The Floater
  • The Floater April 2018
  • The Floater March 2018
  • The Floater February 2018
  • The Floater January 2018
  • The Floater December 2017
  • The Floater November 2017
  • The Floater October 2017
  • Floater September 2017
  • Floater August 2017
  • The Floater July 2017
  • The Floater June 2017
  • The Floater May 2017
  • The Floater April 2017
  • The Floater March 2017
  • The Floater February 2017
  • The Floater January 2017
  • Floater December 2016
  • Floater December Update
  • Floater November 2016
  • Floater October 2016
  • Floater September 2016
  • Floater August 2016
  • Floater July 2016
  • Floater June 2016
  • Floater May 2016
  • Floater April 2016
  • Floater April 2016 PAGE TWO
  • Floater March 2016
  • Floater February 2016
  • Floater January 2016
  • Most recent issues
  • Information
  • The Floater on Facebook and Twitter
  • The Floater January 2017
  • Link Page
  • The Floater January 2017

Will C&RT ever have100,000 Friends?

5/5/2017

3 Comments

 
Why do so few people want to be fee-paying 'friends' of the Canal & River Trust. Allan Richards looks at the continuing failure of the Trust to reach its target for 'friends'



Just two weeks before C&RT's fifth financial year end, one of its longest serving trustees, John Dodwell, confirmed that it still embraces its long-term target of 100,000 Friends – in effect regular donors - over ten years. ​

Speaking to the Staffs and Worcs Canal Society on March 13, he stated that the Trust had 'about 20,000 Friends' but failed to explain why this was some 2,500 less than the interim target published in its last annual report.
Speaking to the Staffs and Worcs Canal Society on March 13, he stated that the Trust had 'about 20,000 Friends' but failed to explain why this was some 2,500 less than the interim target published in its last annual report.

The maths are quite simple. To hit that target of 100,000 after ten years, the Trust needs to increase the number Friends recruited and retained by about 10,000 each year.



By now - the end of year five - they should have 50,000 Friends but have managed only 40 per cent of that figure (20,000). Worse still is C&RT's 2016/17 performance compared with the previous year.

Number of Active Friends at financial year end:

Year                       Active                   Growth
Target                   Friends                 Over
                                                           Previous
                                                            Year

2013/14                  5,541                           -
2014/15                 9,754                  4,213
2015/16                15,800                 6,146
2016/17                20,000                 4,200

As can be seen from the numbers, growth in the number of Friends increased in 2015/16 but fell back last year. In effect this means that C&RT will show a substantial loss on charitable giving for the fifth year running.

Information published to date relates only to the first eight months of last financial year - April-November 2016). It shows voluntary income to be about half of that expected. What it does not show is how much expenditure exceeded that income!

However, what we do know is that, in 2015/16, it cost C&RT £1.44 for every £1 raised in donations and in its first four years it lost £4.1 million trying to attract donations.



It seems inevitable, when C&RT gets around to publishing its latest annual report, the cumulative losses will be around £5m.

The ability to raise funds via charitable donation is the main differentiator between Canal and River Trust and its predecessor, British Waterways. It's five-year failure to do so reflects badly on its trustees and directors as does its continued insistence on its long term target of 100,000 Friends, which is increasingly seen to be unrealistic.

Sophie Castell, the director responsible for fundraising, has suddenly left C&RT after just over a year in the role.  Perhaps her £125,000 a year replacement will be more realistic. 


3 Comments
Sadie-Michaela Harris link
5/5/2017 07:12:20

There is very little or no buy in to encourage 10 000 new donation paying people to subscribe to the CRT each year. People want to know how they will benefit and if it would be of value to them. Seemingly this is not being shown to be the case.

Reply
Colin Ogden link
5/5/2017 08:04:13

I have tried several times asking CRT for publicity material,but to no avail.Hi Colin



Thanks for thinking about us! Unfortunately as you aren’t a partner group with the Trust I can’t provide you with any branded info. We can chat about this next time we meet up, so maybe next year we would have a partner agreement in place. Hope you are well and speak soon.
Their latest reply to me offering Substantial FREE publicity.

Reply
Andy
6/5/2017 06:19:07

Compare C&RT membership with National Trust or English Heritage. People sign up to support the cause, yes, but also for the free parking and visiting. How about offering free parking and entry to museums on C&RT properties'?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    May 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
✕