It would seem that many within the RSPB have failed to read the governing guidelines for charities, laid out clearly by the charity commission, that require all charities to remain focused on their core purposes and refrain from political campaigning.
Not for the first time, the RSPB was severely reprimanded this year by the Charity Commission after a hysterical tweet was published claiming Rishi Sunak, Therese Coffey and Michael Gove were liars.
The tweet said: “LIARS!” stencilled in bold red capital letters, with a caption that said “You lie, and you lie, and you lie again. And we’ve had enough.”
The organisation quickly faced the expected backlash, with ex-Tory MP Mark Jenkinson claiming the RSPB was turning into a ‘political campaigning organisation’ – and even calling for the charities watchdog to strip it of its charity status.
At the time, the company’s chief exec Becky Speight apologised for the post, adding that it was wrong to name individual politicians and insisted the charity was ‘not entering politics’.
The Charity Commission blasted the organisation’s post, noting in a report that: ‘We found that the tone and nature of RSPB’s post was inappropriate and had not been signed off at the appropriate level within the charity.’
The Chairman of the Commission pledged that the watchdog will not be ‘misused or weaponised’ in the culture wars from within politics, or the sector itself. It’s a warning to the charity – and any others considering such antics – that next time the outcome may not be quite so lenient.
The RSPB had also been reported to the charity commission after being accused of inciting hostilities towards rural communities.
The RSPB has continued to increase its use of social media, and recently launched a new fundraising campaign via Instagram.
Which member of their team was actually responsible for the Tweet in question remains unclear, indeed as does whether it was signed off by management in advance. However the individuals responsible for RSPB social media, according to LinkedIn, include: Benjamin Mumby, Annabelle Hawkes, Hannah Vickers and Joshua Boyd.
