Giving to Charity - advice please

[Sideboard Bob]

There are already so many helpful, thoughtful suggestions here.
I agree with them all, particularly about local charities, and the air ambulance.
I look out for charities raising money for something that is desperately underfunded, a few years ago I took part in a sponsored event for a cystic fibrosis charity. At the time there wasn’t enough funding towards the research, I had no idea until I’d seen a documentary on the subject shortly beforehand.

 

[Midgetgem]

I live up north and support my local mental health charity Headlight. They're not a franchise.

Mental health support organisations are such a needed service and are very much so overlooked. Everyone is quick to donate to the bigger charities when they think of a subject, but I know with my donations it goes direct to the charity and really makes a difference. This is such a lovely thing for you to do x

 

[ShowMeYourFeline]

I'm a firm believer that Charity begins at home, I donate to Children in Need but I don't support Comic Relief nor any of the adverts where its overseas.
What help do UK get when we are in need.....none yet we are expected to help other Countries.

This is so true. We give so much, and I don’t expect praise as we are comparatively rich. Also helping other countries is good. Yet we are constantly attacked, accused and blamed for problems all over the world, when proportionally, we give more aid than any other country. We help countries who wouldn’t puss on us if we were on fire.

Also I’m not convinced that a lot of the charity is helpful.

To put it crudely if you “help” them short-term without helping them to support themselves, in 30 years time you will have another 10 mouths to feed, who can’t support themselves.

Also some of the things are downright harmful. For example, some hunger charities like to donate livestock, but an animal can never produce anywhere near as much food as it eats. One study found that recipients of livestock were spending 3/4 of their entire income on feed for their animals.

 

[littlepup]

You can find families/people/organisations on gofundme who are raising Money for something specific such as a final trip for a dying loved one, memorial garden, specialist treatment etc. If you can trust they are legit, this money goes directly to the person asking.
£100 for a family that wants a week in a caravan by the coast would be a massive amount.
Yes you can argue that they might not help themselves Cos the mum smokes or they might spend it in the arcades what have you but I’d rather that than give it to a massive charity so they can rent offices in a prestigious location and have expensive marketing firms create their ads.

I know there are people who won’t support certain charities under kind of victim blaming reasons. (‘cancer is caused by being unhealthy’ ‘People are homeless through choice’ etc) There are a number of charities that provide respite for families of sick children, hospices that provide children end of life care, charities that support children after bereavement (specific ones who’ve lost people to murder or suicide) Personally I’d say children are blameless and deserve support so I’d some charities don’t sit well with you, these may be a good place to start.

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

You can find families/people/organisations on gofundme who are raising Money for something specific such as a final trip for a dying loved one, memorial garden, specialist treatment etc. If you can trust they are legit, this money goes directly to the person asking.
£100 for a family that wants a week in a caravan by the coast would be a massive amount.
Yes you can argue that they might not help themselves Cos the mum smokes or they might spend it in the arcades what have you but I’d rather that than give it to a massive charity so they can rent offices in a prestigious location and have expensive marketing firms create their ads.

I know there are people who won’t support certain charities under kind of victim blaming reasons. (‘cancer is caused by being unhealthy’ ‘People are homeless through choice’ etc) There are a number of charities that provide respite for families of sick children, hospices that provide children end of life care, charities that support children after bereavement (specific ones who’ve lost people to murder or suicide) Personally I’d say children are blameless and deserve support so I’d some charities don’t sit well with you, these may be a good place to start.

Great Idea about giving to gofundme's I'd never considered it due to the amount of fraud but I guess some of it could probably be verified. Places like Ronald Macdonald house that help people with sick kids is great. There's a few charities like that about

 

[littlepup]

Great Idea about giving to gofundme's I'd never considered it due to the amount of fraud but I guess some of it could probably be verified. Places like Ronald Macdonald house that help people with sick kids is great. There's a few charities like that about

In East Anglia we have EACH that provides respite care for families and end of life care for sick children. Nelson’s Journey and Stars support bereaved children. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were similar organisations that service your county/local area.

 

[TheScarletgirl]

I like to donate to local charities .

If you look up Charity CEO online you will be horrified what they and other hangers on earn.

 

[marlaxo]

I work for a small local charity (we are a branch of a big national one) - we are very under funded as people assume we get lots of money from the government, from the larger charities - no we do not! I work for one supporting the elderly, as there are so many elderly, vulnerable old people that just seem to get forgotten about when they retire, as families are too busy or live far away.

 

[Tui]

My dad did financial advice for charities and always said it’s better to set up a regular direct debit that to donate ad hoc, even if it’s just a few quid a month, as it means the charity has a predictable income and can make financial plans.
I prefer to donate to U.K. based charities and pick them based on subjects close to my heart e.g Mind, Shelter, Camphill Village Trust, National Trust.
If you use Amazon you can do Amazon Smile which will donate a % of what you spend to a charity of your choice ( smile.amazon.co.uk )

 

[Ellegee]

Hello everyone,
Apologies if there is a thread on this already, couldn't see one!
I have decided that I need to start giving a bit of my money to charity each month. I earn a decent salary and can't watch anymore adverts on TV without feeling immense guilt!
I would love to help particularly with the yemen crisis or something similar - but there are just so many options, I don't know where to start! I've also heard stories about charities pocketing a lot of the money before it gets to actually helping.
Does anyone have any advice here / could point me in the right direction - I want to make sure my money lands in the right hands
Thank you! xx

There’s been so much about charities over the last few years re big salaries paid out & only a small percentage going to the people that actually need it so instead of donating money now I give food, toys & clothing to a local food bank. Someone in my sons school is now wearing his uniform & barely worn shoes from last year so it’s nice to know we are helping people that we are possibly passing in the street as we go about our business.
The adverts on tv would make you want to help so many but you really don’t know where your money will end up.

 

[freda19]

I own my own house and don’t have kids (yet) I’ve got lots of savings and feel pretty safe in my job (I work in as stable of a role as you could ever have!) I’m not talking £500 a months worth of donations more in the £50-£100 remit. Whilst I understand your sentiment I really do want to donate and not to put more towards my own life.

That's a great amount and will make a difference.
Personally we support Trocaire (it means compassion). It's Irish based and is the outreach of the Catholic Church, so those facts might put you off, but their admin costs are very much held in check compared to other big agencies so the causes they support in war torn, disaster-hit or poverty stricken areas get better value for money from the donations.
They also do Christmas gifts where you can buy things like chickens, solar lamps, school meals, school books, a goat or seeds and tools for villages world wide. Of course there are much bigger gifts if you feel so inclined. You get a card depicting your chosen gift and you can send or hand the card to whoever you choose rather than buying shite gifts that nobody really wants. We do it for all family members these days and it's better than hauling sacks of toys etc around relatives who really don't need the gifts.

Gifts of Change - Trócaire

With your help Trócaire provides resources and Gifts of Change to those in need.

www.trocaire.org

 

[Trixabellee9393]

defo don’t sign up to those £2 a month etc sort of ones... there just not directly going to the cause unfortunately.... do stuff which u know full well is directly helping and getting the moneys worth for example buying a load of cat food and taking it to the local cat rescue ... they always need food and it will directly be given to the cats it’s not money it’s food so yeah will be used appropriately also could buy cat beds and stuff . Cat rescues are always struggling xxx So basically but whatever yourself and do it that way!

 

[littlepup]

defo don’t sign up to those £2 a month etc sort of ones... there just not directly going to the cause unfortunately.... do stuff which u know full well is directly helping and getting the moneys worth for example buying a load of cat food and taking it to the local cat rescue ... they always need food and it will directly be given to the cats it’s not money it’s food so yeah will be used appropriately also could buy cat beds and stuff . Cat rescues are always struggling xxx So basically but whatever yourself and do it that way!

I used to help fundraise for out local cat rescue until they refused a full pallet of dried cat food from my ex employer. (It was brand new, PAH brand but had been stamped incorrectly, direct from the factory.) because they ‘had no where to put it’. I was absolutely furious. You might want to double check what they can take before turning up in case that was actually a legitimate thing and not laziness of unloading it.

 

[freda19]

The problem with a direct debit is that you WILL get phone calls or emails at some point asking you to raise the amount. It will be worded beautifully but I think it's a bleeping cheek. One of my aunts was tortured by phone over this some years ago. My dad cancelled the debit and when the next phone call came asking her to up her donation he told the guy the debit was cancelled and they should be ashamed of themselves guilting people who are already donating. He blocked their number and dumped any mail from them and the people they had passed my aunt's details to. Cunts