Agenda item

Alternative Giving Campaign - Evaluation Report

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services providing an update and evaluation of the ‘Help with Real Change, Not Small Change’ alternative giving campaign and the following points were noted:

 

·         The ‘Help with Real Change, Not Small Change’ alternative giving campaign was launched on 12 August 2019 and aimed to raise public awareness of how vulnerable people on the streets could be supported most effectively.  Four new contactless card points facilitating automatic £3 donations to the homelessness charity, Beam, were purchased and located across the City of London Corporation estate.  The campaign was promoted via different communications channels including press articles and Twitter with a total campaign cost of £14,231.  As at 21 January 2020, £1,137 had been raised through the campaign, with the Tower Bridge Engine Room shop as the most effective location, suggesting that location was important in attracting donations. 

 

·         The Sub-Committee discussed the success of the campaign.  Despite a considerable amount of work undertaken by the Homelessness Service to engage with City-based businesses and the retail sector, it had not been possible to site further alternative giving devices during the course of the campaign.  The Mayor of London was running his own alternative giving campaign to target homelessness in partnership with Tap London, which had led to some confusion in terms of siting devices.  With regard to the analytics used to inform the campaign, a Member noted that the number of people walking past a location was not an effective measure of prospective donations.

 

·         Members agreed the importance of continuing to raise public awareness of alternative giving and discussed the potential to link in with the Mayor of London’s alternative giving campaign, the proceeds of which were divided between a number of homelessness charities.  A Member noted that there were opportunities to link in with other City of London Corporation fundraising events, including those by the Lord Mayor, and that Members had a role in promoting opportunities for alternative giving for City-based business and the retail sector, as well as those living, working or studying within the City of London Corporation.

 

·         In considering the future of the ‘Help with Real Change, Not Small Change’ alternative giving campaign, the Sub-Committee supported Option 3 which stated that the current campaign be ended and that a new campaign be shared with the Greater London Authority which would provide a single coherent approach across London.  Members noted that this would not preclude the City of London Corporation from continuing to raise funds via its existing contactless card points.  Information on the location of the existing GLA contactless card points would be circulated to the Sub-Committee following the meeting and an update on alternative giving would be reported to the next meeting of the Homelessness Sub-Committee on 21 April 2020.

 

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.