University philanthropy expert Dr Beth Breeze has given evidence to members of the House of Lords on the role of philanthropy in the charity sector.
Giving evidence on 15 November, Dr Breeze, Director of Kent’s Centre for Philanthropy, told the Lords’ Charity Select Committee that ‘philanthropy is absolutely essential because charities can’t run on goodwill alone.’
She told the Select Committee that ‘however worthy the cause and however impressive the charity’s achievements’, it would not attract donations ‘without a concerted and organised effort to raise funds’.
She said that ‘however altruistic and generous and full of good intentions most people are, they need to be prompted’.
Dr Breeze urged the Committee to recommend that greater effort be given nationally to ‘work out how best to support fundraising, and to put as much resource and good will into supporting asking, as has been put into supporting giving’.
‘Everyone likes a donor, and it’s time to also appreciate, and support, the fundraisers, because not much happens without them,’ she concluded.