The government has come up with some ideas of how to nudge us into giving more to charity – is this one of the fruits of the much-vaunted Behavioural Insight Team?
The ideas I have heard about in the news are old ways of persuading us to give small amounts of spare cash, updated for a plastic age.
When I was a child most small shops had a ‘collecting box’ outside – usually in the shape of a large papier mâché model of an animal or child into which you could feed your pennies. Sometimes a stranger would give you coins just so you could have the pleasure of putting them in. Some of the portrayals – especially the ‘spastics’ - would definitely be regarded as offensive these days.
They finally disappeared in the 1970s or early 1980s when they became distressingly attractive to those who thought nothing of just wrenching them away from their moorings & making off with the change.
McDonalds have a modern purely geometric design which makes the coins whizz round & down a helter skelter, & of course have long encouraged customers to ‘round up’ their bill by dropping their change into the charity box on the counter.
It is not clear who will decide how the money collected under the government scheme is to be distributed – another expensively managed quango I assume.
People are probably much more ready to give if they know which charity it is going to, as I found out in a rather odd incident over Christmas.
I was waiting for the bus home when a young man approached & asked for a cigarette.
I refused, as is policy.
He then proffered 50p & tried again – No, I have only one left & that’s my ration (true). Moments later he tried again - this time proffering £1.50. I laughed & said Oh go on then – I don’t want your money, it’s Christmas.
That really should have been that, but soon he was at it again – Please, I want to pay you.
Stop it – you’re embarrassing me it’s Christmas.
No, I really want to.
Well then give it to charity.
Which one?
I don’t know.
How about animals – what pets have you got?
None.
Well then, which charity would be a good one?
Oh – probably Macmillan Nurses.
Oh dear! That set off the story of how they looked after his grandfather who died early this year but who had been able to leave hospital for Christmas at home thanks to the MacMillan nurses. He insisted I take the £1.50 to give to them, and then emptied his pockets to give me yet more change.
When the bus came, he gave me the change after paying his fare. In all £4 something.
He may well have been high on something – though he did not seem at all spaced-out & was not blurring his words. He was definitely a rather simple soul, & may even be unwell. I thought it would be kinder to accept his commission than to tell him in my sternest voice just to stop being a silly boy.
NB The Cabinet Office has a webpage - Big Society plan for a new culture of generosity -
which tells us The Cabinet Office has today published the Government's initial ideas for building a stronger culture of giving time and money – without, as far as I can see, any indication of the date – one can only assume that it is recent.
