Donating to Ukraine, single charity's by hard goods eg sanitary products or money to red cross?

[Tigersonvaseline]

I Said to DH our budget is £100 and I'm asking my young DC to chip in, so £100 product from cost co I'm thinking nappies And sanitary stuff but he Said proper charity can buy in bulk and buy more?

Any one know more about the most effective use of our £100

I can guarantee that nappies cost a lot less in Poland. Big charities like Unicef, Red Cross and WHO can buy in bulk and have huge storage facilities in every continent and most countries. They can buy nappies and just about everything else for a fraction of the price. They have experienced and local staff on the ground who will ensure that the stuff goes to the poorest/most vulnerable. How will local dad Keith who drives a van to Poland ensure this?

Some of you seem unable to put yourself in the shoes of others! If the UK was under attack as Ukraine is, would you reach out to the Red Cross, (a team hugely experienced in this situation) for help, or Bill Blogs and his mate with a van of random stuff?

Part of the reason I donate money to DEC or Red Cross is that they are very experienced and I trust (based on track record and accountability) that they will deliver appropriate help to refugees.

@PenStation in my area it’s the usual busybodies who collect random stuff and want praise on social media for helping and doing good. I assume they mostly do it to be a local hero (consciously or not) because donating online to the Red Cross does not give you the same amount of praise and compliments 🤷🏻‍♀️
I really can’t understand why any educated person thinks this is a good idea, efficient or helpful. I also don’t think half the stuff will reach vulnerable people, it will get stuck in customs or be stolen by mafia groups (as it has done in the past).

In disaster situations I only ever donate to Red Cross or DEC.
They have the skilled knowledge and logistical knowledge to get what is actually needed to where it really is needed.

A random with a van , no matter how well meaning , will not know what to do once he or she crosses that border. Plus they'll have bags of our rejects, out of date food and , quite possibly, stuff that's not needed or appropriate.

Really helpful thread, thanks!

This is an except of the latest post on my local NextDoor. I've had a gin and am sooooo tempted to post how stupid this is. The customs forms alone

That's assuming he doesn't just pocket the cash of course.... and every posts 'Oh you're so amazing...' Idiots.

100% cash to charity. My FB feed is awash with ppl collecting 2nd hand clothes etc etc, but there is zero chance that a bloke driving a van full of mixed goods of varying quality will be as useful as cash would have been when it finally reaches its destination. Far far better to donate directly (I work for a large charity) or as ppl have said, make a payment via airbnb/Etsy to ppl directly affected.

When was the thing about DEC matching donations starting? I donated to them on Thursday and included the gift aid but didn't see anything about matching the amount. If that is also the case, even better.

I've made a few etsy donations and had messages back. Just heartbreaking.

When I was little, following the Aberfan tragedy, there were loads of donations of toys sent to the village (Mum sent something of mine, no idea what) My mind literally boggles now at so many aspects of this, well meaning indeed but ultimately unhelpful.

Cash really is the best way forward, donations of clothes etc would be better when refugees arrive here and things are clearer.

@worriedatthemoment

Seems loads us going from here locally I just hope its useful So much so that some of the shelfs for nappies and baby milk are empty and people are struggling to get them for use for now Money has to be better given to the right organisations but then again i can see why people are suspect of this when you read about how much some charity's pay directors etc Its hard knowing what will be best

Do you know why big charities pay large salaries? It’s because they found out that if you expect people to have the experience and wherewithal to manage huge cash reserves , be responsible for large numbers of staff, oversee expensive buildings, deal with crises management, motivate fundraisers, negotiate with government departments , understand charity legislation and put up with sniping you don’t get people applying for the job if you only offer them a minimum wage deal.

And in case anyone isn’t yet convinced about giving cash, please please read this article by a logistics expert:

ideas.ted.com/after-a-disaster-dont-send-toys-or-clothing-send-money-heres-why/

Also

Imagine you are fleeing this war and have lost everything. Most of the choice in your life has been removed. Circumstances have forced you to flee for your life. Imagine how nice it must feel to be able to choose what you need most. In the confusion you forgot to bring your reading glasses, but due to kind cash donations, you can get a temporary pair with roughly the right prescription, meaning you can fill in forms, etc.

@worriedatthemoment I suggest you look what it takes to be a logistics expert in a crisis or war zone. I know several people who worked for the Red Cross and other orgs in Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and other countries. The amount of experience, expertise (degrees in crisis management etc), knowledge (country knowledge, diplomacy, languages) to do a good job in those circumstances is huge. If you are bad at your job, people will die. These are extreme situations and you have to stay calm under pressure and manage with very limited resources (and make decisions on how these are being spent). Yes people in top jobs are charitable orgs should be paid appropriately, these are though jobs and life choices.

And to compare with a PM’s salary is a joke, senior politicians all have side incomes, boards, write books after they leave office, get money from speaking appearances. Tony Blair is not exactly on the dole now.

The top charity CEOs in the UK are on about 150k and it’s only a handful of household name Uk charities that pay that. In a lot of industries that’s a very low salary for a CEO especially with the responsibility they have. (People or animals dying if they do their jobs badly)

Yes there always bad apples like the Captain Tom Foundation, but using salaries as an example why an org is not efficient or effective is a wrong equation. I have seen orgs hiring a more experienced fundraiser on a higher salary and the person increased the charity’s income by 30%.

Adrianna I agree And this is a special emergency coalition so I assume the money is pooled?

@jb7445 I am too scared to post in my local fb group. 😟 Everyone is praising the people who organised the vans.

A lot of the donated stuff will also disappear in back channels and not get to the people.

A friend of mine works in a charity shop and what some people are trying to dump on them is staggering. Clothes with holes in, often unwashed (underwear yesterday that the staff had to sort through) it’s as though people want to have a clear out of all their rubbish. One chap rang and said he had a large sideboard and could they come and collect for the people in Ukraine.....

I agree as well cash is best u see these circumstances

@Tigersonvaseline yes money is pooled. I think it’s great these charities all work together in emergencies. www.dec.org.uk/who-we-are

Franklin... but that's exactly it; many do!

Side board for the people of Ukraine?

Yep. People can not handle the fact that cash is needed, they just want to look like a hero

@AdriannaP get of your high horse where did i compare to an mp
I simply stated thats what people sometimes feel that maybe al the money doesn't get to where its needed and some have been caught out so please actually read and also accept people are entitled to opinions