Our company has decided to dispense with paper Christmas cards this year, and each of our customers, partners and suppliers etc. will be receiving an emailed electronic card instead.

My first thought, as a sceptical and cynical bastard, is that this is to save money. However, I was assured that the money saved would be donated to charity. Again, I was sceptical at best, entirely disbelieving at worst.

Then the email came round asking staff to nominate their favourite charity so we could decide who should receive our donation. My suggestion of giving the saved money to the Campaign Against Substandard Housing (“Just use the acronym for the cheque and I’ll deposit it for you”) was met with a polite “Fuck off Angry”.

In the end the office settled on the NSPCC. That is the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chickens, or something. I was told the marketing budget for Christmas cards, £250, would be deposited as soon as the emails were sent. Which was due to be Friday.

Then the Marketing Manager came to see me.

“We have a problem.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve just been onto the NSPCC, told them about the donation, and said we’d like to put their logo and a link to their organisation on the eCard so people can see where the money has gone, and possibly visit the site themselves, so any sceptics like you will know it is a real donation.”

“And?”

“Well, the NSPCC wants a minimum donation of £750 to use their logo on the eCard, but if we can’t use the logo, I think we should give it to someone else.”

So that’s what we did.

Barnardo’s is now £250 better off because the NSPCC wanted a £750 minimum donation. I hope they are pleased with themselves, I’ll bet there are chickens being tortured to death all over the UK tonight because of their money grabbing ways.

When did giving to charity become such big business?

No tags