(Interview) --International Yacht racing and charity

Being blunt I think one of charities biggest challenges is money. Right? Ok Who has money? In one circle of people I know there are no broke people... International Yacht Racing... Why not get international yacht racers to post here on this blog then right? I could not find any but what I did find was a person over at www.yachtsponsorship.com who was willing to answer some Q and A for me.

Please enjoy reading this and please post some friendly comments and/or suggestions or questions.

Tom,



Thanks for sending these through. Here are my attempts at answers…


Note and questions I sent with answers
Many of the people that I know into yachting are like me - Philanthropic.



1- From your viewpoint what charities do you see most actively sponsored by people like us that are into yachting?



I think the charities that are supported by people who are interested in yachting are ones where the sport can add value to the cause over and above exposure. They might be environmentally based or allow a disadvantaged sector of society to participate. The charities that have been most visible in sailing over the last 12 months or so include: Toe in the Water, the Ellen MacArthur Trust, the RNLI, save the Albatross and Sail4cancer, but I am sure there are others like the Even Keel Project that would attract support from sailors.



2- If I gave you 5 million dollars what area of charity would you support?



Charity is quite personal. It’s extremely difficult to determine whether one cause is more worthy or deserving than another, so issues that touch you personally tend to be prioritised. I would tend to favour charities that are active in changing people’s lives for the better rather than those that are primarily awareness campaigns. I’d probably spread the 5 million around a bit rather than give it to a single cause.



3- If I gave you 1 million dollars and you had to give it to 1 charity what would it be?


For purely personal reasons I would support a mental health charity like Mind or SANE.



4- What are some of your personal feelings with regards to charity and philanthropy from your viewpoint?


For better or worse, charity is becoming big business. Ironically, those charities that are the most commercial are doing the best. Having worked on the branding and marketing for several charities I know that there are complex issues around the subject and that different people give to charity for different reasons. I have a perception that there is still a lot of waste in the sector and much of the money doesn’t get to the intended recipients. It is certainly not true of all charities – I met a woman the other day who walked to her meetings so that the charity would not have to pay for her train fare, but my perception is still that things are not being done as efficiently as they could be. The internet will probably change that.

Thanks for the quick responces from www.yachtsponsorship.com