22 Read the article carefully to be ready to answer the questions suggested:
What are the primary purposes of BBC appeals broadcasting?
What is the main responsibility of the Appeals Advisory Committee?
Charitable Appeals Policy
The BBC has always three primary purposes in mind in its broadcasting of appeals.
The first is to raise money for good causes and, by extension, to encourage the habit of giving.
The second is to provide a service to those members of the public who are charitably inclined, and to offer authoritative information and guidance on causes that deserve their support.
The third is to give charities an opportunity to raise public awareness of their work.
The policy incorporates the accumulated experience of over sixty years of appeals broadcasting. The following paragraphs summarize its main provisions:
Organizations should be concerned directly or indirectly through preventative work, with the alleviation of human suffering, or they should aim to promote social, physical, cultural, mental or moral well-being.
The policy continues with a list of working principles and rules, as follows:
A charity should have gained or be likely to gain public support.
It should be registered with the Charity Commission.
It should have attained or have a good prospect of attaining an established track record of charitable achievement and be able to demonstrate financial viability.
Charitable work undertaken by certain religious organizations is eligible provided that the funds will be used for the relief of suffering or promotion of physical, mental or moral well-being, that these activities represent a substantial part of the work of the organization and that the benefits from the appeal are available to all sections of society.
Educational charities are considered only if their work has some special and additional social interest.
Organizations which exist primarily to raise funds for medical or other research should provide evidence that their work is of UK-wide significance and that they have appropriate procedures for ensuring that the research they fund is of the highest quality and is of public benefit.
When some serious or major disaster occurs at home and a public fund is set up, a special appeal may be arranged.
(From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policirs/charities/, http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/docs/community_involvement/)
23 Explain the meaning of the underlined phrases.
24 Make comments on the following quotation which summarizes the main idea of the appeals policy: “In general, appeals should be restricted to causes which concern themselves with the relief of distress, the preservation of life and health, and the amelioration of social conditions.”
25 Point out the two essentials the policy is based on, analyze and comment on the main principles and the rules of the policy.
26 Role-play the following dialogue in pairs. Use the words and word combinations underlined in the article to sound more sophisticated and efficient.
You’re a representative of an organization and you would like the opportunity to broadcast an appeal so as to raise money for a certain charitable purpose. Follow the plan suggested to present your views and do your best to reach the aim you have:
The sphere of charity and its main priorities.
The aims of the project (program) promoted and its specific features.
The benefits of the project for the public.
Stand your ground and make your partner accept your arguments. Use the word combinations underlined in the article so as to have a powerful effect on the listener.
You’re the representative of a BBC Appeals Advisory Committee. Listen to the representative of the organization that would like their charitable appeal to be broadcasted and find out whether the ideas suggested suit the main principles and rules of the Appeals Broadcasting Policy. Ask any questions to clear up unclear points.
27 Use any sources available (newspapers, magazines or Internet resources) to find the information about celebrities, their participance in different charitable events and their contribution to charitable foundations and causes. You may use the following table while preparing your project work:
Who? |
……… |
When? |
……… |
Where? |
……… |
Motives of the person |
……… |
Social reasons for the charitable cause (event, foundation etc.) |
……… |
Results of the charitable activities |
……… |