Giving & Donating
Why Unrestricted Money Is Worth More Than the Same Amount Ring-Fenced
Two donations of identical size can be worth very different amounts to the organisation receiving them. The difference is what the…
Ekavali Shukla
Contributing writer, Goodwilly
Ekavali writes about volunteering and the roles that go unfilled.
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17 articles
Giving & Donating
What a Standing Order Buys That a One-Off Gift Cannot
Regular giving is not simply a one-off donation paid in instalments. It changes what an organisation is able to commit to before…
Giving & Donating
The Donation Drive That Ends Up Costing the Charity Money
Collections of goods generate strong participation and a mountain of sorting. Whether the result helps depends almost entirely on…
Giving & Donating
Why Aid Agencies Ask for Money and Not Blankets
The instinct after a disaster is to send things. Almost every agency working in emergency response asks for cash instead, and the…
Giving & Donating
Why Every Appeal Asks for a Specific Number
Suggested donation amounts are chosen carefully and rarely correspond to a real price. Knowing what they are for makes them easier…
Volunteering
Turning Up Every Week Beats Turning Up Once, and the Reason Is Dull
The value of volunteering is dominated by a learning curve and a setup cost. Both reward frequency far more than total hours.
Volunteering
How to Leave a Volunteering Role Without Leaving a Hole
Most volunteers stop by gradually disappearing, which is the most expensive way to go. A managed departure costs an hour and saves…
Volunteering
Volunteering Abroad and the Questions Worth Asking First
Overseas placements range from genuinely skilled long-term work to paid tourism with a charitable veneer. A handful of questions…
Volunteering
The Emotional Load in Frontline Volunteering
Volunteering that involves distress carries a cumulative cost that organisations are expected to manage. Knowing what good support…
Giving & Donating
The Crowdfunding Page and the Registered Charity Are Not the Same Instrument
Both take your card details and both feel like giving. What sits behind them differs in regulation, accountability and what happens…
Giving & Donating
Giving Anonymously and What It Costs the Organisation
Anonymity is a legitimate choice and a slightly expensive one. Understanding what the charity loses lets you keep the parts that do…
Giving & Donating
The Sponsored Walk, the Raffle and the Bucket: Fundraising Formats Compared
Every fundraising format has a different cost per unit raised and a different failure mode. Choosing one for the wrong reason is…
Volunteering
Expenses Are the Quiet Barrier to Who Gets to Volunteer
An unpaid role is not a free one. Travel, food and childcare decide who can take a volunteering opportunity long before any…
Volunteering
Micro-Volunteering and the Tasks That Actually Suit It
Twenty minutes of help is genuinely useful for a narrow class of work and quietly destructive for everything else. The distinction…
Volunteering
What Training a Volunteer Costs and How Long It Takes to Repay
Induction, shadowing and supervision are real expenditure, paid up front against uncertain returns. The payback period explains…
Volunteering
Student and Placement Volunteering: Who the Arrangement Actually Serves
Required hours produce a reliable supply of short-term volunteers and a matching supply of organisational grumbling. Both sides can…
Volunteering
Rotas, No-Shows and the Real Cost of an Unfilled Shift
A missing volunteer is not one person short. Depending on the service, it is a closed session, a broken commitment or a staff…