Giving to charities, do you do it?

Hey everyone, could you please do me a huge favour and help me out with some research I'm doing into charitable giving? It only takes a couple of minutes and you'll ultimately be contributing to a great cause, thanks!

http://bit.ly/charityquestions

Done. I give to three charities by DD so I can wave away charity muggers with impunity.

Thanks Crispin. I have to contend with at least 5 chuggers every day of the week, it's really not the greatest way to raise money...

The questionnaire seems to focus on participation in fundraising rather than charitable giving.

I have never jiggled a collection box in the shopping centre but I give each month via DD to a couple of different causes.

Charities depend on guilt, something I do not subscribe to. I do donate to the poppy appeal though and help for hero's - I feel they are worthy causes.

Actually reading my comment I look like an emotional retard. I basically hate been hounded by charities, something they increasingly do. I'd quite like to know exactly where the money is being spent and then I can give at my discretion. Those happy, mental hippy types that attack you when you're at your most vunerable on the street or come rattling a bucket in your face in the pub I can do without.

Done.

Incidentally, nice use of GDocs, Looks very pretty :)

Charities depend on guilt, something I do not subscribe to. I do donate to the poppy appeal though and help for hero's - I feel they are worthy causes.

Um, are we still in Victorian times?

Actually reading my comment I look like an emotional retard. I basically hate been hounded by charities, something they increasingly do. I'd quite like to know exactly where the money is being spent and then I can give at my discretion. Those happy, mental hippy types that attack you when you're at your most vunerable on the street or come rattling a bucket in your face in the pub I can do without.

Then ask. It's not that complicated, and you can restrict your donation to direct activities, rather than an organisation's overheads, but remember that you can't deliver a project helping individuals, projects, donkeys, etc. without someone to manage it.

But I'm not going to disagree with you on Chuggers. They cause the most complaints, and end up costing younger people / students more in bank fees than they donate to the organisation. However that ability to collect contact details is worth a fortune to some charities.

Oh and check that pub rattlers are actually not thieves in costume.

I try and give 10% of net income, but reality is that I'm only giving 8% currently.

Having done the questionnaire... seemed weird.

I raise little to nothing, I just give. I dislike the peer-pressure thing or guilt... people should feel free to give as much or as little as they wish to and can afford to, without anyone else pressuring them to do anything else.

I give direct simply because I favour obscure small charities with specific functions (like providing old computers to schools in Africa), and I certainly don't do that because of a mobile phone app or micropayments system.

I give what percent I do because I honestly think that we in the UK are lucky fuckers who live in the top slice of the world's population (wealth-wise). And I know from a harder past that I can easily survive on less. I simply feel personally uncomfortable earning more than I need and use a 10% figure to ensure that I'm able to live below my earnings always. It just simplifies things for me. I'm not a fan of sponsored events, but I like raising awareness for charities if not money (I'm very very seriously wondering what I can go to promote prostrate and testicular cancer causes on LFGSS given our demographics... not from a "give money" thing, but more of a "be aware of this shit" thing).

Anyhow... weird questionnaire. Not least the "which mobile do you use" which didn't include Android, Google or HTC.

Thanks for all your comments. It is a slightly weird questionnaire I suppose. The discussion about guilt-tripping is also something I already knew of but it's good to know why it's a put-off.

Basically I'm working on a project to make charitable donations easier and without having a charity (or chugger) try and guilt-trip you. Will keep you all posted if you're interested in knowing more when it develops.

Anyhow... weird questionnaire. Not least the "which mobile do you use" which didn't include Android, Google or HTC.
With you on the questionnaire, but HTC is the only manufacturer on your list. I'd agree it warrants its own spot though.

Blackberry isn't technically a manufacturer either, but it's probably better to leave that in.

Basically I'm working on a project to make charitable donations easier and without having a charity (or chugger) try and guilt-trip you. Will keep you all posted if you're interested in knowing more when it develops.

You get more income off older people, and those about to cark it, but you need to nurture that relationship for a while before you make a bigger ask. They're less likely to use intermediary technology to find an organisation to donate to, and respond better to DM / appeals / legacy drives /peers etc.

I raise little to nothing, I just give.

I must say that I am not a huge fan of doing sponsored events, although I appreciate that they do help raise huge sums for charity. I did a sponsored ride for my 50th birthday (which was wehat got me into cycling) but promised at the time that I would not be doing another sponsored event for 10 years.

in 2017, I will have to do something spectacular for my 60th. Suggestions and trianing programmes welcome.

Start leaning now.

/scoble.

Something along this line Clive.

Done.

I can't see how giving via a mobile phone would increase donations in all fairness.. but if it does then great.

My better half used to work for ICR and it was quite a wrench for her to leave because of all the good work she was able to help with.

I do DD. When they knock my door, I either say, that I already donate or ask them for the website address.

By the way, there's nothing worse than a £35 fine for a failed direct debit for a charity. My wife incurred quite few charges this way (some water for Africa charity) and she argued hard with the bank to donate the charges to the charity.

Done and done

Clive

Can you do an Elton John type event? I'm sure you have a number of "David Furnish" types from the forum, or even your non-forum life.

Look, I give lots, but I "just don't want to talk about it"

Candle in the wind? I could do tricks with a lighted candle, I suppose but I thought that an endurance event linked to cycling might be more appropriate. Something truly challenging. London to Santiago de Compostela might be an idea. 1350 miles and the Pyrenees in between.

i like charity. i just don't like (most) charities.
i knew somebody who was a P.A. to a chief executive of a big charity. the waste and where the money went was shocking.

those people being paid £8 an hour to harass you in the street can fuck off too.

apart from the British legion i would rather donate to 'local' things like a machine that goes ping in a ward or the air ambulance.

Sounds like you want to start a competitor to Just Giving. Good luck to you! They are pretty good at what they do, and are adding a lot of value. But there is always room for competition..

Raising money and donating / giving it are two different things I think. I raised £2k for charity this year but I didn't donate any of that myself.

The first question should be: Do you support charities? Answers would be: No; Yes, by donating to them; Yes, by raising money for them; Yes, both. (Arguably could include volunteering in this.) Follow with how many charities supported. Then cover each of the options, eg: How often do you donate (Never, 1-2 times per year, 3-11 times a year, at least once a month); How do you donate? etc.

I think you'll get a more useful set of results if you re-think the survey design. I'd be happy to re-take it.

For me, it's not about "charity" but "charities". I donate to stuff that needs funding but otherwise wouldn't get it. The most obvious example for me is the Jennifer Trust which wouldn't exist without significant amounts of donations. The genetic research they fund in Cologne and Berlin plus the great work they do in hooking up families with the same issues (children suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy) is vital to them and wouldn't happen without charitable funding.

There are tons of others. The point is you have to both understand what you are funding and have a reason to fund it. Money's not the only option - you can spend time or lend publicity too.