Do You give to charity

Turning the OP around - does anyone NOT donate to charity?

Support quite a diverse range of charities, some with regular monthly payments, some with once or twice a year donations. I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford it. Charities include the local adult hospice, children's hospice, RNLI, London air ambulance, a fistula charity, Salvation Army, water aid. I've stopped the dd to Oxfam, that will be diverted to supporting a charity for women and girls.
Minerva I too have withdrawn support from charities that won't stop asking for more when I've clearly asked them to stop. The Salvation Army were brilliant and immediately replied and stopped the requests saying they were more than pleased with the promised donations they got twice a year.

I have 2 dds to 3rd World charities and also make a fortnightly donation to a charity set up years ago by my late father.

Yes, lots, but I have researched each one to see what percentage goes on paying their CEOs. I also remove from my list any charity which harasses me with almost monthly requests for more when I have already set up a direct debit. I like local charities best but my favourite is still Médecins Sans Frontières which ticks all the boxes for me.

I give to food banks

In 2019, He was ordered to repay £148K.

The Hospice worker admitted the charge before he went to trial and was sentenced to 4 years in jail He’d used the money for luxuries and said ‘he’d planned to repay it, but it got out of hand’.

I’m hopeful that ‘proceeds of crime’ would get the money back for the Hospice.

I support our local RNLI here alongside The Mersey every penny goes direct to them.
Also Claire House Hospice to help support parents who need to stay with their children when they have treatment and are away from their homes.

Was the money recovered? It’s an appalling thing to do. Stealing from a charity is akin to stealing from a church in my book.

georgesgran was he a compulsive gambler? 9 times out of 10, when a boss steals from his employer, that is behind it.

Witzend

greenlady102

yes. Next question.
I also think that saying "I don't give because some charities take too big a cut" is disingenuous. Its easy enought to see the charity's books and see where the money goes. Give or don't give but don't make excuses.

IMO people like to think hardly any money goes to the actual cause, because it absolves them from feeling that they ought to donate.

yes I agree....hence the snippy answer

greenlady102

yes. Next question.
I also think that saying "I don't give because some charities take too big a cut" is disingenuous. Its easy enought to see the charity's books and see where the money goes. Give or don't give but don't make excuses.

IMO people like to think hardly any money goes to the actual cause, because it absolves them from feeling that they ought to donate.

yes. Next question.
I also think that saying "I don't give because some charities take too big a cut" is disingenuous. Its easy enought to see the charity's books and see where the money goes. Give or don't give but don't make excuses.

Georgesgran, what a shocking and despicible thing to do, stealing from a hospice. I am disgusted!

Once again another thread where the OP makes a mind boggling, but uncorroborated, statement - and then never comes back to justify it.

I have a portfolio of charities I support, covering a range of charity areas I wish to cover and now and again I drop one and take up a similar one.

I too donate to a variety of charities - recently adding SmileTrain to the list. I still donate to a local Hospice, despite the Chief Exec being found guilty of stealing £100K!
I agree that big charities take out for admin, but they are and need to be administered as big businesses - bidding and vying for our donations, however small.

Yes I have a direct debt for Mary’s Meals and I also support our local woman’s aid.

I give to cats protection and donate lots of stuff to the local hospice shop. I take stuff for friends and relatives as well as my own

Pambles01 Which charity do you donate to? No fully registered British charity could get away with giving so little they collect to the charity they support. The Charities Commission would be on them like a ton of bricks.

I assume that you have been checking the fully audited accounts of the charities you support. Is ? They are very complicated.

The following link is helpful www.ncvo.org.uk/images/documents/about_us/media-centre/reporting-on-charities-3-running-costs.pdf

If large charities didn't have good managers and Marketing people they would be running bring-and-buy sales and tombolas at summer fairs.

The top people in charities are bringing considerable expertise, and are working for a living, so command salaries commensurate with the budgets they manage as well as the other skills they are offering.

I have DDs to Shelter and the NSPCC. I used to being to Amnesty too, but left when they got too political. I have a bequest to Freedom From Torture in my will.

Pambles01

Just a question does anyone give to charity? I used to give religiously until I realised just how much the charity actually receives out of your donations maybe 1 % after mangers etc have taken their cut very disillusioned

Have you made a typo with your percentage figure?

The larger charities are often criticized for their running costs but they are very large businesses and as such need decent management.

I did voluntary fund raising for Save the Children for 20 years when I lived in Suffolk. SCF's overheads were, and I think still are, around 10% . It's rather naive to think that they could survive on a shoestring.

We sponsor a schoolgirl in Africa, have a DD to the RSPB, I regularly give to the food bank and I am a member of our local Hospice lottery. I volunteer in a charity shop and donate large items of furniture to a local charity that employs people with special needs who renovate the furniture to sell on. Always give donations to any TV appeals and disaster appeals.

timetogo I don't know where you got your information regarding Cancer Research but I'm afraid it is totally incorrect, in the 2020-2021 87p of every £ raised went to research not 5p. I also get a bit annoyed when I keep receiving requests to increase my donations but charities do this because it actually does bring in more money than they spend making the request (or they wouldn't do it). Their accounts are available online for anyone to see. I totally agree that it's appalling that the Poppy appeal has such huge reserves sitting in the bank!

I used to give £12 a month to Cancer research UK until they started asking me constantly for more.
I asked them to stop and they didn`t so i stopped giving.
Also found out less than 5% actually went to the charity.
I do give to Air ambulance and donate at some charity shops.
I used to give to the poppy appeal before i found that they have 70 million pounds sitting in the bank.

Yes standing orders for Save the Children and cancer research even if they do not get all the money it is still badly needed .