Footballers and giving in the face of coronavirus

Emergency and disaster appeals often elicit similar calls for certain groups to give, or for providers to charge less. The appeals on behalf of NHS staff and all charities affected by the coronavirus pandemic are no different. The first stock section of society that attracted public attention was professional footballers, specifically Premier League footballers. Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested that they should donate a portion of their wages. He even specified that they should then direct these not to charities of their choice but to 'struggling hospices'. https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1246778284614049793?s=12 Such generic calls are odd. Hectoring a specific profession and not others is seldom an effective fundraising tool. It smacks of choosing an easy target, ignores existing giving and different charitable interests by said footballers, and perhaps of playing to the gallery in a crisis.  Of course, all wealthy individuals might be encouraged to join in their support of current appeals, but to single out one profession is fundraising at the level of "why don't you ask Bill Gates to donate to your charity?" or, from my early days in fundraising, "why don't you get Sting to put on a concert for you?" Coming from a member of a Cabinet consisting almost exclusively of multi-millionaires the focus on professional footballers rings a little hollow too.   Footballers who have given Needless to say, footballers and Premier League players, do give to charity in various ways, and have given in response to the coronavirus crisis. Gary Neville made available the two hotels he part-owns with former Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs to NHS workers free of charge. https://twitter.com/hotelfootballuk/status/1240313520643887105   Joe Cole and his wife have set up a charity and provided support to NHS staff. https://twitter.com/mrjakehumphrey/status/1246386577846263808 Jordan Henderson fronted "a huge group of players" from the Premier League who have created #PlayersTogether, an initiative to partner with and support NHS Charities Together.   https://twitter.com/jhenderson/status/1247977956082843649?s=12   https://twitter.com/F00tainment/status/1250687640896225280   Other players are calling for support for other charities beyond the NHS Charities Together campaign: https://twitter.com/ECHospice/status/1250706955301158913     Calling supporters under lockdown Footballers can give in other ways too. Staff, current and past players at Stoke City are calling supporters to encourage them and counter their isolation under lockdown. The football club is owned by the Coates family. The Denise Coates Foundation has donated £10 million to help staff and patients at Royal Stoke and the County Hospital.    

from UK Fundraising https://ift.tt/2VdPnxj