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite half a billion dollars in new philanthropy.

1% for the Planet

The brainchild of Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, the ethos behind 1% for the Planet is simple: companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, so they should protect those resources.

The duo pledged to donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental organisations and invited others to do the same.

The idea resonated with Brushfire Records, Klean Kanteen, and the movement was born.

To date, 1% for the Planet has certified over $500 million in donations to environmental causes.

Are UK businesses getting in on the act?

To date, much of the 1% activity has taken place overseas. But change is afoot in the UK.

In 2022, the Directory of Social Change (DSC) conducted a survey to find out how much money UK businesses are injecting into the charity sector.  

Of the 223 companies they received data for, 70 either gave or pledged at least 1% of their pre-tax profits to charitable causes in the UK. 

How much does this equate to? According to the DSC, it amounts to £230 million in cash and in-kind donations.

Case studies

Businesses are donating in various ways. Let’s look at a few examples.

Alpkit Ltd

Formed in 2004, Alpkit is an outdoor equipment manufacturer and retailer.

The brand donates 1% of sales and at least 10% of its annual profits to support grassroots projects through its foundation.

The Alpkit Foundation makes grants of £50 to £500 for outdoor projects focussed on diversity and inclusion, health, education, the environment and increasing participation in outdoor activities.

Since launching in 2015, the foundation has donated over £500,000 to 1,800 projects.

Nationwide Building Society

Nationwide is committed to tackling the housing crisis and educating young people in numeracy and developing money skills.

Each year, the building society donates 1% of its pre-tax profits to causes that work in those areas.

Through its Community Grants programme, it awards grants of up to £60,000 to charities, community land trusts and housing co-operatives that are looking to make positive changes in their local areas.

In 2021/22, a combined £4 million was awarded to 94 housing projects across the UK.

Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative, or the Co-op, as its more commonly known, reinvests 1% of its trading profit in local communities each year.

Via its Community Dividend Fund, the retailer makes charitable donations of between £100 and £5,000 to local schools, parks, small businesses, and charity groups in the areas it operates.

As of September 2023, the brand has donated more than £173,000 to community projects across its trading area.

DSC plea

The DSC is urging more UK based companies to join the 1% club.

Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO of DSC says of the initiative, “when we’re talking about companies who make huge pre-tax profits each year, 1% can have a large cumulative effect.

The 1% Club is a great example of corporate organisations supporting charities and helping those who are facing the most challenging of times.”

On the hunt for a fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the conversation started.

Purpose over profit: three businesses using their products as a force for good

For decades, the primary goal of business was to maximize value for shareholders.

However, social consciousness has taken a seat in the boardroom in recent years. As a result, companies are prioritising sustainability and purpose over profit.

Here are three inspiring examples.

Bare Kind

Bare Kind is a B Corp on a mission: to make a difference for animals, one pair of socks at a time.

Launched in 2018, the UK-based apparel brand sells a range of colourful animal-themed bamboo socks.

But these sustainable footwarmers do more than keep people’s tootsies warm. They make a difference to the lives of endangered species.

How?

10% of the profits from each sale are donated to 30+ animal conservation charities across the globe that work to protect the animals on the socks.

And, as these stats from Bre Kind’s 2022 impact report show, it’s making a difference.

In 2022 …

• their panda socks funded the planting of 310 square feet of bamboo (with Pandas International)

• sales of their pangolin socks funded the protection of 58 acres of pangolin habitat (in conjunction with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation)

• turtle sock sales enabled the Turtle Foundation to construct a hatchery to home endangered turtle nests

SEO Travel

SEO Travel is a Leeds-based digital marketing agency that specialises in SEO, PR, and web design for travel brands.

The company launched in 2011 but, after the pandemic hit, Tom McLoughlin (Founder) decided he wanted to use the brand as a vehicle to make a difference.

So, in 2021, he switched up the business model and announced that SEO Travel would donate 100% of its profit to good causes, with the aim of donating £1million by 2030.

By April 2023, the brand was 7% of the way to achieving its goal, having donated £74,590 to  Moving Mountains (an international development charity), and Zarach (a Yorkshire-based charity that supports children living in poverty). 

To date, the funding has:

• provided 247 underprivileged children in Yorkshire with a bed

• rebuilt a school in Bupsa, Nepal, providing 135 children with access to education

• funded the operation of a children’s rescue centre in Embyu, Kenya for 12 months

As well as donating money, the folk at SEO Travel use their marketing skills to promote the charities they work with to attract funding from other investors.

Y.O.U Underwear

The ethos behind ethical clothing brand Y.O.U is that underwear should be ‘universally available to people in all communities’.

In an attempt to make this a reality, the brand sells its undies on a buy-one-give-two model: For every pair of Y.O.U underwear sold, two pairs are donated to Smalls For All (a charity that collects and distributes underwear to people in need across Africa and the UK).

And that’s not the only cause it supports.

£1 from the sale of every item in its light pink range goes to the UK-based breast cancer charity, Future Dreams.

Impact

When the business launched in 2017, the aim was to donate 23,000 pairs of underwear to Smalls for All by 2023. But the team smashed that goal, donating 36,042 pairs to vulnerable men, women, and children by the end of last year.

Inspiring stuff.

Looking for an ethically minded fundraiser? That’s our specialty. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the ball rolling.

Level up your social media fundraising with TikTok’s Charity Academy

According to the latest Charity Digital Skills Report, 4 out of 5 charities lack social media skills, and 79% say improving their digital presence is a key priority for 2024.

Are your digital skills up to scratch? If not, sign up for TikTok’s Charity Academy.

Touted as the platform’s ‘biggest charity sector training initiative to date’, the short-form video hosting service has partnered with Media Trust to offer 100 charities three weeks of complementary training to help them use the platform to reach new audiences and drive positive change.

That’s right. the training is free. No dancing or random pointing is required.

Before we dive into what the Academy offers, let’s look at the benefits of TikTok for charities.

• TikTok has just over 1.5 billion monthly active users. That’s a lot of potential eyeballs on your cause.

• With an average engagement rate of 2.65%, TikTok has the highest engagement rate of all the social media platforms.

• Research has shown that people retain 95% of the information contained in a video compared to 10% of the same information in text format. TikTok is video-led format, making it an ideal way to share your message.

• You can put a 'donate sticker' on your videos and live streams to encourage viewers to donate. And they can do so while remaining in the app.

• A large majority of TikTokers are between the ages of 18 - 34 (the demographic most likely to give to charity, according to Third Sector)

What’s the Academy offering?

That’s a quick primer on TikTok. But how will you benefit from joining the Academy?

First off, Media Trust will be host weekly live, practical training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday (10-11.30 am) between July 1-19.

In addition to content creation strategies, engagement techniques, and best practice advice for maximising your presence on the app, the sessions will teach you how to:

• optimise your TikTok profile 

• identify your target audience

• create a successful TikTok strategy 

• use platform features such as LIVE, TikTok sounds, filters, duets and stitch 

• edit content with CapCut

• reach new audiences with digital storytelling

• utilise analytics 

• integrate TikTok into your wider digital comms strategy

You’ll also get:

• access to pre-training support, helping you set up your TikTok account.

• expert led TikTok exercises and content activities to embed your learning.

• personalised feedback on the content you create from trainers who know how to use TikTok as a tool for social good.  

Sound good?

If you meet the following criteria, apply here.

• are you a registered charity in the UK?

• do you have buy-in from senior management to be active on TikTok?

• Does your charity have resources to implement the training?

As places are limited, TikTok is offering one place per charity. And to get the most from the training, they require the same participant to attend all the sessions.

Looking for a digital fundraiser to supercharge your TikTok activity? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the ball rolling.