Joe Lycett’s political trolling results in an early Christmas present for Crisis UK

Brummie comedian Joe Lycett is notorious for his playful political trolling, but his latest attack resulted in more than £66,000 for Crisis UK, and a ton of unexpected PR.

Let’s dive in.

On 4 November, Lycett launched a spontaneous fundraising campaign, after the Financial Times reported that the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman wanted to restrict the use of tents by people sleeping rough, and to fine charities that supplied them. 

She said: “We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.”

In response to her comments, Lycett issued an epic takedown on Instagram.

He said, “my old friend Suella Braverman has described rough sleeping as a ‘lifestyle choice’. I always thought lifestyle choices were things such as cargo pants, fishing, and decorating your bathroom with a bowl of potpourri.

Let’s see if this image I found on Google described as ‘Wooden Botanical Fragrant Potpourri Bowl With Lemon’ can raise £50,000 for homelessness charity @crisis_uk”

Little did Lycett know how strongly the public felt.

The 35-year-old TV personality hit his target in just two days. And he celebrated in his inimitable way – sending the ‘cruel’ Home Secretary an open letter which was dripping in sarcasm.

‘I woke up this morning to see that a picture of a bowl of potpourri I posted just over two days ago has raised £50,000 for Crisis. A huge thank you to everyone who donated for their generosity. Of course, my main thanks must go to Suella: without your lifestyle choice, of being callous and cruel towards the most vulnerable people in society, none of this would’ve happened.”

He added: “There’s another choice coming to all of us soon. It’s known as an election. Best of luck with it babe x.”

Charity leaders’ concerns

Crisis is one of 15 homelessness charities calling for an “urgent reversal” of the Home Secretary’s plans to ban tents on streets.

In an open letter, the charities, which included the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing and Centrepoint said, “sleeping on the street is not a lifestyle choice. Laying blame with people forced to sleep rough will only push people further away from help into poverty, putting them at risk of exploitation. At the extreme end we will see an increase in deaths and fatalities which are totally preventable.”

The Home Secretary put the policy forward for inclusion in the government’s legislative programme that was due to announced in the King’s speech.

However, her plans didn’t make the cut. A shrew political move in light of the upcoming election? Surely not.

Final Word

Looking to add to your fundraising team? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the conversation started.

Charity world records

The desire to be officially recognised as ‘the best in the world’ drives people to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

People have braved extreme conditions, baked jumbo-sized foods, and done extraordinary things to their bodies.

But for charities, the benefits of smashing a world record go way beyond prestige.

Record-breaking has the power to unite people around a common goal, supercharge fundraising efforts, and take brand awareness to new heights.

Intrigued? Here are three inspirational record-breaking charity campaigns to get your creative juices flowing.

Who is Hussain: Most blood donations in a day

In 2022, social justice charity, Who is Hussain launched an ambitious campaign to drive new blood donations across the globe .

As charity director Muntazir Rai explained, “the pandemic hit blood reserves across the world hard," said Muntazir Rai, the charity’s director. “With hospitals struggling to meet demands, Who Is Hussain volunteers rallied together and launched our #GlobalBloodHeroes campaign.”

The campaign, which was supported by the NHS Blood and Transplant and the Imam Hussain Blood Donation Campaign, aimed to break the world record for the most blood donations in a single day.

To achieve its goal, the charity partnered with world-leading health and blood donor organisations including the Red Cross (global), Naryana Health (India), the NHS (UK), Vitalant (U.S.A), and l’Établissement français du sang (EFS) in France, to set up donation centres across the globe.

And their efforts paid off. On August 27, 350 blood donation centres across 27 countries, including Argentina, Iraq, and Thailand, collected blood from more than 37,000 people.

The blood drive kicked off in New Zealand as the day began, and the final donations came in from the West Coast of USA.

The result? The charity smashed it.

The total number of blood donations was 37,018, beating the previous record of 34,723 set in 2020.

In response, Muntazir Rai said: "Who is Hussain was founded just over a decade ago, inspired by the compassionate legacy of Hussain ibn Ali. It's incredible to think that the selfless altruism of this man, who lived over a thousand years ago, has inspired over 37,000 people to participate in the biggest blood drive in history.”

Challenging MND: The quickest journey down the Thames in a pedalo

In 2020, a four-man team led by Challenging MND founder Alex Gibson smashed a Guinness world record by navigating the 128 miles of the Thames on a pedalo in the fastest time.

The team, which also included Challenging MND patron, Andy Long, travelled through the night in torrential rain, to complete the gruelling journey in two days, 15 hours, and two minutes - breaking the previous record by nearly two days.

They were also the first team to complete the journey non-stop. 

Founder Alex, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018 said of the record, "Along with making a superb new Guinness world record, we hope this feat raise awareness for motor neurone disease and puts Challenging MND on the map to help establish us as the go-to charity for creating memories for people affected by MND.”

The impressive feat made headlines across the UK, and saw the team raise £23,437 for the charity.

British Heart Foundation: The world’s longest chain of paper hearts

On Valentine’s Day 2018, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) attempted to break a Guinness World Record by creating the longest chain of paper hearts.

Through their network of 720 charity shops and thousands of supporters, the charity asked people to write messages of love and support for people battling heart disease, or in memory of those they’d lost.

The campaign was also supported by stars from the world of sport and entertainment, including Ulrika Jonsson, Esther Rantzen and the England Women’s Hockey Team, who all wrote personal messages to be included in the chain.

With the help of volunteers, the charity created a chain of 17,939 hearts, which surpassed the previous record of 11,288, made by wine and spirits brand, Moët Hennessy UK.

The chain measured almost 1.5 miles long - equivalent to 25 football pitches.

The record was broken as a mark of solidarity for the 7 million people fighting heart and circulatory disease in the UK, and to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said of the record-breaking effort, “the British Heart Foundation is committed to funding over half a billion pounds of new research before 2020 to help bring an end to this heartbreak.

Bringing together so many tender yet powerful messages of love, support and hope through this Guinness World Records title attempt shows that we’re standing united against heart and circulatory disease.”

Final Word

Inspired to launch your own record-breaking attempt? The Guiness Book of World Records can help.

On its website it says, ‘whatever your objective, our team will work with you to find a record-breaking solution to raise awareness of your campaign or cause marketing initiative. Fill out this form to get started.’

Need an extra pair of fundraiser hands to manage your record attempt? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to find out more.

Three knockout football-related campaigns to inspire your 2024 fundraising strategy

Football is a cultural phenomenon that transcends borders and cultures. Boasting a fan following of 3.5 billion people, stretching from the favelas of Brazil to the bustling streets of Mumbai, it unites people in a way that no other sport does.

For this reason, the beautiful game provides charities with unique opportunities to raise awareness and boost those all-important funds.

Planning your fundraising activity for 2024? Why not capitalise on EURO2024 fever by slipping a football fundraiser into the schedule?

To inspire you, we’ve pulled together three footie-related charity campaigns that demonstrate how charities are harnessing the power of football to change lives.

1.     Homeless World Cup

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, week-long street football tournament.

Organised by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, it brings together more than 500 players from 80+ countries, all of whom have faced homelessness and social marginalisation.

Each year, the event takes place in a purpose-built stadium in an elected host city (think Amsterdam, Mexico City and Milan). The charity covers the players travel costs, and they get to experience the thrill of representing their country in front of 80,000 spectators.

The goal

The global tournament was launched in 2003 with two goals in mind.

1.     to inspire people who are homeless to change their lives.

2.     to raise awareness of the global issues surrounding homelessness

And it delivers on both counts.

The tournament gives players (who often feel socially isolated) the opportunity to become part of a community. As former player, Michael Omlin explains in this impact study: “football has given me an alternative to my troubled day to day living. I have something I really want to fight for. That improves my mental and physical condition. The best thing is you experience all this in a team. We were fighting together for one aim - that is something I have not been doing for a long time.”

As for raising awareness, by the end of the 2016 Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, 86% of attendees said they were more aware of the issues facing people who are homeless.

If you’re looking for proof that football can change lives, there it is.

2. Soccer Aid for UNICEF

Celebrity ambassadors can be a huge coup for charities.

Take popstar, Robbie Williams. In 2006, he masterminded Soccer Aid for Unicef - an annual charity football match that sees a host of celebrities and football legends battle it out on the pitch to raise money for the humanitarian organisation.

The 90-minute, all-star match, which has attracted the likes of Wayne Rooney, Luís Figo, Woody Harrelson, and Damian Lewis, is enjoyed by 75,000 spectators.

For those who aren’t lucky enough to nab a ticket, the game is also broadcast live on ITV.

Since its inception, the initiative has raised over £75 million to support projects for children around the world. In 2022 alone, it raised a record-breaking £15.6 million.

A prime example of the power of celebrity ambassadorship.

3.     Mental Health World Cup

When the first Mental Health World Cup kicked off at QPR’s Loftus Road ground in 2012, it marked an incredible milestone for founder, Giancarlo Gaglione.

The 42-year-old launched the tournament in memory of his late brother Lanfranco, who died by suicide in 2012, aged 27.

The event started a small-scale, grassroots affair, that took place at Downhills Park in Haringey. Today, it’s the UK’s biggest five-a-side, community-led charity footie tournament.

This year, 40 teams took to the pitch in a bid to be crowned Mental Health World Cup champions. Cheered on by a crowd of 18,000 they raised an impressive £110,000 for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), which supported Giancarlo through his grief.

And the event is set to grow. In 2024, there will be more teams, more sponsorship opportunities, and more money raised to support CALM in its fight against male suicide.

Community fundraising at its finest.

Final Word

Whether you love it or loathe it, there’s no denying the power of football. So why not use it to your advantage?

Looking for a footie-mad fundraiser to lead the charge? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to talk tactics.

Is the traditional interview outdated?

The concept of a formal job interview originated in 1920s America – another of Thomas Edison's bright ideas. Legend has it, Edison would get hundreds of applicants whenever he was looking to add to his workforce. However, he became increasingly frustrated that the people he met lacked knowledge comparable to his own.

To separate the wheat from the chaff, he created a test to evaluate candidates’ intelligence. Some questions related directly to the position, while others were more esoteric and related to topics such as world geography or literature.

It’s believed the test was so difficult, only 7% of applicants passed.

On hearing of Edison’s innovative recruitment method, other employers started devising tests of their own.

Over time, the winnowing process of applicants evolved into the recruitment process we have today.

Is the traditional job interview still relevant?

It could be argued that what worked in the 1920s is no longer relevant. After all, the five-day work week also began in 1920s America, but many organisations are re-evaluating this, (as evidenced by the success of the world’s largest four day working week trial). The in-office situ has also been given a makeover, with 84% of UK businesses considering some form of flexible working.

Isn’t it time we subjected the traditional job interview to the same scrutiny?

In this post, we’re going to do just that.

Let’s dive in.

The traditional interview typically involves an interviewer (or panel of interviewers), an interviewee, and a series of questions and answers.

The method is popular as it’s straightforward, gives you a chance to build rapport, and in most cases, it gets the job done in terms of figuring out whether a candidate knows their stuff.

However, the process is not without its flaws:

It’s prone to bias

Research has shown that we form opinions of people in just 7 seconds. This is due to a phenomenon known as unconscious bias.

Unconscious biases are learned stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional, and deeply ingrained. We all have them. They’re influenced by our background, personal experiences, societal stereotypes, and cultural context.

In an interview scenario, a hiring manager may fall into the trap of affinity bias and unintentionally favour candidates who are similar to their existing team members or themselves; or intuition bias, where they’ll rely on their “gut feeling” rather than the interviewee’s qualifications or experience.

These biases can skew judgement and lead to ineffective hiring decisions.

They questions are predictable

Type "common interview questions" into a search engine and you'll get a plethora of articles with suggested answers. This is because interviewers tend to ask the same questions, which turns the interview into an unenlightening exchange of tired questions and rehearsed responses.

They don’t assess candidate’s ability to do the job

Interviews reward charisma, confidence, and the ability to perform under pressure. While these aren’t bad qualities, they don’t represent the skills and aptitudes that will determine success in the role – people management for example, or strategic problem solving. Yes, there will be questions that address these competencies, but you want evidence that goes beyond their ability to tell a story about how good they are.

What’s the alternative?

Award-winning psychologist Ron Friedman argues that we should replace live, in-person interviews with job auditions.

It makes sense. Musicians have to audition. Actors have to audition. The people employing them don't sit down and dart scripted questions their way. They want to see them play, sing, perform. Doesn't it make sense to assess candidates in the same way?

Job auditions can take various forms. Some organisations supply candidates with case studies, which they’re required to present. Others will hold an event and trial multiple candidates in one location.

The most common auditions require candidates to spend anything from a few hours to a full day in the workplace, carrying out duties associated with the role.

Note: If you’re asking candidates to contribute to live projects alongside your team, you need to pay them for their time. No one should be expected to act as an unpaid consultant during the recruitment process.

The benefits of job auditions

• They test job-related skills rather than interview skills.

• As you’re assessing candidates on their ability to complete a task rather than their experience, education credentials or former employers – thus reducing bias.

• A candidate might say they’re a team player, but are they a fit for your team? A job audition allows you to put candidates in the mix with their would-be colleagues and see the dynamic.

• They give candidates the opportunity to find out if they like the type of work they’ll be doing and the people they’ll be working with.

Final word

While traditional interviews aren’t going away anytime soon, job auditions are becoming increasingly popular. According to LinkedIn research, 54% of recruiters see auditions as one of the “most useful interviewing innovations”.

Why not give them a go and see if they work for you? If you want some help, give us a call for an informal chat on 020 3750 3111.

Inspiring campaigns: Walk to the Well

Many of us take clean drinking water for granted. But for some, it’s a precious resource they have to walk miles to collect.

Earlier this year, Just a Drop, a charity dedicated to providing safe and clean water, launched a disruptive social media campaign to highlight the issue of water scarcity.

Walk to the Well

With the help of creative agency VCCP London, the charity created the longest ever Twitter thread to emulate the length that people in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, India, Nicaragua, and Cambodia have to walk every day, to access clean water.

The immersive thread, which comprised of more than 2,000 drone-captured pictures and videos, documented the journey of Ann, a 32-year-old mother from Kenya, as she embarked on her daily, four-hour walk to collect water, with a 20 kilo jerrycan strapped to her head.

Powerful

The campaign laid bare the struggles Ann faces as she walks alone across the Kenya landscape. It explains that her walk to the well takes over an hour. She then has to wait an hour or more in the blistering heat to get to the front of the queue. When she finally reaches the well, sometimes it’s completely dried up. When this is the case, she’s forced to collect dirty water from a nearby scoop hole.

She then starts the long walk home, carrying the full tank of water.

Challenge

The campaign challenged social media users to join Ann on her journey, by scrolling through the Twitter thread (it took over an hour to scroll through the entire thing). Once they reached their scrolling limit, users were encouraged to donate, and ‘like’ the tweet they ended on. This triggered an autoreply which showed them the distance they’d covered, and how much further Ann still had to go.

Results

The emotive campaign struck a chord with the public.

The thread was viewed over 19 million times in one week, with 332 Twitter users getting all the way to the end. 

The campaign was also nominated for two awards at the prestigious Cannes Lions Film Festival.

Rightly so.

Comment

Fiona Jeffery OBE, founder and chairman of Just A Drop, said of the campaign: “Having access to clean water can change someone's life. This is why we are working on creating long-term solutions by partnering with communities, supporting, and training them.

To raise awareness of the work and show how someone’s potential can be limited when their access to water is restricted, we are challenging people to scroll through the longest Twitter thread ever to show how far people need to go.

The aim is to raise awareness and funds for Just a Drop, to create a sand dam for Ann and her community where they can access water safely.’

Up for the challenge?

The Walk to the Well thread is still available on Twitter, (now X). Check it out here.

You can also donate via the donations link.

On the hunt for a social media-savvy fundraiser to create an innovative digital campaign? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to get the conversation started.