Should large charities engage in lobbying?

Flexing influence is what charities do best when it comes to fundraising. By telling stories, relaying numbers, and using impactful statements, they gently, and sometimes harshly, tell why it’s important to donate.

 

But how do charities flex that same power to make large-scale change? Lobbying is when charities attempt to persuade government one way or another.

 

By taking a look at when and how charities sway policy makers, smaller ones may decide to follow in the footsteps of larger organisations.

 

 

What can lobbying change?

 

Lobbying focuses the voices of the sector for change. Leah Davies, Head of Policy and External Affairs at NPC says that together, charities can “be clear to government how we want them to institutionalise those relationships across different departments, whether that be through formal agreements between government and civil society, or whether it’s more informal regular consultation”.

 

The impact of influence is clear. Greenpeace UK is one of the most impressive environmental charities with lobbying power. Volunteers participate in high-profile protests and keep in touch with their local government representatives. Importantly, these driven supporters speak to MPs, call out to them on social media, and raise the issue of environmental protection.

 

The strategy works. To date, the charity has won on issues from enhanced ocean protections to clean air. In 2021, Greenpeace’s London lobbyists successfully created Europe’s largest Ultra Low Emission zone (ULEZ).

 

The achievement started with the charity’s discovery that thousands of children had been exposed to illegal levels of air pollution. Over the next four years, the charity raised awareness and showed audiences the impact of air pollution on young children with asthma.

 

 

How to engage in lobbying

 

As touched upon earlier, lobbying unites voices in the sector for a common cause. The main benefit here is that charities can pressure UK government to change or revisit policies.

 

There are strict rules around what charities can and cannot do. When thinking about participating, here’s what you need to know.

 

The Lobbying Act introduced in 2014 takes aim at political groups and non-govermental organisations influencing government. The Guardian summarises the Act neatly: “The Lobbying Act introduced restrictions as to what companies and non-governmental organisations can say in the 12 months leading up to a general election.” This means that leading up to an election, charities must be careful of their activities.

 

But that doesn’t mean charities need to hold back. The NCVO offers guidance on this issue. Charities can campaign without registering with the Electoral Commission. This means that they are no longer seen as groups that influence voters.

 

So as long as charities do not attempt to sway voters for or against a political party, campaigning and lobbying for a cause is fine.

 

 

Where large and small charities come together

 

There is power in banding together, and large charities are not the only ones spearheading policy changes.

 

The Civil Society Group is an informal group that includes large charities ACEVO, Association of Chairs, and the Small Charities Coalition. The group came together during the pandemic and crystalized what charities needed to make it through. From lobbying the group secured £750 million to assist charities.

 

Digital also played a pivotal role in the group’s actions. To rally support across all audiences, the Civil Society Group launched the #NeverMoreNeeded campaign. The hashtag and social media movement went live between May 2020 and March 2021. Organisations used the tag to show appreciation and to fundraise. 

 

 

What are the risks?

 

Putting your charity’s name and cause out for public scrutiny is not without risks. There are a few things that could go wrong.

 

There’s the issue of the Electoral Commission rules. How charities lobby and the language used matters as the Commission has the power to name, shame, and fine charities.

 

Chloe Hardy from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation says: “There is a deep fear of getting it wrong in an incredibly minor way, and taking massive reputational damage.”

 

Overall, she summarises it down to: “The burden of regulation, the fear of getting it wrong reduced the capacity of those organisations to both represent the issues that affect the people they work for and to support people to engage in political debate themselves.”

 

Both Friends of the Earth (FoE) and Greenpeace have been fined for Electoral Commission breaches. Both fines were related to registering with the Commission during election season. FoE paid £1,000 in fines while Greenpeace fought its £30,000 penalty. Both charities acknowledged how difficult the legislation was to follow.

 

Ultimately for charities looking at lobbying, it’s a risk and reward balance. On one hand, lobbying is a direct way of influencing policy makers to pay attention to the cause. On the other, breaches in lobbying rules may have the opposite effect. Charities finding themselves on the wrong side of the rules face reputational damage and fines.