How does it work?

Every year, the stands can nominate one or two charities. After careful consideration by the Charity Team that is formed by members of the committee, they are either or not approved for that year’s Bazar. A charity may be nominated multiple times, but not more than once every three years. Once the final list of charities is approved, the funds that are collected in that year, will be divided over these charities.

Evaluation

Charities are subject to a rigorous and impartial evaluation by the Bazar’s Charity Team before approval by the full Steering Committee and the members (all stands) of the Bazar.

Several months each spring are devoted to this work. We have a list of points that we evaluate but we do not work with rigid criteria as it is a combination of ingredients that make charities worthy of a donation. However, to give an idea, amongst many other points, we consider whether:

• A charity makes a valuable social impact on the communities or individuals it serves
• Our donation will make a structural/long term difference
• We are not solely paying salaries but rather enable the work of volunteers
• The financial situation is such that a charity is not dependent on our donation alone
• A charity is trustworthy and has a good reputation

The charities are very often organisations with which our members are personally familiar. Their first-hand knowledge was particularly important in the decades before the internet as it brought the remotest regions of the globe into close contact. But these recommendations are still important today as it helps us to remain close to the charities that we support.