ROH seat prices

[Mary]

A lovely kind friend has given me a birthday present of a ROH gift voucher:  I note in the email that comes with it they suggest I can use it to make them a donation!

 

Gave me a laugh.

 

[Lizbie1]

There was some discussion on this thread about charities (including the ROH?) turning down BP money - it looks like the Charity Commission isn't pleased about this:

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/net-zero/charities-reject-fossil-fuel-donations-regulator-intervene

 

'[The chair of the Charity Commission] pledged to crack down on the “squeamishness” of charities that refuse or return financial support “without very good reason” and added that “significant” justification was required for organisations to say no to a donation.

'The Charity Commission is now working up fresh guidance to “support trustees in their decision-making”.'

[Lizbie1]

...and a non-paywalled report of the same https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/09/charities-must-have-good-reason-to-reject-donations-says-head-of-england-regulator

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

...and a non-paywalled report of the same https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/09/charities-must-have-good-reason-to-reject-donations-says-head-of-england-regulator

Well said Orlando Fraser, and quite right: the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries should prevail over the pious virtue signalling of squeamish trustees. 

[FionaM]

What ????
 

I cannot believe the charity regulator has been allowed to say this.  The charities regulator should not influence or pressure charity trustees to accept donations that are possibly earned from questionable activities. 
 

I foresee trustees resigning en masse. 
 

Though this does raise the question “is any money made from activities that are purely ethical?”

Edited November 10, 2023 by FionaM
Add sentence

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

What ????
 

I cannot believe the charity regulator has been allowed to say this.  The charities regulator should not influence or pressure charity trustees to accept donations that are possibly earned from questionable activities. 
 

I foresee trustees resigning en masse. 
 

Though this does raise the question “is any money made from activities that are purely ethical?”

 

Isn't it the point that he's simply reminding trustees of what their obligations are under existing law? I'd hope that before accepting the role they'd have familiarised themselves with this kind of thing.

 

And "questionable" is very subjective! What, for example, the ROH trustees might consider dirty money* (e.g. BP sponsorship) could be perfectly acceptable to the vast majority of the charity's intended beneficiaries (the audience), especially if for example it helped with ticket prices. So what right do trustees have to turn it down on their behalf?

 

*Edited to add: there is a clear exemption, stated in the Telegraph report, for money gained from illegal activities: 'Charities are required under the law to accept donations unless they can justify that doing so would cause damage to its reputation, or that the money was gained illegally.'

Edited November 10, 2023 by Lizbie1

[SimonJC]

Well said Lizbie1 and Scheherezade - I agree 200% with what you say.

 

The job of the ROH as a charity which also receives public funding is to produce opera and ballet at the most affordable ticket prices as possible - and every decision should be informed on that basis. The BP issue was not informed on that basis and will do nothing to save the planet anyway. If the audience had been asked to vote for massive ticket price rises to compensate for this lost funding I think the answer would have been no.

 

On the subject of ballet ticket price rises please can someone send me the following asap if you have it:

 

1) The price schedule / seat plan for last season's Cinderella / The Sleeping Beauty

 

2) The price schedule / seat plan of another lower category ballet from last season

 

3) Any ballet price schedules / seat plans from the season prior to last season

 

Maybe someone has some screenshots etc. I would be grateful if you can PM me with anything you have asap.

 

Thank you,

Simon

Edited November 13, 2023 by SimonJC