Charity Engagement Yesterday

[AshTreesEverywhere]

The Royal Family attend public engagements that are jollies such as Film Premiers and Wold Cup Finals. But yesterday William and Kate visited a Food Bank. So what did this work involve?

William and Kate travelled 10-15 minutes to the Windsor Foodshare, a food bank. They played around with a shopping cart and cracked “jokes” about who was being more useful (neither). They met with some of the food bank workers and barely spent an hour on this photo-op.

That is one of their average 150 engagements a year.

Just ignore it.

Good grief, if they can't think of a few relevant questions to people volunteering in a foodbank, without an Aide prepping them on their 'strategy', there is something very very wrong.

You don't think it would be worth finding out people's names and roles in advance and some information about the organisation? Just turn up, notice the sign on the way in if you're lucky and ask "what is this place and what do you do?" 🤦‍♀️

I think you're very naive about the amount of thinking that goes into the public engagements of people like them and politicians.

@hoooops I have prepared briefings and written speeches for people visiting projects. For this level it is a 5-10 minute briefing. It does not take long at all.

Don't be silly. They're not as daft as that, as far as I know

It's hardly difficult to be informed of the names of the Manager and Deputy and then talk and ask questions. And nod in the right place. They are good at that.
They will be prepped enough to visit a food bank and the whole thing won't take a day and a half.

Well an obvious question that would be useful to have pre briefing about would be funding. It would be helpful for the PPOW to know for example what funding the LA provided and if it was a regular grant, up for review etc to avoid a situation where an unthinking question about funding ignites a rant about the uncaring council cutting funding. Then media message from visit moves into "William wades into row over local council chiefs callousness"

@myrtleWilson There is no way staff would go into a rant about funding. And if you knew anything about charities of this size you would know there funding is constantly under threat. Very few foodbanks get regular grants.

No one is excusing sexism.

It is just the example you gave is not one.

The natterers at my work are mostly men. To say they are always nattering/nattering again/etc is not being sexist. Merely an observation.

i do know about this sector and that was my point - that someone without that knowledge could ask a question about funding - that's the value of an informed briefing (not that I agree it takes hours and hours) but a good informed briefing removes potential for a blow up.

As for people not speaking their mind - I'm aware of a couple of examples of just that happening in my locality very recently.

@myrtleWilson They have been on charity visits before. It would make sense to have a blanket rule not to ask about funding but instead the work they do. So general questions like, how many people come here every week? How many volunteers do you have and how do you recruit them? What are the most popular food items people want? And then on meeting individuals - how long have you been with the foodbank? What made you decide to get involved? Do you find it very rewarding?

There are a number of questions that can be recycled again and again. Its really not rocket science.

So general questions like, how many people come here every week? How many volunteers do you have and how do you recruit them? What are the most popular food items people want? And then on meeting individuals - how long have you been with the foodbank? What made you decide to get involved? Do you find it very rewarding?

Jesus H Christ. The Royal Family literally ask these questions every day. But I'm sure they would value your expert opinion.

And recycling the same questions each time someone came in to see their foodbank (or anywhere) would be boring as hell for any employee/volunteer/user.

The rocket science, if you will,is someone who has taken the time to ask something different yet pertinent.

The usual questions get tiresome. I appreciate those who visit my place of work and ask questions. I really appreciate those who have put some thought into what they say and/or actually show a genuine interest.

Before the meeting, William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, paid a surprise visit to a food bank where they helped prepare parcels.
Sounds like it was a last minute plan to pop in on the way somewhere else so hardly just 90 minutes of work for the day and then home to snog on the sofa til the Nanny brings the kids down

I live across the road from this foodbank! PW did actually say he would like to come back and spend some proper time there " without the entourage". It was actually all very low key with just local press and no big fanfare!

I assume someone has conducted research into the value of royal visits - whether they lead to a sustained increase in donations etc. ‘Raising awareness’ is such a nebulous concept.

But really lots of people do work that isn’t really recognizable as work and that nobody would miss if they stopped. One of the eye opening things about lockdown as a health care worker was discovering how many people spend their entire working day in pointless meetings or answering emails. And there are plenty of people on MN who describe a 9-5 with lunch break day of this stuff as ‘working their arse off’.The royals aren’t alone here.

But really lots of people do work that isn’t really recognizable as work and that nobody would miss if they stopped.

So true. That pretty much sums up my entire career.

Well a) you don’t know if they donated or not and b) spending a week in a food bank isn’t especially useful. Their job is to runaround the place highlighting various good works and giving awards, run their foundations, be patrons of their charities and do the diplomatic function stuff.

I don’t care if we have an RF or not, and don’t imagine these 2 work all that hard (although small kids, TBF) but this is just daft.

Lol I used to work for the Local Authority, I shuffled paper for most of my time there.

And afterwards William said to reporters:

'These places are fantastic and more people are using them, shows how popular they are! I've never eaten a tinned carrot but I bet they're delicious! Anyway, Kate and I just wanted to ensure that everyone is aware that, with Daddy's coronation coming up in May, no-one need miss out on the celebration. We've suggested that the money Daddy and I donated from the Duchy goes towards buying some celebration cakes to give away. Just to add he gave some fridges too so hopefully soon people will be able ti get some chilled Chablis or something.

Crikey.

Moehringer mate. Looks like you could be out of a job for volume 2.

That varying recollection trumps your lot 😉

I guess they’d forgotten their sharpies to write some uplifting messages on the food such as
‘look on the bright side - at least you don’t have my SIL’

@Roussette ·
... why doesn't one of them pledge to do a proper shift once a week. Now that would be something I would praise.
OK so a shift a week each at 5-10 charities, leaves no real time to do much else, no other visits to other charities or organisations, no work on the Earthshot Prize, no work on whatever Kate does about young kids, etc. Is that really the best use of our RF? That they pick 5-10 charities and do a half or full day every week for what, a year before picking a new charity?

Where did I say doing a shift a week at 5-10 charities?

I didn't.
Not sure where you got that from. Maybe another poster.

Don't worry ain't gonna happen - William's probably busy keeping up his helicopter hours so he can get from Kensington Gardens to the RAF Northholt private jet without facing London traffic for another holiday. Security reasons obviously....

www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a40612739/kate-middleton-prince-william-private-helicopter-trip-july-2022/

They claimed that they would be taking fewer patronages so that they could spend more time focusing on each one. They’ve managed to have fewer patronages, but we’re still waiting on that second part.

Could they not have brought donations with them? Did neither of them nor any of their advisers even think of that?

It's like they only just realised food banks exist. Rich people pretending to care about the poor to repair their damaged image.

They could have very well donated a truck full of donations on the condition it remained private.

Couldn’t you have thought of that?