learning from others' mistakes- thank you, FareShare

in a previous post, i mentioned that eventually i'd begin informal sit down 'chats' with members of the national team at FareShare. in an effort to minimize confusion, let me first preface this post with a little more information about FareShare's organizational structure. it's a national charity with 10 depots across england and scotland in places such as aberdeen, dundee, and bristol. i work in the london depot, which conveniently joins with FareShare headquarters, aka 'the national team'. these are the people that deal with fundraising, communications, expansion, etc. therefore, when i say i'm meeting with one of them, it's really not a big deal. i see them everyday but instead of asking about their weekend, i ask about their role at FareShare.

my first sit down was with jon, the man with a plan for corporate fundraising. he hopped on board in 2004 when FareShare split with Crisis*. yes, i got the details on FareShare's funding and how to entice corporate bigwigs but most importantly, i learned about FareShare's 'mistake.'

jon recounted an event from 2005 known as 'the christmas meal appeal', a drive that aimed to deliver 16,000 christmas meals to the disadvantaged people FareShare serves. it was ambitious, especially for a new charity that struggled (and continues to do so) with name recognition. in the end, they were successful. everyone cheered as they exceeded their goal and pats on the back were given to all.

however, to everyone's chagrin, the program received the ax. although the program was well implemented and received, FareShare had strayed from its mission statement: to redistribute surplus food. an organization that exclusively accepted food waste was now asking corporations to donate money to buy food. understandably, these mixed messages caused confusion for donors. factor in the amount of time staff diverted from their roles to focus on this goal and it just wasn't worth it. two months of securing donations and working out logistics for one day. what about the other 364? simply put, people need food everyday and not just on christmas.

this is the most important lesson i will take away from FareShare. yes, it was a great idea, but was it what the organizations truly needed? wouldn't the extra hours in the office be better spent securing new donations? there's still tonnes of food that goes to waste.

this lesson can also be applied universally. i'm guilty of the same crime. how many programs are put on at FSU, both by students and administration, that fail to see what the organization truly needs?

*FareShare first began as a grass roots organization operated by Crisis, the national homeless organization, in 1994. its conception literally consisted of driving a van to collect food from the back doors of grocery stores to redistribute to the homeless. FareShare operated as a mess with good intentions until it severed its ties with Crisis in 2003, placing a greater emphasis on the environment than ensuring that people experiencing homelessness receive the proper amount of fruits and veggies.