Comic Relief - if it wasn't so sad it might be funny

The entirely foreseeable problems that the management of Comic Relief have heaped upon themselves by signing a petition calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war is a good example of a charity coming unstuck when it strays from its core mission. There are lessons to be learned here for anyone involved in running a charity.

I don’t pretend to have an answer to the Middle East tragedy but I am certain that those who didn’t sign the petition are not motivated be seeing more innocent people being killed. They just believe that it is not the best way to achieve a long term sustainable peace. It’s an incredibly complex issue. and it divides opinion nationally and internationally

I have no issue with the petition itself and I quite understand why hundreds of charities who are in the front line want to call for a ceasefire; charities which Comic Relief partner with and support. Charities whose mission is to alleviate suffering. They might have staff and families trapped in Gaza and they are the people dealing with the immediate consequences of what is happening on the ground.

The problem for Comic Relief is that it has a different role which can only be damaged by getting involved in such a divisive issue.

Since it was founded in 1986 Comic Relief has raised about £1.5 billion. Their annual highlight is Red Nose Day when the BBC gives them an annual telethon. This year it raised over £35 million. They don’t do the work on the ground themselves, they partner with other organisations. They raise money. They are one of the most effective fund raisers of recent years. Why endanger this by getting involved in this divisive issue?

I wonder if their management consulted the BBC on whom they rely. The BBC’s commitment to impartiality has meant that the broadcaster has needed to tread an incredibly fine line on the conflict? This cant have helped the relationship between the 2 organisations.

What about all their supporters who don’t believe that an immediate ceasefire is the best way to achieve a lasting peace? Will they now just put their hands in their pockets and leave them there?

To make matters worse its management didn’t consult or even inform its board before signing the petition. Its chair has resigned publicly stating that he doesn’t agree with their position drawing added attention to their naivety.

People who manage a charity need to remember that their first duty is to act in its best interest. Comic Relief didn’t need to get involved in this complex debate. Of course management individually are entitled to their own thoughts on the matter but whenever there is a conflict of interest between the individual and the work of the charity then the charity must come first. Instead, in the instance, its management used the goodwill attached to Comic Relief’s brand to promote their own views which have nothing to do with (and will probably damage) the charity’s core mission - to raise money.

Comic Relief’s reputation has been badly dented by what is, at best, virtue signalling and the losers will be precisely the causes that the public, who so generously tune in every Red Nose Day, want to support.