Introduction

I’m not sure how it works in other households, but I feel my two sons are constantly asking me for money to give to one charity cause or another, through their school and community activities. I’m always happy to support; however, less common is their ability to give me a detailed description of what cause that money is for, and why or how the fundraising activity will benefit the cause. Sound familiar?

Children have increasingly been drawn into the world of fundraising as donors and are recognised as a valuable source of income for charities, as they contribute funds (normally those of their parents or carers) to partake in activities, such as school dress-up days, sponsored walks and bake sales. Drawing on extensive research on child-focused fundraising and the ethical dimensions of nurturing philanthropic citizenship, in this chapter I scrutinise the involvement of children as donors in national fundraising campaigns like Comic Relief, Kids Heart Challenge and Daffodil Day. Despite the widespread participation, questions arise about the meaningfulness of children's engagement and their status as legitimate donors. I critically explore the framing and ethics surrounding children's often passive participation in fundraising, raising a dual dilemma: first, such activity overlooks children's rights as active citizens, denying their agency in decisions affecting them – a fundamental principle of the UNCRC; second, it embodies tokenistic engagement, reducing giving to a transactional act, failing to meet the needs of children as donors or to appropriately and ethically consider the needs and rights of the beneficiaries.

I then explore the broader role of fundraising in fostering children's philanthropic citizenship. I argue that large-scale fundraising methods targeting children in schools and communities often hinder the development of sustained philanthropic commitment. This commitment should encompass both giving and critical reflection on the societal structures driving charitable efforts. This potentially stands in contrast to organisations primarily focused on transactional fundraising for financial gain, presenting complex ethical considerations. In dissecting the ethical dimensions of child-centric fundraising, I call for a re-evaluation of current practices.