Charity gifts

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gambatte

Middle of the pack...
Location
S Yorks
What is it with these?:biggrin:

"As a Christmas gift I've donated £X in your behalf to buy 100 school meals for an African child"


Is it just me that finds these insulting? Do they think I've got some karmic debt that needs balancing?

You want to donate, donate.

If I want to donate, I will and I do. I'm old enough to do things like this in my own name.

:angry::angry::angry:

I'd rather have a card or nothing.
 

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
well I, for one, would rather have one of these than some other crap that just gets shoved in my cupboard. although i have to admit that the "crap" often comes in handy when i'm short of a birthday pressie and i'm broke the next year. all i have to do is remember who gave me the "crap" so that i don't give it back to them. :biggrin:

receiving fair trade jewellery is nice tho :angry:
 
I got a hedgehog adoption for my birthday once, my friend had bought it on ebay and basically it fed, watered and stroked a hedgehog in their care for 6 months and paid for vetbills...thought it was a bit odd but actually quite cute... But then, the hedgehog was quite cheap and I got a "normal" present as well!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
If the charity benefits, I don't think anyone gives a toss what the recipient thinks of the gift, or what it does to their karma. It's not costing YOU anything is it? So sit back and be grateful you're not the guy who's depending on a goat to make his life better. I often give these and would be happy to recieve them.

Blimey, gambatte gets Scrooge of the forum award....
 
OP
OP
G

gambatte

Middle of the pack...
Location
S Yorks
Arch said:
If the charity benefits, I don't think anyone gives a toss what the recipient thinks of the gift, or what it does to their karma. It's not costing YOU anything is it? So sit back and be grateful you're not the guy who's depending on a goat to make his life better. I often give these and would be happy to recieve them.

Blimey, gambatte gets Scrooge of the forum award....

Fine you want to donate, donate.

When I want to donate I donate and i'll do it to a charity I've thought about, care about, and are not just the latest with a fashionable new gimmick.

Just seems that by saying you're doing it in my name:

1 your saying I'm not charitable enough.
2 your deciding what 'I' should donate to.
3 you're actually advertising/shouting how philanthropic you actually are.
 

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
sheddy said:

That's great. But I liked the 'Home by Christmas; Police to withdraw from Nottingham. Local militia has access to superior firearms.' :rolleyes:
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
I think it pretty much goes without saying that the recipients of these charity things need it far more than I need some new socks. ;)

However there can be something slightly odd about charity presents, if it wasn't discussed in advance. I think it is partly because (given a finite amount of cash) I like to direct support to particular charities rather than just any charity. My family choose pretty random charities which makes me suspect they are selecting on the basis of their preferences rather than mine. Ok fair enough, a charity is still getting the money so I don't begrudge it, but if it was really a present for me they'd surely give it to a charity I'm involved with? I know it sounds paradoxical, but to me it feels like a surprisingly thoughtless way of being charitable.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
gambatte said:
Fine you want to donate, donate.

When I want to donate I donate and i'll do it to a charity I've thought about, care about, and are not just the latest with a fashionable new gimmick.

Just seems that by saying you're doing it in my name:

1 your saying I'm not charitable enough.
2 your deciding what 'I' should donate to.
3 you're actually advertising/shouting how philanthropic you actually are.

I'm not saying anything about you, I'm not buying YOU anything...

Everyone I've ever given something like this too has been delighted, and I've known they would appreciate it. I always try to give somethig appropriate - when my Mum started Uni, I chose text books etc.

If you dislike it so much, go and take the damn goat back off the African chap. Otherwise, perhaps be grateful someone bothered to think about you at all instead of griping. Plenty of people are alone and have no-one thinking of them.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
barq said:
I think it is partly because (given a finite amount of cash) I like to direct support to particular charities rather than just any charity. My family choose pretty random charities which makes me suspect they are selecting on the basis of their preferences rather than mine. Ok fair enough, a charity is still getting the money so I don't begrudge it, but if it was really a present for me they'd surely give it to a charity I'm involved with? I know it sounds paradoxical, but to me it feels like a surprisingly thoughtless way of being charitable.


Well, like I said above, I always try to choose something appropriate, so I'd like to think it isnt thoughtless. Perhaps your family don't know which charity you'd like to donate too? Perhaps you should mention it to them for next time...
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
Arch said:
Well, like I said above, I always try to choose something appropriate, so I'd like to think it isnt thoughtless. Perhaps your family don't know which charity you'd like to donate too? Perhaps you should mention it to them for next time...

If you choose something appropriate then that sounds thoughtful. The reason I say it is thoughtless with my family is that they all know full well which charities I've supported (and in one case worked for), so ignoring that is a bit rubbish really! Anyway, I don't really object - it isn't like they wasted the money, after all none of them are 'bad' charities.
 
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