Don't click on the FOLLOW button!

This week I’ve found some more buttons I could add to the blog and discovered the ‘stats’ page which I was very excited about (looking at the spread of countries my friends come from and trying to guess who was where!).  I’ve added a ‘follow’ button and, despite the title, I would like you to click on the follow button (five of you anyway, just for vanity’s sake – I need at least six followers and then I’ll have reached my target!).  What struck me about the ‘follow’ button was that it was the wrong word.  I would prefer ‘communicate’, ‘engage’ or possibly even ‘lead’ as my dream for the blog is the same dream for Children Unite – that it helps develop a community.

Last year, for a project we were involved in (of which the film on this blog is part) I visited Peru, Togo and India and met with our partner organisations (organisations who are working directly with child domestic workers in various countries around the world).  I was introducing the idea of Children Unite to the staff and children of these organisations and talked of wanting to ‘set up a network’.  But, because I met such committed and inspiring people, I gradually changed my terminology – network felt too dry and mechanical, I started to talk of wanting to ‘build a community’.

Community feels more appropriate because it’s focus is on relationships and the most moving times during my time in Peru, Togo and India were when there was a connection between everyone (despite the language and cultural barriers).  Thinking about this, I guess this idea does link to the ‘don’t just donate – engage’ of my first post…but the onus is on me to make the first move, to develop relationships and facilitate connections.

This point was reinforced for me earlier this week when I left the house and said my usual hello to a neighbour…but two men were walking past at the time, deep in conversation (in Polish it sounded like). They thought I’d said hello to them so they stopped talking and said a very friendly hello back to me as if I knew them!  I wondered whether I should say hello to everyone I met – but I knew I’d only feel like another 'nutter' so I smiled instead (and in my local area, Hackney, just a smile can get you into a lot of trouble so I consider myself quite brave!).

I recognise that I’m going to have to be quite brave in introducing Children Unite to the world, and in particular, articulating the vision we have of a community of activists (i.e. people who want to take action). Some people may well think I’m a nutter or the more pilot version of nutter – naïve.  But, I guess the payoff is worth it – when you connect with people and you feel part of a community it’s amazing!  And that’s a word I used a lot when I was with our partner organisations.

Don't click on the DONATE button

Over the past year I, together with my partner Jonathan, have been setting up a charity.  When friends and colleagues hear of our plans some of them suggest we go to the Big Lottery, Children in Need….or a rich celebrity for money.

Charity has become synonymous with raising funds and my first job in setting one up is assumed to be raising as much money as possible. If you’re a registered charity you must be a worthy cause so, in the immortal (and slightly adapted) words of the Pet Shop Boys ‘Lets raise lots of money (money, money)’.

It’s easy to get caught up in this way of thinking – even though Jonathan and I have been working as charity ‘campaigners’ for the past 20 years.  Children Unite is, legally, a registered charity but we see it as a campaign as its purpose is about change.

The initial reason I started this blog was because people were asking what we were planning to do to raise the profile of Children Unite (and a higher profile is often assumed to bring in more money).  But then I read some blogs and some blogs about blogging and I have to say I wasn’t really very inspired. They all seemed to be either a narcisstic rant, or tips on how to make oodles of money from your blog, such as stick a whopping great DONATE button on your charity blog and get as many people as possible to click on it.  So, I went off the idea.

From my experience giving money is sometimes the easiest option – it can assuage guilt and ease our conscience and we feel like we’ve taken action (although we haven’t actually changed anything we do).  I’ve done it many times for all those reasons.

But you may notice that we don’t have a donate button yet (admittedly this may be simply due to a lack of organisation).  Perhaps we could take the radical step of NOT having a donate button?  Would that encourage people to take action?  Would people even notice? (Will more than 6 of my friends ever read this blog?)

In setting up this charity I want to think long and hard about these kinds of issues.  This, I’ve decided, is why I should write a blog – to give me a disciplined space each week to reflect on building an organisation that, ultimately, I am proud of.  So, it doesn’t really matter if only 6 of my friends read it! 

So, here goes. I do solemnly swear to do my best to write a weekly blog that reflects on my experiences in setting up a charity…I will try to be honest and punctual, I will try not to be narcissistic or to rant or to beg for money!