Charities - do you give?

[Waldo]

No

 

(this bit is just filler)

[Staunton]

We all fear cancer. And, sadly, people who have experienced cancer, or who have relatives with cancer, or who have lost family members to the disease, can often be seen shaking a tin for Cancer Research UK in Barker's Pool or Fargate of a Saturday, come rain or shine.

 

But did you know that the research findings that all that heartbreaking charitable effort delivers are put straight into the hands of the multinational tax avoiding pharmaceutical companies?

[ECCOnoob]

Here is a simple example of how charities can be used cynically - Diageo seem happy for one of their their brands, Bell's Whisky, to carry the graphics for the Help for Heroes charity. It's a nice marketing stunt to raise the image of Bells and encourage more people to buy their product, using the high profile of a charity that has been established through the hard work and dedication of ordinary people, many of them services veterans.

 

Multinational tax avoider Deageo seem more than pleased to trade in the safety and security of the UK market, safety and security provided by our police and our armed forces. However, Diageo are not so keen on paying those taxes that support these same institutions.

 

I would say there is always a bit of chicken and egg syndrome with this though.

 

Often it is the charities themsevles who are approaching businesses for their own purposes not the other way around.. Charities will seek out corporate sponsorship, donated supplies or products, volunteer staffing or resources for events, free publishing, free marketing, free transportation....

 

Its a no brainer that any business approached would say yes to this, after all who turns down free publicity.

 

Perhaps its for the charities to be a little bit more selective and aware of who they are getting into bed with. Maybe that's no so easy when you are seeking ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for nothing.

[Staunton]

I would say there is always a bit of chicken and egg syndrome with this though.

 

Often it is the charities themsevles who are approaching businesses for their own purposes not the other way around.. Charities will seek out corporate sponsorship, donated supplies or products, volunteer staffing or resources for events, free publishing, free marketing, free transportation....

 

Its a no brainer that any business approached would say yes to this, after all who turns down free publicity.

 

Perhaps its for the charities to be a little bit more selective and aware of who they are getting into bed with. Maybe that's no so easy when you are seeking ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for nothing.

 

Well stated ECCOnoob. You make some excellent and valid points!

[cressida]

If you use eBay, did you know that the Shaw Trust sell thousands of items on eBay to raise funds and so do hundreds of other charities?

 

If you go to http://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebayforcharity/ you can choose a charity to support either by selling an item with a proportion (or all) of the purchase price being taken off by Missionfish to go to the charity before you see it, or you can buy direct from the charities.

 

I set myself a challenge last year which I may repeat this year. Every one of my Christmas presents gave either all of its profits to a charity relevant to the recipient or gave 100% of its value because it was a donated item.

 

It took a long time to find a good gift for people that also happened to give money to a charity that they would be happy to support, but it was an interesting exercise to attempt and 43 charities got at least a small donation, from Hillside Animal Rescue to Scarborough St Catherine's Hospice, who made some lovely calendars last year

 

Thanks for the info. Medusa, the charity bag for MacMillan hasn't been collected yet, will take it in later now.

[Crosser]

TBQH Some of the CEO's of 'charities' are paid a comparable salary to the prime minister.

 

The RSPCA quickly springs to mind....

 

So... NO I definitely do not give to them, much as I love animals.

[taxman]

I give to two charities.

 

TBH this stuff about wages for top execs is just rubbish.

 

Compare them to bankers:

 

Charity A has 500 shops around Britain, gets gifts and endowments worth millions and the charity succeeds in it's prime function of distributing aid to Africa or buying land in Sussex for bird reserves.

 

He has done his job.

 

Bank B has a Chairman who spent the last half of his contract negotiating his pension. When he left the job the bank was bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.

 

He didn't do his job but will receive three quarters of a million pounds pension every year.

 

All these people saying that heads of charities should be on minimum wage are exactly the same people who claim we can't get good bankers unless we pay them £15million an hour.

[Crosser]

I give to two charities.

 

TBH this stuff about wages for top execs is just rubbish.

 

Compare them to bankers:

 

Charity A has 500 shops around Britain, gets gifts and endowments worth millions and the charity succeeds in it's prime function of distributing aid to Africa or buying land in Sussex for bird reserves.

 

He has done his job.

 

Bank B has a Chairman who spent the last half of his contract negotiating his pension. When he left the job the bank was bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.

 

He didn't do his job but will receive three quarters of a million pounds pension every year.

 

All these people saying that heads of charities should be on minimum wage are exactly the same people who claim we can't get good bankers unless we pay them £15million an hour.

 

 

I Didn't ask for the CEO to be on minimum wage, however I do draw the line at donating to put fuel in the car of someone who gets as much money as the PM (It's all relative) ESPECIALLY in the cases where 'charities' are exploiting the workfare schemes (BHF, Sally Army, PDSA, RSPCA etc etc) At least Commerce is known for having no scruples, Charities however like to be seen to be benevolent when infact they are self serving and quite the opposite.

[tinfoilhat]

I give to two charities.

 

TBH this stuff about wages for top execs is just rubbish.

 

Compare them to bankers:

 

Charity A has 500 shops around Britain, gets gifts and endowments worth millions and the charity succeeds in it's prime function of distributing aid to Africa or buying land in Sussex for bird reserves.

 

He has done his job.

 

Bank B has a Chairman who spent the last half of his contract negotiating his pension. When he left the job the bank was bankrupt and had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.

 

He didn't do his job but will receive three quarters of a million pounds pension every year.

 

All these people saying that heads of charities should be on minimum wage are exactly the same people who claim we can't get good bankers unless we pay them £15million an hour.

 

The thing they rely generally on good people who don't earn a fraction of these charity top earners to give money for nothing more than a warm feeling. A lot will also rely heavily on people standing out in the rain for free to generate money, maybe in the memory of a loved one who died etc. It sticks in my craw a bit that whilst you've got lots giving you have those at the top doing it just for the money. I can appreciate they have big budgets and are big organisations but the amount some earn is excessive.

 

Do I give to some? Of course I do, including some of the big ones. They are the only show in town in some cases and we all want to see a cure for cancer and stuff - I just don't have to like how they are run.

[spats]

ESPECIALLY in the cases where 'charities' are exploiting the workfare schemes (BHF, Sally Army, PDSA, RSPCA etc etc)

 

What makes you say that? I've helped many Charities over the years and I can't say I've come across any that has 'exploited' the Workfare Scheme. I've found the opposite, actually. The experience, confidence & social skills gained from being at a Charity have helped many to find paid employment after months of unemployment. I even know of people who started on Workfare being offered paid employment at the Charity they spent their placement at.