To mark the launch of our Trends publication – a compilation of 2017s biggest, best and most bizarre trends – we’ll be releasing one a day in the countdown to Christmas. Trend four, Innovation Generation: Giving What You Can.
We’re living in a time when doing some sort of sponsored walk, run, cycle or sky-dive is no longer rare or heroic. The socially aware are left feeling guilty at reaching begrudgingly into their shallow pockets to spare some pennies for children in need. It’s true that charity needed a reinvention.
This year we’ve observed charitable souls being resourceful with their giving – doing what they can instead of spending what they can’t.
Take the time when a young family took their spare clothes rail and set up an unofficial city-wide coat swapping service. The public soon caught on – if they had a coat going spare they could leave it on the rail and by the next day it would be gone, comfortably sitting on the back of someone who was cold. The rise of food banks means that even those short of cash can transform a back-of-the-cupboard snack for one into a life-saving banquet for another.
During the festive season when messages about giving money to charity are plentiful, our team found the NHS Give Blood campaign, ‘The gift only you can give’, seriously refreshing. A recent example of resourceful charitable giving was the effort to help the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. The willingness to help, coupled with the innovative use of social media streamlined the aid effort and quickly cared for the people that needed it.
If you’d like us to post you a copy of the Trends publication, contact ideas@wearemagpie.com.
View Trend 01: Cacti.
View Trend 02: Witness the Fitness.
View Trend 03: Bonfire, Blankets, and Beer Halls.
