If I had a Million Dollars...

I've always loved that song by the Barenaked Ladies - and it has led to many an interesting guest lecture/dinner table conversation.

So, dear reader, humour me and answer this? If you woke up in the morning to find you'd won ￡6M on the lottery... - No, scratch that... - Aunt Reba has left you ￡6M! Are you going to give any to charity?

If so, which ones and why? Before reading on be honest and jot down your chosen causes.

I ask because even as the head of fundraising for Coventry University, I never once found that students were itching to put the institution top of their list (I can anticipate the tuition fees replies already!): Indeed, of all the causes I have worked for, the only one that seemed to get a look-in was the fantastic Tiny Tim's - providing free therapies for children with disabilities.

Sports; religion, art, culture, animals, heritage, older people, all tended to be far less likely to secure the metaphorical windfall compared to cancer-researching; and disability, or children charities.

With this in mind, I'd like to herald the achievements of Coventry 2021 during the bid phase - and the superb work undertaken by Nicole Malatesta following my departure some three months ago as she has tirelessly worked to keep that donor family committed. Having more than 120 donors committing ￡10K or more at the end of the bid phase was a feat that still draws gasps - in a world where corporates are naturally drawn to heartstring causes.

And - I'd also encourage everyone to ensure that - as and when that windfall lands, you do consider giving to charity, and I'd encourage people to give to a broad range of causes - there are some wonderful charities doing some amazing work and it's always nice to see the cake evenly sliced! And have a Google of the song - it's a doozy (Do people say doozy anymore?)

So - answers below - who's getting Aunt Reba's money and why??