|
|
Post by pixelpuffin on Nov 23, 2024 16:41:29 GMT
Just curious what your views are?
Me?? I admit I buy from charity shops not because I want to support them, but because the costs of buying new these days is horrendous- I either buy off eBay or from charities
BUT.. I would never pop cash into a box for any charity. Why?? Because 15-20yrs ago I listened to a gentleman on BBC Radio 4 who stated that charities need only give 7% of their profits to gain charity status…7%!! And they then have the cheek to ask for volunteer staff Plus subsidised rates/rent.
Nope, Sorry but I’ll give them nothing simply for their cause.
Isn’t it true that the RSPCA is the biggest landowner in the UK after COE?? Again I heard/read that decades ago. When everyone was allowed to speak freely.
|
|
|
|
Post by MJB on Nov 23, 2024 17:00:11 GMT
I thought you stopped using eBay?
|
|
|
|
Post by kate on Nov 23, 2024 17:02:08 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by peterob on Nov 23, 2024 17:37:54 GMT
Mixed really. My parents gave over 20 years voluntary support fundraising the hard way for a [very worthwhile] charity. They had some great experiences. Mother was doing radio and press interviews, presentations, thank-you talks etc. Their whole house became a warehouse for donated goods to be sold on and they ran a little panel van to shift stuff about. I think the efforts of them, their fellow helpers and groups that did fund-raising activities like sponsored runs, pub collections etc., raised over £500,000 in that time [ended 20 years ago] which was a lot of collection box shaking, car boot and second-hand stall sales. The charity got big and needed to reduce reliance on voluntary help and decided to employ commercial fund-raisers. The "good bye" to those who had vested deeply as volunteers who organised was not well handled. My mother was desperately upset, although, truth be said, my parents were getting older and the demands on them getting greater.
On a business level I can understand that once an enterprise gets to a certain size, employs people, owns or rents premises that need to be fitted out and maintained then it has outgoings related to its operations that might be entirely separate and additional to the original charitable purpose. I do feel less inclined to donate monies where the bulk of the fundraising goes to run the operation.
The Sir Tom scandal seems slightly different. This is misappropriation of funds at a worst interpretation rather than the organisation consuming funds to support its own function.
|
|
|
|
Post by MJB on Nov 23, 2024 17:43:15 GMT
Isn’t it true that the RSPCA is the biggest landowner in the UK after COE?? Again I heard/read that decades ago. When everyone was allowed to speak freely. No, not true at all. The government is the largest landowner (MOD, Crown Estates, NHS etc.). When it comes to charitable organisations the CofE isn't the largest landowner and the RSPCA doesn't even feature. The National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland own 589,748 acres (238,663 ha), the RSPB 332,000 acres (134,000 ha), the Duke of Atholl's Trusts 145,000 acres (59,000 ha), the Church of England 105,000 acres (42,000 ha) and the Honourable Artillery Company 14,209 acres (5,750 ha). |
|
|
|
Post by dreampolice on Nov 23, 2024 19:11:43 GMT
"I heard on the BBC 15-20 years ago" "Heard something decades ago" lol. Perhaps things have changed. What does it say on Facebook. Keep up to date man.
|
|
|
|
Post by gray1720 on Nov 23, 2024 19:25:43 GMT
"I heard on the BBC 15-20 years ago" "Heard something decades ago" lol. Perhaps things have changed. What does it say on Facebook. Keep up to date man. "I heard it off this geezer on a pub, it must be true because he'd heard it from a guy whose brother's poodle groomer's sister's aunt's brother tried to return a hat to Oxfam and got told no" |
|
|
|
Post by dreampolice on Nov 23, 2024 19:28:01 GMT
My wife is a trustee of quite a big local charity. As were her mother and grandfather. The charity was mainly for the visual impaired but now covers profoundly disabled. It runs an art centre and a college (she is also chair of governors for that) and helps countless people. All of her work is unpaid.
The charity at the end of the day is a business and has to be run as such. As well as volunteers there are paid staff. There are teachers at the college, of which the ratio of teacher to pupil is small. there are specialist carers, physios, live in carers etc. There is also the principle at the college. All working a full time job like anyone else in a profession. Should they work for free? Would you work for free as a main job?
The charity therefore employs a large number of people, and like any other business, it needs a CEO. The CEO also works and is responsible for keeping the charity going and looking after the staff either paid ones or volunteers. Should they do that for nothing.
Fundraising is a big aspect and not just putting out a tin. Someone needs to organise events, deal with other businesses to try and get sponsorship etc from them. Should that task be down to any person who may or may not do a good job, because after all they aren't getting paid. of course not.
They have to pay for the college and maintenance of that and its other buildings. Where does the money come from? So the big picture isn't quite as simple as perhaps you suggest. It costs an absolute fortune to keep it going.
Of course, if everyone thought like you do, then these primarily young people (some of whom cannot even perform self care, some of whom also cannot eat without aid), would get feck all. Let us hope you or your loved ones never need any charitable help because of the attitude of mr selfish who heard something from someone and based all of his knowledge on that.
But, to answer your question, unfortunately there will always be people out for themselves and want to rip off folk. That happens in all walks of life. You can't tar all with the same brush. I personally have had help with charities, my daughter has received a good deal from a big charity. The help she received, she most likely wouldn't have got from elsewhere due to funding/availability etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by spinno on Nov 23, 2024 20:36:24 GMT
Do your research before parting with your cash
|
|
|
|
Post by lesleysm2 on Nov 23, 2024 21:36:10 GMT
Having spent 8 happy months last year working for a charity I totally agree with Nige (Is this a first?)
Yes any charity would suffer really badly without those unsung heroes and heroines who wave collection tins, run the shops and marathons etc but all the collecting tins in the World won't cover costs so charities do need professional fundraisers and they need a market wage or they vote with their feet same as all the other staff who aren't volunteers
Like Nige's wife's charity the one I worked for dealt with severely physically (and often mentally) disabled children whose care (indeed their life) depended on very skilled nurses who once again need paid a decent wage as does the CEO, the finance manager etc, it's like when nursing was seen as a "vocation" and it was almost rude to sully it it seemed by mentioning money but I never heard of a nurse getting a cheaper bill for being a nurse
The Sir Tom scandal is just about greedy, entitled people helping themselves same as it would be if they worked in a bank or any other concern
One caveat: I never give to chuggers that's where most of the money doesn't end up with the charity
And don't get me started on people who moan about prices in charity shops "They were given it so they should sell it for a few pence" no, when I take my old clothes etc to a charity shop I want them to get as much as they possibly can for it, for the cause
|
|
|
|
Post by geoffr on Nov 23, 2024 21:43:41 GMT
Having spent 8 happy months last year working for a charity I totally agree with Nige (Is this a first?) Yes any charity would suffer really badly without those unsung heroes and heroines who wave collection tins, run the shops and marathons etc but all the collecting tins in the World won't cover costs so charities do need professional fundraisers and they need a market wage or they vote with their feet same as all the other staff who aren't volunteers Like Nige's wife's charity the one I worked for dealt with severely physically (and often mentally) disabled children whose care (indeed their life) depended on very skilled nurses who once again need paid a decent wage as does the CEO, the finance manager etc, it's like when nursing was seen as a "vocation" and it was almost rude to sully it it seemed by mentioning money but I never heard of a nurse getting a cheaper bill for being a nurse The Sir Tom scandal is just about greedy, entitled people helping themselves same as it would be if they worked in a bank or any other concern Absolutely I don't give to them or on the door step 100% I expect a charity to get as much as possible for donated items |
|
|
|
Post by lesleysm2 on Nov 23, 2024 22:23:59 GMT
Another myth to lay to rest "Of course the staff in the charity shops help themselves to all the good stuff"
My mum was a volunteer in the shop for her local hospice for about 10 years after dad died and yes if something came in any of the volunteers wanted they brought it but they paid what the shop would have charged anyway
And frankly they deserve first pick mum once stuck her hand into a bag of donations to sort them out and found that one donation was a child's potty and recently used at that. Thereafter she shook everything out the bags before sorting them out
|
|
|
|
Post by willien on Nov 23, 2024 23:07:45 GMT
Having spent 8 happy months last year working for a charity I totally agree with Nige (Is this a first?) Yes any charity would suffer really badly without those unsung heroes and heroines who wave collection tins, run the shops and marathons etc but all the collecting tins in the World won't cover costs so charities do need professional fundraisers and they need a market wage or they vote with their feet same as all the other staff who aren't volunteers Like Nige's wife's charity the one I worked for dealt with severely physically (and often mentally) disabled children whose care (indeed their life) depended on very skilled nurses who once again need paid a decent wage as does the CEO, the finance manager etc, it's like when nursing was seen as a "vocation" and it was almost rude to sully it it seemed by mentioning money but I never heard of a nurse getting a cheaper bill for being a nurse The Sir Tom scandal is just about greedy, entitled people helping themselves same as it would be if they worked in a bank or any other concern Absolutely I don't give to them or on the door step 100% I expect a charity to get as much as possible for donated items Me neither and anyone who, when I open the door, leads with "how are you today" gets met with what do you want - at best. |
|
|
|
Post by lesleysm2 on Nov 23, 2024 23:13:49 GMT
Me neither and anyone who, when I open the door, leads with "how are you today" gets met with what do you want - at best. No-one not even me with the Mormons ("Are you religious, Lesley?And do you practice your faith?" "Yes" "Are you Catholic, Protestant?" "Neither I'm a practicing Satanist") will beat my friend Tasha did by accident She was doing some stuff in the kitchen when the doorbell went she opened the front door to be greeted by a couple of Mormons who got as far as "How are.." then ran for it. She'd been cutting up meat for her dogs and without thinking had opened the door wearing rubber gloves, bloody to the elbows and carrying a meat cleaver... |
|
