I am a trustee of the Great Bustard Group, a sponsor of jaguar conservation in Brazil, and have raised funds for underprivileged children in Zambia, Tanzania and Brazil. I was asked recently about some of my views on charity giving.
What was your first substantial donation?
I gave a few thousand pounds to Cancer Research in 2001 in memory of my father and, in an extraordinary twist, one of my daughters fell victim to it a few years later (she is fine now). Then, after running my own business for a few years I realized that the proportion of profit I gave to charity was woeful - about 1%. I now give away about 10% every year.
Which causes do you feel most passionately about?
People and animals, particularly where the two are in conflict. I backed the reintroduction of Great Bustards to this country because they were eradicated in the UK by senseless human destruction. Jaguars have a really hard time in the Pantanal where they are shot as trophies, and in the Amazon where they are always in conflict with the local farmers in the Arc of Deforestation. The same is true of cheetahs in Namibia. On the human front, I concentrate mainly on children in poor communities. Centrepoint do a great job in the UK, and the rest goes to third world areas. You can educate a Zambian child orphaned by AIDS in for as little as £120 a year. I have a chart that tracks the balance of donations between people and animals. I am not a fan of people who leave their entire fortune to poodles.
What do you get out of your giving?
I learn huge amounts about the subject matter. I try to make a difference wherever I go. I can also visit some extraordinary people and places with a purpose. And I sleep well because I know I am doing my bit.
Do you ensure that your donations are used effectively?
Yes and no. My forte is generating the money, not salving my conscience by trying to be a do-gooder. I trust the people I deal with implicitly so I believe one should hand over the money and let the experts get on with it.
How have attitudes to charity changed in your lifetime?
Charity fatigue is a problem. There are too many of them, and their methods can be dubious. For instance, I object in principle to the so-called charity muggers (“chuggers”) who accost you on the street. Aggressive selling for charitable causes isn’t right. Charities are often poorly run, and are arguably the last vestige of outmoded corporate practice.
Should other people leave money to charity in their wills?
Possibly. But they should make sure that the people they care about are cared for first. Too many people leave a trail of financial chaos that needs to be swept up by the survivors. If everything is in order, then by all means do. But why not give some away as you go along and derive some satisfaction from it?
