Charity Appeals

[spen666]

At this time of year more charities launch appeals for funds on TV and Radio. I do not want to discuss the merits of any charities or the subjects of their appeals. What does interest me is when the charity says to gove a specified amount. I've just seen an appeal from CRISIS saying "to give £29.80 ......[then telling me how to do that]. Its not just Crisis and I only mention them as they were the last charity appeal I saw.

Perhaps its just me, but if I am going to give to a cause then I will choose how much to give. Those charities that tell me what amount to give are less likely to get a donation off me.

Also, an amount like £29.80 is a lot to give and I am sure some people who can't give that much will be put off feeling the amount they donate is not enough for that charity.

I have been involved with a number of charities over the last 30 years, often more than one at a time and understand and support their need for donations from the public. but I do question telling people the amount to give and even more so when the amount is a significant amount

 

[Drago]

I donate to the guide dogs monthly, and the amount of pamphlets and shizzle they bombard me with is and sending. I winter what proportion of my £50 goeson printing that crap each mknths?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I winter what proportion of my £50 goeson printing that crap each mknths?

£49.99 goes on spell check.

 

[biggs682]

My late father use to send majority of the charities that he received junk mail from a £5 cheque each time.

After his death I spent ages trying to contact them all to take his name and address of the mailing lists as it upset mum seeing them drop through the letterbox.

 

[Sharky]

I am in the Kent and Sussex air ambulance monthly draw, I was a customer of them some years ago.

I also have a CAF Charity Account, paying in £10 a month. This builds up and when family and friends do a charity event, I can give a reasonable donation, without hitting the bank balance too hard.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

One aspect to the TV appeals you frequently see where you contribute through texting some code to some specified number is that I'd assume that many of those giving would be eligible to also agree to "Gift Aid Tax Relief". I appreciate not everybody and that the charity seems to need a signed (in some way) form that your donation is eligible for Gift Aid.

I can appreciate that on the spur of the moment texting to donate in response to a TV Ad will probably achieve far more donations that using some more formal mechanism requiring gift Aid Relief confirmation, etc. but it also seems that Gov. rules are making charities balance effectiveness of a donation mechanism against maximising actual income from donations.

Given that those below Income Tax thresholds will be limited in the amounts they can donate I wonder how many charitable donations would not be eligible for Gift Aid Tax Relief ie how much the Government would lose were they to assume all charitable donations were eligible for such relief. Easier for everybody if Government just make all public donations eligable for Gift Aid Relief at basic income tax rate?

My charitable donations are all on monthly or annual basis direct from bank/card with Gift Aid declarations, etc.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

but I do question telling people the amount to give and even more so when the amount is a significant amount

It’s only a suggestion. You can donate whatever you feel happy with.

 

[Sharky]

Can I make a suggestion ...
@Moderators

Can the moderators set up a Just Giving cycle chat page. I have given several items away for "free", just asking for the recipient makes a small charity donation.

If we all asked for this to be used when giving away items, it would build up to a sizeable amount by the end of the year. We could vote for a preferred charity each year.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Can I make a suggestion ...
@Moderators

Can the moderators set up a Just Giving cycle chat page. I have given several items away for "free", just asking for the recipient makes a small charity donation.

If we all asked for this to be used when giving away items, it would build up to a sizeable amount by the end of the year. We could vote for a preferred charity each year.

I wonder if people would prefer to have more control over where their donations went? For me I never (always answer "no") when card machines ask if I want to include a "charitable donation" as I have no idea what charity. For me different charities focus on areas that concern me more, others less and my donations all go to charities thar work on areas that concern me more. For me it's not about my feeling richeous from making "a charity donation" but about helping causes I regard as important.

But people differ.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

For me different charities focus on areas that concern me more, others less and my donations all go to charities thar work on areas that concern me more.

Spot on. Plus I feel uncomfortable where the attention becomes more about the person doing the donating (or being sponsored), than the charity receiving the money. I much prefer anonymous donating to charities I care about, with no public announcement that I have done so.

 

[PaulSB]

I wonder if people would prefer to have more control over where their donations went? For me I never (always answer "no") when card machines ask if I want to include a "charitable donation" as I have no idea what charity. For me different charities focus on areas that concern me more, others less and my donations all go to charities thar work on areas that concern me more. For me it's not about my feeling richeous from making "a charity donation" but about helping causes I regard as important.

But people differ.

I always say no and very much disapprove of this guilt tripping at the till. I already give to a number of local charities and I'm happy to do so, none of them guilt me into it.

I signed up to the Canal and River Trust last night. Mrs P commented that I get a lot of pleasure from their work and government funding has been withdrawn. That spurred me to my laptop.

 

[Punkawallah]

For me charities waste their money on tv advertising - and street gangs lying in wait for unsuspecting shoppers. They will get nothing from me.
Children in Need brought in £61m in 2025, their CEO gets a salary of £154k.
The UK government brought in £1t in 2025, the Prime Minister gets a salary of £174k.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

For me charities waste their money on tv advertising - and street gangs lying in wait for unsuspecting shoppers.

Re: Street Gangs: I don't go to shopping centres enough to appreciate the degree this is still happening.

Re: TV Ads: I would hope the TV Companies are allocating an amount of their advertising time to charities on a "no charge basis" as their contribution to helping charitable organisations - but no idea what the situation is. Also whilst I agree I can also see that for many charities they need some means to make the public aware of their work and encourage the donations they need to do that work. Were I to setup and register a charity doing some very worthwhile works and then sit at home no would "word of mouth" create and needed income. Similarly Social MEdia presence requires experience of such platforms and how to optimise the algorithms (something specialists get paid a lot of money for). Without advertising many would probably just fade to nothing and magazines (print or electronic) are just advertising, etc.

Re: CEO Salaries: It's all got a bit mad with professional charity CEOs demanding massive salaries, then bouncing between charities incurring their massive "re-branding" costs (with image constltant fees, advertising fees, market research fees, etc. then bouncing on to the next charity before there is time for their massive costs to be found to have had no or negative overall impact. But their next move means higher salary demands as "I successfully restructured and rebranded <xyz> ..." when reality is it's too soon to tell and too late to do anything about it.

 

[Mike Ayling]

At this time of year more charities launch appeals for funds on TV and Radio. I do not want to discuss the merits of any charities or the subjects of their appeals. What does interest me is when the charity says to gove a specified amount. I've just seen an appeal from CRISIS saying "to give £29.80 ......[then telling me how to do that]. Its not just Crisis and I only mention them as they were the last charity appeal I saw.

Perhaps its just me, but if I am going to give to a cause then I will choose how much to give. Those charities that tell me what amount to give are less likely to get a donation off me.

Also, an amount like £29.80 is a lot to give and I am sure some people who can't give that much will be put off feeling the amount they donate is not enough for that charity.

I have been involved with a number of charities over the last 30 years, often more than one at a time and understand and support their need for donations from the public. but I do question telling people the amount to give and even more so when the amount is a significant amount

$29.80 sounds less than $30,

They usually say that the quoted amount will provide a particular benefit to one of the people that they assist.

What really irritates is when they ask me to sign up for a regular monthly amount. Most who do this let it continue ad infinitum.
I know it helps their cashflow but I make annual donations to the charities of my choice which may not be the same from year to year.
Then there are those charities who share/sell your details to other charities!

Rant over

 

[wafter]

By default I don't donate to charities.

While I'm sympathetic to various causes I'm dubious of how the money may or may not be spent and don't have enough time / energy to get everything done, let alone researching the legitimacy of every charity that might approach me.

On top of that I'm not keen on a lot of their tactics..

I intensely dislike being thrust upon by some random in the street or blockading a single point of entry / exit outside a shop.

I resent the demand for my immediate attention and time, as well as the inevitable need to make a decision.. so to avoid this the answer is always a polite but firm no.

Beyond this is dislike many other tactics employed in marketing and appeals, which sometimes seem excessively coercive and presumptuous.

I appreciate the need to drive engagement / raise awareness but for me personally this has all pushed beyond what I'm willing to entertain so I choose to disengage full stop.