Ocean King
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A CharityConnect User Posted 8 years ago
I was recently asked if I’d write a blog on the potential impact of Scottish independence for this site. The request reminded me that I wrote a piece on this very topic in 2013 so decided to look back on that.
Ever since the Brexit vote the prospect of #IndyRef2, for some, was inevitable (after all some of the arguments for Scotland remaining within the UK included the union’s EU membership). My home is in Glasgow and for the past eight years have held a UK-wide role for a national charity. I regularly work in London and I was seen as the obvious person to look the potential impact of independence for my charity.
The last independence referendum created many areas of uncertainty and has the potential to affect a range of matters which will directly and indirectly impact on fundraising. In May 2013, IOF Scotland published ‘Scottish Independence and Fundraising’ which looked at the potential impact of independence on fundraising in Scotland. The report found:
- Very few charities have discussed the possible impacts of independence, and only a few more definitely intend to.
- Most think independence would have a negative impact on their charity’s income.
- Little impact is anticipated for community and events fundraising but many are concerned about post-independence funding from UK-wide trusts and companies.
- Cross-border charities were more likely to have negative views about impacts of independence.
Some key questions to consider:
From my work I identified four areas – case for support, financial impact, communication and organisational structure – that I thought fundraisers should be considering:
- How robust and inspiring is your Scottish case for support? Does your organisation run services from other part of the UK (eg. Helplines) that benefit people in Scotland and if so have you considered how donors and beneficiaries will view this?
- What level of financial support do you currently receive from Scottish donors? Do you receive funding from trusts and foundations outside of Scotland for Scottish projects? In the event of independence will this income be ‘at risk’? Will donors stop supporting causes they care about if they deem their chosen charities work to England centric? Arguably the fundraising challenge won’t change – the continued need remains to appeal to the heads and hearts of donors. For some organisation improving their ability to communicate their Scottish case for support to Scottish donors this could be an opportunity to grow support.
- For cross border organisations - Can you manage the need to communicate with an independent Scotland or can you effectively communicate your Scottish case for support to Scottish donors? Can you balance communication of UK-wide initiatives with Scotland-only programmes of work via existing communication channels (eg. Newsletters, magazine, website, social media platforms).
- In the event of independence how will your charity deliver its objectives? Will there be any implications for how your charity structures its resources to best deliver its mission (for example, will cross border charities require an increased presence in Scotland)?
On reflection I think these questions are still relevant and whilst #IndyRef2 may never happen I’d encourage you to consider these questions.
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