I'm happy to donate to charities but they can make it difficult.
1. I wanted to donate to the charity which digs wells for villages in Africa. I approached them and siad I was prepared to add them to the forum fundraiser to fund the digging of a well for a specific village which we could identify with. I wanted to do it this way so we could identify with the village and see what a difference we had made. They said it didn't work that way, they collected the funds centrally and allocated on the basis of greatest need.
2. If there's on charity which tugs on my heartstrings, it's the "Children with Clefts" charity. I contacted them and said (based on their statement that it was a quck and cheap fix) that I would pay for 10 clefts to be repaired if they would give me feeback on how the money had been used and if successful, I would add them to the fundraiser with the potential to repair hundreds of clefts each year. They never replied.
3. The other year I was shopping in Aldi and someone was seling raffle tickets for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I think they do a fantastic job and receive no government funding (they're part of the fundraiser). I asked for £20 of tickets and he said I would have to complete a direct debit to buy a certain number of tickets every month. I refused.
Why do charities have such onerous terms and conditions which cost them donations?
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Originally Posted by swanbourne
I have been confronted with the same problem on a personal level.
I think the issues are that 1) while the work the volunteers do is admirable, they have a few fat cats to feed and that doesn't reflect well on them and 2) they pay the canvassers and it's more profitable to get a regular donation from the people visited than a one off.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I despair Eddie, little wonder people are put off. On the subject of charities, what about this one. My wife volunteers at a local Air Ambulance shop. Recently, the salaried manager was told he had to carry out random bag searches on staff and volunteers when they go home! They also set him sales targets to achieve which he has little control of due to not knowing what items will be donated (not allowed to inc. cash donations in reaching targets) Added to that, his shop is one of 7 charity shops locally - tough competition.
I've found the same Eddie. I try to donate food, clothes, toys and electricals regularly and they either don't reply, don't want them (what?) or make it so difficult that I give up. Even my nearest foodbank don't bother replying to contacts. Last time I wanted to donate a TV I asked forum members for advice and they pointed me to the British Heart Foundation. Now these guys were superb in every way and are now my go-to charity.
I think that once an organisation gets beyond a certain size (I'm not sure what that size is though), flexibility, pragmatism and common sense gets left behind.
I always remember donating an amount to Oxfam and they must have spent that donation plus more sending glossy letters asking me to give more.
No more of that. Also in the town centre here these days you need to skillfully avoid the chuggers!
We regularly donate to St. Francis, a local hospice charity. A completely different experience.
Similar experience for me.
Every year I used to send a cheque within a Christmas card to a local animal charity. They then started to bombard me with calls (using paid canvassers) hounding me to set up a direct debit 'as they need regular steady income and one off donations are not what they want'. Whilst I can see that a regular income stream is better for them, surely having my money once a year is better than not having it at all.
I just donated my money elsewhere from that point onwards.
The direct debit thing seems scammy to me - I’m sure the administering entity is not the charity and the charity probably only gets a small cut of the DD value.
I guess in aggregate it increases donations, but the parasite gets more.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
I had the same thing with Air Ambulance, direct debit only. I declined. Life boats were the same. I bought lots of products at a fair they had and wanted to donate some cash...no. I tend to give to local charities, not the big ones as they bombard you with follow-ups. Depressing really.
I like to donate to a few select charities and fortunately I have never been asked for direct debits as I'd be off at that point.
It seems it is the bigger charities that do all this direct debit nonsense along with their highly paid executives. We all remember the Oxfam scandal.
Stay smaller and you'll avoid it.
Cheers,
Neil.
I had a new to me bizarre experience recently, when I went to a local Barnardo's children's store, (a store that stocks only children's items) to donate some of my kids clothes.
My items were mostly unworn and new with tags attached, and were really good quality items.
So I turned up with a couple of carrier bags and asked the assistant if I could drop the items off. The assistant asked me if I had made an appointment?
I was thrown by this question, apparently I had to make an appointment to donate items, I couldn't just turn up and give my items. I have never experienced this before with a charity shop, this includes my own experience of working as a volunteer in two different charity shops.
She then asked me what I was donating, as soon as I said it was clothes she changed her tune on the appointment requirement as she was desperate for clothes, so accepted my gifts without an appointment.
Like I said, I have volunteered in charity shops, so can appreciate from personal experience the volume of donations made on a daily basis and the effort that takes to sort through, but that is the nature of the business and how stock is obtained and money raised. Expecting a person to make an appointment to donate feels like an overhead that would put people off.
This is what concerns me with big charities...how much of a business is it and what percentage of the donation goes to salaries, administration etc. I'd guess the smaller charities see a higher percentage of any donation go to the cause?
The worst ones that operate around London are those knife charities that use a third party firms and employ teenagers in blue branded hoodies to stop shoppers to sign up to DD...they can be obstructive and pretty aggressive. I've also read dubious things about how much of the donation actually gets to charity.
Similarly clothing collection...I used to use those donation bags that appear in the letterbox that you leave out on a day for collection, but I heard a tiny tiny percentage actually makes it to charity and most of the revenue goes to the firm collecting the clothes who then make a token donation to a charity. Better to walk the clothing donations down to a charity shop.
I think you need to be really selective about donations, do your research just as if you were buying something.
My mum had this years ago she gave via direct debit and used to get regular calls asking for more she cancelled them in the end,a small local animal charity took her cats when she died I gave them a £200 donation, I think a lot of the big charities think they are doing you a favour by taking your money and get up a lot of people's noses these days
Even though we support 5 charities via the forum fundraiser, I still get regular communications from all of them asking for more. This annoys me.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I'm in the process of administering a will that will see over £500,000 donated to charity.
I now see charities very differently, they are hard nosed and indifferent. If my aunt could see how they are acting over her donation she'd probably withdraw her donation.
All the charities do good works but now I look at it they are just corporates with different funding models.
Why should a cancer charity be a charity at all?? Really their work is so important it should be government funded by tax, they should not have to rely on charitable donations.
Charities should be exist to fund the extra stuff that maybe nice to have but isn't essential ... how can a children's hospice need charitable funds to function?? They should be funded by tax.
Henning Wehn: “We don't do charity in Germany. We pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I have heard that quote before but was not sure of it’s accuracy but I agree with the principle.
There is a place for charity in the non-essential stuff. Like a donkey sanctuary… but end of life care and cancer projects should be government funded.
Exactly. I cannot understand how people can be proud of institutions like the Royal British Legion (for example). They should be ashamed they even need to exist. Do not misunderstand: I believe what they do is admirable, but it's shameful they have to rely on donations from (already) tax paying members of the public to do it.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I've never understood why the likes of Air Ambulances and RNLI, for example, need to be 'charities'. What would HM gov. do if they ceased to exist for whatever reason? It's a nice little win-win for the Gov. giving their donations Gift Aid as it's a lot cheaper than providing the service costs 100%. (That is not to distract from the sterling work the volunteers do for us all)
Just look at the accounts of any charity and the salaries they pay their employees and CEO. Sorry but a lot look more like a grift than a charity to me. Take Water Aid, they could have dug a well the size of Nigeria by now with all the money they draw in.
I only give to small animal charities these days who don't have the hangers on.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Interestingly, both RNLI and their French equivalent (SNSM) are charities for historical reasons, and despite what I posted above I believe they should remain so.
Coastal holiday resorts should (and maybe do) pay for their surveillance/interventions in season though.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Private schools are charities. When a prestigious West London private school offers a fully paid scholarship to an underprivileged kid 25 miles away in East London, it is not just for altruistic reasons.
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I experienced similar outside the local Sainsbury's. They would not /could not, accept a cash donation. When I explained I'd already donated via TZ UK Fundraiser they offered me a sweet and a leaflet. The very articulate reps appeared to be professionals.
BW, dunk
Last edited by sundial; 23rd May 2024 at 20:09.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Time to pick some smaller good causes Eddie for your fundraiser?
Well it gives an extra kid gets the chance of an amazing education & opportunity in life.
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It seems that the more they get, the more they want. Some charities must be racking it in from the general public. I for one am a very regular visitor to many many charity shops, so yes I do give to charities and the prices of some of the items are hitting the roof. This makes me wonder how some of the shops can afford to stay open.
UK Charities total £income 2022/23 £88billion
https://www.policybee.co.uk/blog/uk-...%25%20of%20GDP.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
The Air Ambulance could never be a funded operation by the government. When the police air services were force funded they were efficient, now they are centrally run and funded they are inefficient. But look closely at the air ambulance finances and you’ll ask a few questions. A friend that I used to serve with was the chief pilot for one until he retired recently and he said they had to upgrade aircraft quickly as they had so much money the charities commission would be asking questions.
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Bit of an aside, here’s where most of our donations of clothes to charities end up.
There was a report on the radio which stated that a tiny proportion is scavenged and recycled by sale in charity shops or third world markets; and that a land fill had been dug in a West African city with an expected life of 30 years and was filled with our discarded clothes in 3 years and caught fire.
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Like everyone, I'd like all/most of my donations to go towards the charitable cause. However, once a organization has more than a handful of helpers/employees, is there any way to run the charity other than as a business/corporate entity? Unless you can somehow staff the entire enterprise with volunteers, you need to pay market rate for the many and various roles. If a charity was shown to be wasteful, that would of course be an issue.
Street fundraisers are often employed by third party companies. They even have their own Wiki page, which also mentions the direct debit issue: you need a council licence to collect cash, but not for direct debits. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_fundraising
Last edited by hogthrob; 25th May 2024 at 15:48.
Mombasa docks are full of big bales of discarded clothes. The problem is we think they are great full for the stuff when in reality it’s far different.Bit of an aside, here’s where most of our donations of clothes to charities end up.
There was a report on the radio which stated that a tiny proportion is scavenged and recycled by sale in charity shops or third world markets; and that a land fill had been dug in a West African city with an expected life of 30 years and was filled with our discarded clothes in 3 years and caught fire.
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Mate’s son did it for a while. Can’t remember the numbers but was shocked how much he made.
Apologies for the DM link, but a timely story from the DM today given this subject. Interesting to read that the knife crime "charity" you mention (assume this is the one you are referring to) is not a charity, but a Community Interest Company (CIC).
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...dance-chapters
Now it could be legitimately argued that they are indeed doing good community work, by providing easy access youth employment opportunities, and thus perhaps helping some of it's employees to avoid an alternative job/lifestyle closer aligned to a world of knife crime. But I suspect that a large number of the general public who have donated assumed this organisation is a charity, and operate in a different way than they do?
Several mentions within the article that aligns to your experience of the obstructive and aggressive nature of their MO.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Y-ends-up.html
That's shocking.Bit of an aside, here’s where most of our donations of clothes to charities end up.
There was a report on the radio which stated that a tiny proportion is scavenged and recycled by sale in charity shops or third world markets; and that a land fill had been dug in a West African city with an expected life of 30 years and was filled with our discarded clothes in 3 years and caught fire.
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On an alternate take, my wife and I were doing a boot sale and a couple of African women came around buying the cheapest clothes at a few pence each and filling their wheelie suitcases.
When I asked them about it they said that they filled a barrel of clothes to send on a ship to Africa and a profit could be made.
Cheers,
Neil.
Couldn't they have clothed people in poor countries with a lot of the clothes? It's becoming a bit of a scam like what happens to the majority of the things that we put for recycling.Bit of an aside, here’s where most of our donations of clothes to charities end up.
There was a report on the radio which stated that a tiny proportion is scavenged and recycled by sale in charity shops or third world markets; and that a land fill had been dug in a West African city with an expected life of 30 years and was filled with our discarded clothes in 3 years and caught fire.
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Eddie I was a member of a Rotary Club in Pendleside. A local surgeon from Burnley Hospital came to speak. He was a tiny Indian gent and for the previous 15/20 years he and some of his colleagues went back to India and did cleft palette operations. I think he personally was doing two or three an hour eight to ten hours a day. The before and after photos were most encouraging. He explained in the uk cleft palette is rarely seen as it is diagnosed within 24/48 hrs and a quick operation means the recipient is unmarked and there is little or no evidence the condition ever existed.
In India it is not the case, and worse for a girl as she is deemed un marriageable so worthless to her family. Additionally men struggle to gain employment so as an operation its is as accurate as it comes to “ life changing”
In closing I think we bunged him £2k plus a commitment to suPport him over the following years. The line of sight of the “ charitable “ donation was short as he received the cash and used it and his own money to fly the team to India where they worked for nothing.
The gist of the radio programme I listened to was they don't need them and have enough.
After the charity shops have picked their 10% suitable for putting out on the racks, the clothes are baled, containerised and shipped to West Africa. A container or bale is bought unseen, unsorted, at risk. It's then picked through and a small percentage is selected and resold in the local markets. The rest is dumped in landfill (although a Guardian article stated that the landfill can't cope and the overflow ends up in ditches, rivers or the sea). The local people are somewhat discerning, there's loads of it, there's choice, they pick the quality, brands and styles that suit them.
This short clip is along the same lines. I can't find the radio report.
https://youtu.be/MHnDqelUh-4?feature=shared
Can’t say I agree, anecdotally, my son received a sports scholarship at a top public school and it appears any bursary they give is under the proviso they will benefit the school in winning high profile competitions. They’re certainly not giving it to the local yob excluded from his school due to trauma/ significant special needs, whose parents aren’t interested. To have any chance of getting a bursary, you need to have had parents to have invested a lot of time in you.
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Last edited by Rodder; 26th May 2024 at 22:49.
This looks like the perfect answer to Eddies predicament
^^^^ .... agreed. And other TZ UK members might be willing to donate to help the children have a better start in life
Last edited by sundial; 27th May 2024 at 14:03.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Who said they are giving scholarships to yobs?
They will typically be gifted children from poor or modest means, which will signify a public benefit as laid out in law to maintain charitable status.
The clue is in the word 'charity'.
Unfortunately a lot of very gifted children without supportive parents never realise their potential. The bursary system targets children with proactive parents. If you’ve not already had time and money invested in you, you can’t access them. If you’ve never played sport, or learnt an instrument, or had parents who push academically then good luck. Unfortunately the most disadvantaged are not accessing bursaries and scholarships.
And unfortunately children turn into yobs by no fault of their own sometimes. Wouldn’t it be great if these charities worked with most challenging children in greatest need. Those without wonderful parents who’ve been excluded from multiple schools? Not the next England scrum half, great violinist.
Last edited by Rodder; 27th May 2024 at 16:33.
My daughter isn’t in any sense of the word “gifted” academically. She has AD(H)D and a bit of dyslexia added in the mix.
We had little other choices than to put her in a public school at the end of primary, where her needs are better addressed. She’s finishing her A level this year and the financial toll has been rather severe.
I don’t know how we would have managed if we had had to add another 20% for another year. But we would have done it.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Had some dealings in a previous life with this lot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cobra_Group
Founder ran a Ferrari race team.
They also “sold” for utility companies as well as charities. In that link one of their subsidiaries took 90% of the donation. The thing is that the charities knew this but took the view that something was better than nothing.
Those who have 'means' and offered bursaries are done so to encourage the best to attend the school and therefore bolster the schools desirability and reputation. This has little to do with charitable status if the student comes from background whose family can afford the fees.
Private schools will offer free fees, free books and free lunches to selected 'poor' or those of very modest means, provided they are very bright but also have the necessary behaviours upon interview to be an asset to the school. All this is done to maintain charitable status.
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I used to raise money for McMillan, I did a swim raised 2.8K, never got a thankyou other than a photo shoot with the local MP. Then they pestered me for months asking how much would I raise for them next year.
I'm a trustee at two charities one national The Limbless Association and a small local one I chair, I tend to only support them. I had a terrible experience with SCOPE years ago, they are charity I steer well away from.
Such a shame that you of all people have had this experience Eddie
Used to get three of four of them a week knocking on the door so I'd tell them I'd just lost my job and they'd quickly piss off. Then one day the guy says do you want a job and started talking about how much he earns. I can't remember exactly but the basic was above minimum wage and then a £20 or £30 bonus for every signature collected and he seemed very happy about what he was earning.
I still get maybe one per week on average but I've a Ring doorbell now which means I don't have to answer the door.
Strange how charities have taken over sporting events such as marathons. First question someone is usually asked on announcing their participation is ‘who are you running for?’.
Why run for anyone - maybe they just like running.
The one that I fail to understand is the “I’m doing a sponsored walk to Machu Picchu” brigade. You require £3k of sponsorship ?*?? so why spare the travel and just give them £3k and do something that doesn’t cost a fortune to start with.
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