Red nose day....

[notremotelyintofootie]

is it just me or does it seem that not as many people have done things for red nose day this year?

I've been into uni - nothing going on...

Ds (11) has had nothing going on at school

Dd (16mths) nothing going on at nursery...

And I havent seen anything in the streets!

Why is this?

It does seem a little bit like people havnt done so much - i went all out and went to work wearing an inflatable mr blobby costume

Usual non uniform day/pay a pound/have wacky hair at school today etc... business as usual here...

What did you organise? If nothing then you have your answer.

Doesn't stop you donating direct though.

I don't particularly like it either. Not the landfill issue.. just the "well, you will hardly get upset watching actual mothers watch their actual children close to death, so we have laid on some slebs to make it real for you" aspect

I think the organisers have figured out that with so many sponsored activities already going on, the best way to raise money is to sell stuff in partnership with a company or to have a sleb do something funny/tricky/humiliating.

Seems to be working.

I have to admit I didnt organise anything but I have supported it in many ways from buying specific red nose goods for the family through to actual donation tonight....

If I was involved with any groups I would have tried to arrange something, I just think it's a shame that there wasnt anything that I saw today...

I'm glad they are doing well this year, the films showing where the money is used really breaks my heart!

Many people do things quietly, all year round, for many charities, OP. Not everybody wants to buy into 'red nose day'. I personally detest it, I find it horribly patronising and artificial, but accept that many people enjoy it. I feel a bit sad to think that giving to charity doesn't seem to count unless there's a tv camera trained on the event.

I have to admit I didnt organise anything but I have supported it in many ways from buying specific red nose goods for the family through to actual donation tonight....

As do a lot of the people you saw today who just happened not to be wearing their noses at that time or waving banners with their donations on.

If I was involved with any groups I would have tried to arrange something, I just think it's a shame that there wasnt anything that I saw today...

There's only one person who can involve you in those groups and if you have too many other commitments there are always friends/family you can organise events with.

I don't see how you can keep saying it's a shame you didn't see anything when you didn't do anything yourself.

I didn't mean my comments to be a criticism of people not doing so much (in my city anyway) it was more an observation of how things have changed over the years, I think when it started there seemed to be so much going on but I don't know whether it is charity fatigue, a shift towards direct consumerism to support the cause or something else...

Our uni doesnt seem to have a proper rag week anymore either and thankfully there is less cake sales and non uniform days at high school....
Dd's nursery were selling st Patrick day biscuits forvtgebjapan disaster and have been collecting for a local cancer centre so perhaps that's the way things are going with less 'showy' charity collections and more targeted and local events...

I personally don't have time to do much, but my dh works as a carer for a charity and my research hopefully will have a direct and positive impact on the users of this charity, we also give why we can each month but that's our choice... I have also given around 30 boxes of stuff to the charity shop this year (thanks fly lady!) so like others we are doing our bit one way or another.... It's jut such a shame that charity is needed....

FWIW, I think there has been a shift in tactics partly due to the recession/charity fatigue.

I don't know this for a fact, but here's an example:

DD's nursery last year made a huge deal of Sport Relief, an activity every day asking for £1 donation from parents for kids to participate, culminating in a "Mini Olympics" that even kids who weren't in that day were invited to join in. TBH, it did get a bit much by the end of the week when you had to try to remember if that day was the wear red/pyjamas/bake a cake/decorate a t-shirt day. And we had already given a decent donation.

Comic Relief this year? The kids had to wear red yesterday. DD wasn't in yesterday and missed it.

It does seem that the tug-at-heart-strings and getting people to donate online/by text is very effective, so good on them!

It's a shame for the kids though.

Can I suggest to the parents of school-aged children on this thread that you get involved with your PTA and think about what you can do within the schoool for CIN next year and RND the following year?
You have lots of time to plan ahead.

'It's a shame for the kids though.'
You can be the catalyst, they are your children after all.

Goblin FWIW, I made sure that DD was "involved" and aware of what was going on. She's only 2 though, and I'm pregnant (and knackered), so this was not the year for me to take that on.

(I'm allowed a year off: I've run RND and other charity parties at my house in the past.)

She'll be 4 in time for RND 2013 and in Reception. Get planning!