Red Cross Blogs

Robyn Wilder

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has proposed to cap tax relief on charitable donations, concerned that high-value donors could be donating millions to charities and trusts to avoid paying tax.

This proposal could spell very bad news for charities and, at the British Red Cross, we don’t believe that there is a need for this cap. That’s why we’re lending our voice to the Give It Back George campaign, and urging Mr Osborne to drop the tax cap and consider other options.

Alternative solutions to the tax cap
One solution might be for all tax relief to follow the donation to the charity concerned as it does for the vast majority of standard rate tax payers who get no extra for giving.

At the moment, high rate tax payers can claim some tax relief on donations for themselves. We propose a simple tick-box scheme that would allow donors the choice to donate that tax relief amount to the charity. This would be attractive to donors and charities alike.

Providing this option – to claim the tax relief, or to donate it – would be simple to administer and would result in a huge boost to charities. For example, an additional £568,812 could be added to a £1m donation. With gift aid on top, that donation would be worth over £1.8m to the charity or foundation and in turn greater public good. A simple tick-box option on tax relief – to opt in, or opt out – could have a huge impact to charities large and small.

Perhaps this could be the solution that will protect charities and put to bed the notion that high-value giving and tax avoidance are inextricably linked.

High-value doesn’t mean tax avoidance
A 2009 HMRC report exploring options for reforming higher rate tax relief found that the majority of all high-rate tax payers are not motivated by tax breaks and in fact would prefer the relief be channelled to the cause.

Mark Astarita, British Red Cross director of fundraising, said: “Generous people are just plain generous and I have yet to come across one donor after 20 years of fundraising that is motivated by a tax break over a wonderful cause.

“It seems to be a classic case of using a sledgehammer to crack a very tiny rotten nut. In the meantime generous people are tarred with this unkind brush.”

The Give It Back George Campaign
The British Red Cross has signed up to the Give It Back George campaign against the chancellor’s proposals, along with hundreds of other charities in the UK.

In a recent letter to George Osborne and a number of his cabinet colleagues, we explained that even though the proposed changes would not come into effect for another year, we are already starting to see a change in behaviour from some of our major donors.

A lack of clarity in this issue could lead to major donors withholding donations. And, as the debate rages on, some damage may already been done – and we could be all the poorer for that.

---

Comment (1) »

---

Tags: budget, donation, give it back george, tax, tax cap
Posted in Fundraising and events, News, UK

---

Guest post by Flora Watters.

Every year, people celebrate International Women’s Day in wildly different ways: some organise a meal with friends; others rally thousands together for a cause. On the first International Women’s Day 101 years ago there were rallies in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland campaigning for women’s rights to education, the vote, and to equal pay.

However you celebrate this International Women’s Day, it’s important to reflect on which issues of inequality still remain – especially in developing nations where women’s human rights may not be adequately protected by the law.

Shadows of hope
For this year’s International Women’s Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is focusing on women who have lost relatives during armed conflict and are now taking their fate into their own hands. In Nepal over 1,400 people – mostly men – are still missing following 10 years of unrest.

In this video Sylvie Thoral, who heads the ICRC delegation in Nepal, explains how wives or mothers who have had to take on the “man’s” role are coping:

Empowerment after emergencies
After the Red Cross responds to a disaster, we work with recovering communities to help them prepare more efficiently for future emergencies. Often this means empowering the most disenfranchised members of the community – which in many places is still women.

Following the deaths of many women and their children during Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, it became clear that women needed to be better informed about what to do in a disaster.

“Women will not go outside even when they receive information that a cyclone is coming unless their husband tells them to, and women can’t swim because they have not been allowed to learn,” said Nazma, who has benefited from Bangladesh Red Crescent community schemes.

Over five years the Bangladesh Red Crescent worked with religious leaders to change attitudes to unaccompanied women, and trained women’s groups on how to take action during a cyclone.

The civil war in Sierra Leone left many people without skills and struggling to survive. Women who lost family and husbands often turned to sex work to support themselves.

“I was so young I can’t remember my age,” remembers Helen. “My parents were killed and I was taken away and gang-raped. The men who took me threatened to kill me if I left and forced me to carry a gun. This went on for three years.”

However, by working with a Red Cross rehabilitation centre, Helen was able to change her path and begin to deal with the traumas she had experienced. Now she has gained a tailoring apprenticeship and hopes to one day lead an independent life.

A history of equality
When Henry Durant founded the Red Cross during the 1860s he was named his inspiration as nurse Florence Nightingale.

Durant said: “Though I am known as the founder of the Red Cross and the originator of the Convention of Geneva, it is to an English woman that all the honour of that convention is due. What inspired me to go to Italy during the war of 1859 was the work of Miss Florence Nightingale in the Crimea.”

On International Women’s Day, we are proud of our history of empowering women in the UK, and of our continuing commitment to do so in countries where equality is not a given.

---

Comment (0) »

---

Tags: Bangladesh, florence nightingale, International Committee, International Women's Day, Sidr, Sierra Leone, women
Posted in Emergencies, Health and social care, International

---

Guest post by Heather Fitzke, British Red Cross youth delegate to IFRC General Assembly in Geneva, November 2011.

“It is often said that young people are the future of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, but I feel that is only part of the story. Young people are the Movement’s driving force here and now, and are the world’s best hope for real and lasting behavioural change at the community level and beyond.”
- Bekele Geleta, IFRC Secretary General.

Making the Right Impact
This quote may seem like a beacon of praise in a sea of downright gloomy reportage on young people. Young people are often presented as THE problem, or as passive victims of a sinking financial and social system from which there is no hope of recovery.

As a volunteer for the British Red Cross I know that there is another side to this story.

In the UK around 6,000 volunteers under 26 dedicate their time and talents to helping the most vulnerable in their communities. Our volunteers take action when they see someone in a crisis and, rather than accepting the status quo, they are being the change they want to see in the world.

The importance of volunteering was a dominant theme throughout the General Assembly in Geneva last month, which I was lucky enough to attend as the British Red Cross youth delegate. Volunteerism is the cornerstone of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and each National Society is only as strong as its volunteers.

The British Red Cross policy of enabling young people to volunteer across all our services makes us almost unique within the Federation. And it meant that I was interrogated by youth delegates from other National Societies who were fascinated by our distinctive structure!

I was more than happy to oblige and told them about all the different ways that young people contribute to the British Red Cross.

Opportunities for young people
Young people are involved in first aid, emergency response, health and social care, refugee services, peer education, preparing for disaster, retail and fundraising projects such as Dance: Make Your Move. Young people can develop essential skills through internships and work experience, and participate in decision making at all levels through initiatives such as SMT Takeover, Red11, and Red100.

As Ashanta Osborne, Chairperson of the Federation Youth Commission, stated in her closing speech: young volunteers “need an enabling environment to be involved in service planning and decision making” to maximise their contribution towards our joint humanitarian goals

This is why the Youth Commission has been mandated to support and improve the regional youth networks, so that we can share ideas and come up with solutions to the problems we encounter in the course of our volunteering. For example, the European Union Red Cross Youth Network (EURCYN), which is made up of over 30 countries, has written a position statement on migration which will be used to inform work with vulnerable young migrants in Europe.

Connecting for Change
The position statement could not have been written without the dedicated young volunteers who have developed innovative and effective programmes to respond to the risks and vulnerabilities that young migrants face. By using their creativity and connections through social media the network has come to a powerful consensus on what the issues are and how to address them at the EU level.

Social media goes further than facilitating partnerships. It is also used to “inform, inspire and educate” (Bekele Gelata General Assembly 2011) young people all over the world, and is a powerful tool for us to pass on our humanitarian message.

So, go on a Facebook friending spree or Twitterthon and share your ideas, experiences and views with other Red Cross volunteers, and together we can spread our message of humanity and peace across the world.

Find out more about volunteering for young people.

---

Comment (0) »

---

Tags: British Red Cross, general assembly, geneva, International Federation, Volunteering, youth volunteer
Posted in Volunteering, Young volunteers

---

To celebrate the holiday season and the launch of our free first aid mobile app, we’re giving away three single-person first aid kits in a Christmas photo competition.

How to enter
To be in with a chance of winning, send us a seasonal photograph that involves the Red Cross* – for example:

• The Christmas decorations in your local British Red Cross shop
• A festive Red Cross event
• Red Cross volunteers (if you can catch them) working in the snow.

Email your photographs to socialmedia@redcross.org.uk, with

• your name
• your Twitter or Facebook user name (if you have one)
• your email address
• a brief description of your photograph and why you believe you should win.

What you’ll win
We’re giving away three of these attractive and potentially life-saving single-person first aid kits, modelled here by our social media assistant Ed Lyon:

The single-person first aid kit is full of useful emergency first aid supplies like bandages, a first aid emergency guide, wound dressings and plasters – all in a handy zippable pouch you can strap round your waist.

*Please note: We won’t be able to award any photographs that feature modified or homemade versions of the Red Cross emblem, as it’s a protected symbol under international humanitarian law. However, photographs of British Red Cross shop signs, volunteers’ uniforms, badges, collection boxes, etc. that feature the official emblem are obviously fine.

The competition will be open over Christmas and the New Year, and we will be announcing the three winners on 6 January 2012.

Good luck and get snapping!

---

Comment (0) »

---

Tags: competition, First aid, first aid kit, mobile app, photography
Posted in First aid, UK

---

With Christmas just two weeks away, you’d be forgiven for feeling daunted by the prospect of fighting your way through frazzled and frozen bargain hunters to complete your Christmas shopping.

But don’t worry. Because, with delivery dates right up to 22 December, you can buy your gifts from the comfort and warmth of your own home at the British Red Cross online gift shop.

Alternatively, if seasonal cheer – and bargains – are what you’re after, read on to find out about the special Christmas shopping events your local Red Cross shop is laying on in a bid to raise £4 million by Christmas.

The Red Cross online shop
As well first aid materials and products to help vulnerable people live independently, we also sell unique Christmas decorations, gift bags, wrapping paper and Christmas cards, including these ‘Doe a deer’ cards – £3.25 for 10 cards with envelopes:

You can also buy quirky gifts like this teapot, £15:

Or this tapestry kit, reduced from £42.00 to £33.60:

And stocking fillers like this Swarovski necklace, £9.60:

We also stock a host of unique jewellery, confectionery, toiletries, games and beautiful gifts for your home and garden. So put the kettle on and your feet up, and shop online now to spread some Christmas cheer and help us save lives in the UK and across the world.

Special Christmas events at your local Red Cross shop
All 320 Red Cross shops across the country are hosting special Christmas events and promotions to raise £4 million by Christmas Day. Six-hundred and eighty Red Cross staff and 6,500 volunteers have joined forces to set up late-night Christmas celebrations, vintage and retro specials, fashion shows, art sales and craft fairs.

Many shops have saved stock all year, including eveningwear, collectibles, toys, books and vintage items, for special themed nights – there’s even a Downton Abbey evening in Chelsea.

Find your local Red Cross shop to see what’s happening near you, and you can continue to support the Red Cross’ work helping people in crisis well into the New Year.

---

Comments (4) »

---

Tags: charity shop, christmas, christmas cards, Red Cross shops, retail, shop online
Posted in Fundraising and events, UK

---