Public / third sector emotional blackmail

[LemonRoseCat]

I work in the public sector and several hours of my time this week have been taken up by trying to deal with other companies - sometimes private, ie profit making - trying to push us into supporting their initiatives.

It starts with asking if we will support them with X. We decline (for various reasons). Then they start contacting people in different parts of our organisation trying to find someone who will say yes. We find out, stop it. And then the emotional blackmail begins. “How could you not agree with our aims?” Etc.

Is this just my organisation!? Does this happen everywhere!? Looking to hear if others have had the same experience.

It sounds unethical. Nut your process seems to be full of leaks if it enables any old random Joe ringing round and getting their foot in the door.

You need a single route and contact point into your organisation to stop people from trying to get in via the back door. You also need your staff to be a united front and awareness not to agree to such requests and to channel them directly to decision makers to field the call. If done by email a standard screed will ensure consistency and point them to the approved process for applying for funding or support.

But, not Nut - autocorrect

Thank you. The process is definitely wrong and those of us who hold responsibility for signing off this sort of thing are undermined. If you or anyone else has any examples of how this sort of thing should
work, I’d love to hear your examples. Thanks again.

Support them in what way? I work in the public sector and I can honestly say that this isn't my experience in general because there are so many regulations and checks and balances in place in the public sector.

I worked as a MH employment specialist and we were given training on how to “get in via the back door”.

Unethical. Sales targets in the 3rd sector disguised as “helping”.

I left.

I've given you a suggestion in my post. I work in Public Sector, plus volunteer for a charity.

Ensure there is only one "route" into your organisation for funding of initiatives.

instruct all staff they should never approve funding by some random person ringing up and asking for funding for their fantastic worthy initiative (which is what you effectively described in your OP)

It needs a process for people to follow so nobody has a way in except via the approved process which should include an audit trail and provenance as to who agreed funding, date of approval etc. Think of it like Child goes to Mum and gets told no, so Child goes to Dad because they don't like Mum's answer. So Mum and Dad agree between themselves to be a United Front so that Child cannot be allowed to play one off against the other.

I work in the third sector and would hate to think any organisation believes they are being manipulated into supporting us.

Generally, the businesses or organisations I approach have a clear giving strategy. Either highlighted on their website or a standard email in response to my enquiry. "This year, our team are supporting x charity. Details on next years cause will be announced in June". Or "applications for support should be submitted online via this link. A response will be issued within 6 weeks. With regret, no approaches by other methods can be considered". Etc etc.

Thanks everyone! It’s good to hear how things should be gone, get tips and have different perspectives.

People at my place seem to get so taken in by sales pitches and there is no process for what is agreed. Often, we centrally decline and then find a local team has gone and agreed. 😓

People in my organisation are trusting and just believe that these companies are purely altruistic.

I then have to spend time managing expectations of internal people who have got over familiar with third parties and seem to spend their working day helping another organisation’s aims rather than our own!

Just a bit of a vent, good to get it off my chest ☺️. I just find it SO odd having come from private sector - akin to Tesco asking Aldi for all their secrets and Aldi just sharing them!