Words by Abi Scaife
At Smiley News, we love to champion people who are giving back. That’s why we’re on a mission to interview as many philanthropists as possible, to hear why they are committed to supporting their communities, donating to charities, and making a positive impact on their world.
In light of that, we caught up with Chris Maslin, CEO of Go EO, which helps companies transfer to Employee Owned Trusts (EOTs). Chris is incredibly involved in his community and helps to support charities in a number of different ways, sharing his success in enacting positive change.
Five years ago Chris and his wife used their own money to buy a run-down property, refurbished it and now rent it on a peppercorn lease to a charity helping those experiencing homelessness - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! In our interview, Chris explains why he cares about giving back, his thoughts on business owners making a difference, and gives advice based on his own experiences.
When I was young, it wasn't. I guess I was like many people in that I thought "I'll give to charity when I'm rich". But inevitably as your income goes up, you find more things to spend money on, so never feel rich.
My wife comes from a strong Christian background, with the concept of tithing, where you gift 10% of your income regardless of whether your earnings are low or high. We started doing this about a decade ago. This was, perhaps, made easier for us as we unfortunately weren't able to have children. So we never felt the need to upgrade to a big house or save for their university fees etc. I've heard this makes us a "DINKY" (Dual Income No Kids Yet"), though we're now confidently at the stage where the "Yet" can be removed!
Not really. There are so many charities out there doing lots of good work. I'd rather make a small difference to lots of charities than a huge difference to just one. Having said that, a couple of charitable things we've done have related to property, rather than cash. It's far harder to divide a building up amongst lots of charities.
I try not to judge others on this. Partly as I'm sure there are many business owners out there who haven't been as lucky as me. Or they have a big family they need to provide for, meaning keeping more of their wealth doesn't seem selfish.
I'm also sure there are people out there who don't give much to charity but do lots of other good things which I don't do. Plus I don't like the stories of the super wealthy giving to charity, as if that will save society. This might not make me popular, but I'm firmly of the view they should be taxed more heavily, so them helping out those in need should be compulsory, not a choice.
From a practical perspective, nothing. But we all need a purpose in life. We all need things to help us feel good about ourselves. Handing over some cash doesn't directly do this. But then you hear stories about someone the charity helped. I didn't directly help them, but I can take some satisfaction that I was part of making it happen.
Don't make donating something that you'll do "tomorrow", as you'll find justifications to keep delaying. Do it now, even if your earnings are modest, just start small. Review it periodically if/when your income increases. Charities make it easy to give to them, most have buttons on their website where you enter your card details and it's done. Make it recurring if you can, set it up and forget. Remember the taxman supports you too...though on that front take a bit of care over whether your donations are personal (hence qualify for gift aid) or are from your company (which don't, but typically get you corporation tax relief).
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Centrepoint. This charity supports homeless young adults aged 16-25 and aims to end youth homelessness in the UK. Find out more here.
The Felix Project. They collect fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold and deliver this surplus food to charities and schools. Support them here
FareShare. The UK's largest charity fighting hunger and food waste, they save good food from going to waste and redistribute it to frontline charities. Find out more.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Partnership for the Goals.
