How do you choose - there are so many good ones?

I give a monthly donation to Mary's Meals as well. Very worthwhile. Guarantees a daily meal for children whilst at school. Their parents are happy to spare them as they get fed and educated at the same time. A really great charity - the only 'none local' one I support.

Never heard of Mary's Meals. I will look them up.

We had five charity letters last week which we couldn’t possibly give to all of them. So h and I picked one each
He had crisis and I had Alzheimer’s both asked for between 20 and 30 pounds, we both sent a cheque for £10.00

We support Action Aid, and also our local hospice - I have reason to know how excellent and valuable their service is. I also send annually to the organisation (whose name currently escapes me!) that provide a meal to the homeless at Christmas.

I turn down all other requests - very hard sometimes, but there has to be a limit. I always simply say that we have our chosen charities when solicited for donations.

If I had to choose one it would be The Salvation Army because my lovely Dad was a member when he was a young boy and used to tell me what good work they did. It always brings tears to my eyes when they play carols at Christmas because it reminds me of him.

I buy colourful wool and knit cannula sleeves for 'Handmade for Dementia'. People with dementia tend to pull out their cannulas causing distress to themselves and staff when they have to have a new cannula fitted. The feedback from the hospitals is excellent and we have saved the NHS money by reducing the waste of cannulas. There are strict safety rules but if anyone wants to know more about it, feel free to PM me.

There was a recent item on Granada Reports about the group and last week we won an award from The Alzheimers Society.

Choosing a charity to support is a very subjective decision and there are many people who cannot afford to give financial help who give their time and skills instead, which in my opinion is often of equal, if not greater, value.

Apart from Water Aid I don't support any of the big charities, simply because it has been my experience that smaller charities 'punch above their weight' with their much more limited resources. I sponsor the education of three Nicaraguan children who were scavenging off rubbish dumps because they couldn't afford schooling. The money is paid directly to the school through a local charity who sends a volunteer to hand over the money and visit each of the children once a year. I have a DD for a small charity called 'Care for the Family' that aims to strengthen and support family life and whose single parent/bereavement support programmes are incredibly good; I twin a toilet at least once a year and I lend to budding entrepreneurs in Africa through DEKI microloans. I am also giving financial support to a member of my extended family who is in work, but currently struggling to make ends meet. The saying that 'charity begins at home' is close to my heart.

In practical terms both the The Wonderful Man and I do extensive voluntary work; he has just returned from helping to build a school in Africa where he also ran Farming and Forestry Workshops. He paid not only his own expenses, gave his time and expertise, but also part-funded some of the building materials. He will go again in two years time to help with the next phase of the project which is in a very poor part of Western Kenya. I work almost full time hours on a Homelessness Project (to which I also contribute financially) and in my 'spare' time I do Chaplaincy work. We also host several annual holidays in our home for clients of Freedom from Torture.

I've just read back what I've written and it makes me sound like St Activist; I'm far from it. I have been on the receiving end of others' charity and I'm simply giving back. I love the work I do and having an open house and it isn't any hardship at all.

I give to charities close to my heart and make sure that it does go directly to the charity.

I prefer not to donate.as i put left over money in collecting boxes.and i work voluntary for salvation army.so am doing my bit as im donating my time and energy to them.i find this more worthwhile.

We support five children who are resident in an orphanage in southern India. One of the girls we have had since she was 6 years old - she is now 18 and leaving school. None of them could have finished their education without support as although not all of them are orphans, the school has 2000 children to educate. This system is run by volunteers in Belgium who guarantee that all the money from the sponsors goes to the benefit of the child as it is run via the Catholic church. We receive touching letters and photos of the children each Christmas time. If anyone feels they would like to support a very poor child, please contact us privately so that we can put you in touch with the organisation, who are at present looking for more sponsors. Thank you in advance if you so decide. It makes a huge difference to their lives - especially amongst the girls.

I only support local charities. Highland Hospice, local football, youth clubs etc.The big charities pay their "executives' far, far too much - all from your donations. As for sending money abroad - well, I've lived in these poor countries and 90% of the money ends up in someones back pocket. Our huge foreign aid budget should be better applied and more closely monitored to benefit the intended recipients.

Give to the charity which appeals to you the most, easy peasy, what's the difficulty!

I tend to favour animal charities, always have done. But there is so much wrong with our world that so much charity support is even necessary in the 21st century. But I'm sure every penny is appreciated.

I tend to donate to charities that I have had some sort of connection with. McMillan Nurses (nursed my mum), charities connected with infant loss ( angel grandson) and the British Heart Foundation (DH has heart disease). Most of my donations are through friends and neighbours doing sponsered events.

I crochet for a charity called Knit a Square. I don't send them money because they only use PayPal but I send things to Knit for Life in the UK who fundraise for them and have named them on Easyfundraising. I recently bought a lap top (which doesn't work and I am still trying to send back) and they got over £23 just for that one purchase.
For actual payments I give to LendwithCare. I usually choose people in the occupied territories in Palestine to lend to or Zambia or Zimbabwe.
In this country it tends to be one off things. Often injusticies people are trying to fight. I think you have to be very careful with crowdfunding and I choose things that can be checked.

Animal charities as animals need humans for survival and also the Armed Forces as having lost relatives in both wars and observing the trauma many are still suffering both mental and physical from on going conflicts around the world.

No rules but I do look at how they spend their funds and how much is taken by big CEO salaries...

Giving to charity is a very personal thing. I only give to charities after I have ‘researched’ them as much as possible. To my mind there are far tooo many now anyway.

Applegran what a lovely post. It has really lifted my spirits on such a miserable day. I donate to what ever touches my heart. More often than not, to UK charities that benefit children or the homeless.

Pick a small, local charity which 'does what it says on the tin'. The larger ones pay their senior executives hundreds of thousands of doners' pounds. It is a money-go-round racket and not what people think they are contributing to.

Yes I support Mary's Meals and with the help of my friends recently held a tea party to raise money for them . Great fun .

I support a Hospice (I may need them one day), the Air ambulance because it is often called out to this area and the RNLI because they are not funded by the government and they are all volunteers.

Pretty much local for me every time. I can usually find detailed info of those running them and how the income is disbursed.

We donate quite a lot of money every month to various charities. I am afraid I stay close to home with some, I do not give to animal charities or those giving abroad. I feel for the poor children abroad but I am not sure the money goes to the right place. It often ends up in the hands of unscrupulous governments.

I also give to the Rickshaw challenge.

I object though when some of my chosen charities ring me up to ask me to increase my donation. I tell them that if I choose to give more I will give it to someone else and they should be grateful for what we do give them.

I donate locally - our local hospice and air ambulance. The only national charity I give to is RNIB. They were really good to my grandfather so I want to give something back.