ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of Church Mission Society. This charity was started by a group of social reformers in 1799. Members of the Clapham Sect had campaigned for the end of the slave trade and social reform in industrial Britain and they were also committed to evangelism. The idea of charity is ancient and is intertwined with religion. Much has been written about whether there is a human instinct to behave altruistically and the connection this has to the modern charity. Published figures on charities are highly generalised, lumping together charities of very different sizes, services and scope. Charity founders are often lauded for their work, indeed a well-connected few find their way into every list of New Year and Birthday honours, and founders are widely respected for what they do. Charity services are extremely sticky – even where services are not working, changing them into something more impactful can be an uphill struggle.
