Giving to charities, do you do it?

I give money to the busker behind the dalston shopping centre thing, he's always on that ramp going down to the parking lot. His name is Mike, he's a nice guy and always up for a quick chat

charities though, don't trust them to spend the money wisely

i buy all my clothes from gypo (shut it!) shops (except my pants and socks)
and regulary donate to other charities

That reminds me Murts, I've just sent you another batch of my old pants and socks. Should be with you Tuesday.

coolio, my pants have the arse and bollox hanging out of them, and my socks look like fingerless gloves

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)

Good points about the difference between fundraising and donating. Someone else has raised the issue of costs of fundraising, which usually turns me against 'chuggers' - it's always good to look at the admin costs of charities.

Ps - I work for a charity

Where I 'give' to charities, I do this through being a member (LCC, CTC, Vegan Society), or through volunteering (mainly LCC). I very rarely just give a supporter's donation, although of course it depends on what the charity prefers.

Having worked for a couple of the the UK's largest charities I would agree that there is a difference between fundraising and donating/giving; but one would not exist without another. Fundraising campaigns are very expensive to run, and they are arguably more about marketing, but these appeals are what makes Sheila and Derek in Sevenoaks sign up for £10 a month to help "them poor buggers in Africa". Some people support things they already feel passionate about, some people need reminding that their life is fucking peachy and others ain't so lucky, some give to be seen giving, and so on.

I give to charity every day- in blood

I do.
I don't fill out online surveys though.

I give to charity every day- in blood

+1

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.

I'm never sure whether to take you seriously, but here goes:

There are more than 180,000 charities registered in England and Wales, with a total income of around £52billion per year. But because of a chat with one PA, you've decided that the majority of charities are bad and spending money inappropriately?

I'm not denying that waste exists in the sector, it's inevitable. But it's a bit of a sweeping statement isn't it?

And then, aside from the RBL, you choose to fund causes which should really be funded by the state, or are actual arms of the state?

My main gripe with big charities is the massive campaigns. Sure, it probably leads to more money for the charity, but just imagine the amount of money that people have donated that ends up in the pocket of an advertising agency etc.

Sure, many of them do it pro bono, but definitely not all of them

My main gripe with big charities is the massive campaigns.

Support some smaller ones then. There are plenty doing great work and in need of the money.

Also, you would not expect a charity to get their premises rent free or their electricity for nothing. Charity workers have to pay train fares and, when they travel for work, hotel accommodation. Where does one draw the line when looking at suppliers to charities? Advertisers, lawyers and accountants ought to be free? But not computer vendors or landlords or electricity companies?

I'm never sure whether to take you seriously, but here goes:

There are more than 180,000 charities registered in England and Wales, with a total income of around £52billion per year. But because of a chat with one PA, you've decided that the majority of charities are bad and spending money inappropriately?

I'm not denying that waste exists in the sector, it's inevitable. But it's a bit of a sweeping statement isn't it?

And then, aside from the RBL, you choose to fund causes which should really be funded by the state, or are actual arms of the state?

it was one of the biggies. you know the ones with shops in the high st, leaflets through your door and people stopping you in the street. not the retired donkey sanctuary in worthing. it probably accounts for a significant chunk of that 52 billion.
i chose to give to less top heavy charities.

lots of charities fund things that the state should fund:

the air ambulance.
hospices.
medical research.
reading/books in schools.
etc. etc.

lots of charities fund things that the state should fund:

the air ambulance.
hospices.
medical research.
reading/books in schools.
etc. etc.

... transport infrastructure & promotion too.

MrSmyth is too modest to admit it, but he supports charities (well at least one, to my knowledge) in other ways...

Doesn't make him any less of a grumpy bastard (on here)

Done, have a bump.