A Cause of my own.

When someone is affected by a personal tragedy, there is often a strong desire to do something to try to prevent it happening to anyone else.

 

Indeed a number of charities that are well known today owe their origins to this kind of trigger.

 

Today, however, with over 200,000 registered charities in the UK alone, is it the right thing to do?

 

Regardless of how well intentioned, the learning curve for someone wanting to start their own charity can be steep.  Some people manage this remarkably well, others do not.

 

To my mind, the “Amy Winehouse Foundation” illustrates some of the reasons that this isn’t always the best outcome.  Initially, someone else registered a web domain, which apparently led to cheques being returned to donors, as they couldn’t be cashed.  (?)

 

As the comments below the article illustrate, there would be nothing to stop the charity from setting up a bank account even if someone else had a web address in the name.

 

When a tragedy is more public, there is the potential for significant, widespread public support, but if handled badly there’s a risk of alienating support very quickly.

 

I think there’s great potential here for charities that are already working in the field to step in, setting up specific appeals and funds with involvement from those closest.  Balancing a fast reaction with tact may not be easy, but I think the outcomes would be better overall.