Captain Tom's daughter

Where is the logic? A charity shop is an expensive way to raise money.

Which is why I donate stuff to charity shops rather than give money.

And yes, I did know that.

The sort of magical thinking you display here is very common when it comes to charities, as is people mouthing off about salaries without knowing about what's already required to be reported. So I expect you're right about the levels of surprise, unfortunately.

I'm interested to know if people who want such scrutiny of charities make sure that they buy from companies where the wage structures are not exploitative?

Do you make sure you buy milk where a fair percent goes to the farmer, not the profits of Tesco? Do you make sure the children making your clothes get a fair wage?

I'm not defending poor practice in charities - far from it. I just find the psychology of it fascinating. By the mere act of a stated aim of doing good, charities are opened up to intrusion and demands by the public which the same people usually don't remotely apply the same principles to corporate entities who are ruining the environment, communities and society.

@Crikeyalmighty
Why's goes the Salvation Army have to do with Religion!

If I donate I want most of the money to go to the cause

You aren't going to be happy then!.

If you look at charity accounts they do have to disclose certain salaries. Always have a look. If they are very late filing then red flag tbh

Re paying - of course people should get a fair wage for what they do. I think the issue is more around people at high levels expecting to be paid the same as very high earners in the private sector. Or celebs taking an excessive appearance fee when they go to one of their own charity events etc

How much or how little?

Most paid work in charities is under market rate without fancy benefits.

And I’m confused as to the moral stance of refusing to pay people properly as a virtue… it’s not really ok to expect people to work for peanuts, yet make huge demands on their goodwill and integrity.

And if you make it financially unsustainable for ordinary people to work in charities the jobs get taken by people doing hobby jobs.

I had a bit of a vulnerable time many years ago and a lovely friend was involved with the Salvation Army - now I'm not religious but can honestly say the kindness and support offered was of immense help and totally non judgemental - so I have a very soft spot for their work -

You can see the number of people receiving bracketed salaries above 60k on the Charity Commission website. Charities must be registered and must report these things.

(Maybe people who comment on the work and operations on charities should be required to take a read of what the Charity Commission does before they comment?)

It should be the law that charities have to disclose salaries and bonuses. I think people would be shocked how much some people who work for charities or founded them are paid!

@PotNoodlesFTW totally agree- she was a good hearted but naive person without the business skills required - I don't think there was any malice involved - the Ingram Moores however - not so much

£50 is the limit set by HMRC, any more has to go through PAYE.

To be honest, I think that it's daft to draw a line between small charities and large charities. You might as well flip a coin to know how well your money will be spent.

Unless you REALLY know your stuff (and as evidenced by this thread, people don't!), you're operating on trust either way.

What I would advise is that if you're unwilling to trust charities, don't cherry pick or second guess who are the good ones. Instead, funnel your money into ethical purchasing.

I work for charities, and I don't donate at all. I try to spend my money in line with my ethical principles wherever possible though. Because if all consumerist and commercial ventures were run ethically, we probably wouldn't need charities at all.

Would H I-M have gone full on Wendy from Ozark if she had the chance?

She says her Dad told her to keep the book deal money. Still, she shouldn't have kept it all, given her Dad had said charity would benefit.

Her actions have been incredibly dubious, however she hasn't committed any crime. I think the response and all the hate being directed towards her (and she's getting the worst of it, her husband is getting a fraction) is completely over the top.

A lot of charities set up by very wealthy people are done for the tax breaks unfortunately (especially in US)

All newspapers are shit. We are arguing over which is the best turd here.

Sadly it is not uncommon for charities to be set up and donations to be misappropriated. I was involved with a dog rescue where it emerged that the founder and her family had been taking money to buy expensive luxury goods for themselves including cars and a Rolex watch. I had helped raised that money and transported dogs, it was just awful.

I think there needs to be much stricter regulation.

I don't think it's fair to compare Captain Tom's daughter to Camila Batmanghelidjh.

Baamghelidjh, for all her flaws, did care about children and dedicated decades to her cause. Her problem was that she didn't have the skills or experience to run a charity of that size. She was subsequently exonerated of any wrongdoing.

Captain Tom's daughter was just a grifter.

I've always been dubious about large corporate style charities. I tend to donate to local ones where I can actually see the results of the donations.

It's a shame some do put people off though. It has gotten worse with Just Giving etc where people ask for help when there is no real hardship.

I hated the Captain Tom thing. Nothing against the man, but the family did seem like very privileged people of a certain type (they seemed like people who would claim and claim on expenses if they were a politician) and I did feel there was something about them that wasn't genuine. I just think some people have no self awareness and can't see an issue if they think the law is behind their grabby actions and have been advised it is 'legitimate', even though to most it is morally bankrupt.

I am shocked by all of this and had no idea about any of it! It's completely passed me by. Not Captain Tom's walking of course (we all saw that) but I don't recall ever seeing the daughter at that time. I do recall hearing about his trip to Barbados and thinking, hmmm... seems unwise and in bad taste.

It really intrigues me though, there's something horribly fascinating about her and how she's justifying all this to herself (and does she really believe what she says?). It reminds me of the foundations run by the Gates, Clooneys, Sussexes, Oprah etc, which appear to be a convenient way of raking in a humungous salary whilst appearing benevolent. I wonder how many of those people believe their own narrative about themselves. ("I am doing good, I therefore deserve this lifestyle").

I can see this being made into a drama, possibly written by James Graham and starring Olivia Coleman as the daughter. I know it's a real life and very sad situation but it's also a fascinating study into human behaviour (well some humans). Reminds me a bit of the coughing major on Who Wants to be a Millionaire which became the show Quiz. One just can't fathom how someone can think they will get away with this stuff, or have the brass neck to try it!

She just felt “off” from her very first, really pushy, TV appearance. Shameless.

Anyone remember Camila Batmanghelidjh? this is not an isolated case

Only too well, @mummymeister - another one where some allowed themselves to be dazzled by her incessantly used "at street level", overall persona and pretence of a unique understanding

There were plenty of warning signs there too, not least in her ridiculous stories and when she lied about being a psychiatrist on her Companies House listing, but as so often brains fell out and on she went

I think donating to charity shops has less to do with donating to charity and more to do with responsible reuse and recycling.

I donate because I feel bad chucking good stuff into landfill and am happy for someone to benefit. When deciding where to donate, I tend to consider how easy it is to make the donation above the actual cause.