Unpopular opinion: I really don’t like charity fundraising balls

I know this may be an unpopular opinion but I really – I mean really, really – don’t like charity fundraising balls.

I was recently mindlessly scrolling through social media (as you do) and came across a promotion for a charity’s fundraising ball. It filled me with the greatest sense of unease. In the case of this event, it was more jarring as a black-tie ball felt out of alignment with this charity’s purpose and the individuals they support. 

I appreciate some people enjoy these events. And if you want to dress up in a fancy frock, eat rubber chicken and drink champagne all in the name of a good cause, then by all means don’t let me stop you. Personally, I don’t enjoy them.

I completely understand that charities need to raise money and how important that is to the work they do. My concern is that these events are inherently high-risk and sometimes actually cost more than the amount of money they raise. A large swath of the funding from the event is eaten up by the costs to put it on. It also creates a lot of work for staff (and volunteers), time that could be spent doing things that actually make a difference, like suicide prevention, service provision or other activities. 

The cost to run the event needs to be recouped before the charity gets one cent from the sale of tickets and donations. Auction pledges, which seem like a good idea after a few champagnes, need to be tracked down and collected, and can be a lot of work.

The Covid pandemic meant that many charities had to reconsider annual fundraising balls. They found it was a better return on investment to garner support from individual donors, host smaller, more meaningful events, or create individual challenges e.g. ReachOut’s Laps for Life which is so brand and purpose aligned.

If you are passionate about a cause, attending a ball really isn’t the most efficient way of giving to the charity. You are better off taking the money you would have spent on a ticket, dress, shoes, hair, make up and taxis and donating it directly to them. In that way you ensure the charity gets all the donation and for me, I get four hours of my life back!