If you give to charities who do you donate to and why?

[okydokethen]

I am on a low income and am in debt but still donate a little each month to the following and so I wondered who other people donate to…

Unicef - in the hope and belief they are a trust worthy charity supporting vulnerable children across the world, they also do a lovely Xmas advent calendar. I wonder if they are the best to increase my donation to for the people in Gaza.

Refuge - I believe wholeheartedly in safe spaces for women and children

Great Ormand St hospital - I’m very fortunate to have healthy children and my heart goes out to parents who alongside caring for ill children, having to worry about travel costs and accommodation etc.

At Christmas I usually do a one off donation to Sense a charity for deaf and blind children and my kids choose a charity to give a donation, currently WW (for rhinos).

I support by a regular payment; Book aid International which sends books abroad to libraries in countries where they are despertly needed.

The National Youth Orchestra, which supports young musicians to do great things.

The Woodland Trust which does good work in protecting existing woodland and planting new woods.

I think that it is very important that a charity has very precise aims and a good record. Some big charities, such as Oxfam seem to have lost their focus on what their actual focus should be.

Our regular ones are:

Air Ambulance because they saved my cousins life.

Shelter because DH feels very strongly about homelessness.

Childline because I feel very strongly that young people should have somewhere to turn to.

Alzheimers Society because my Grandma had it.

A local guinea-pig rescue centre because I think they do amazing things with limited resources and guinea-pigs are adorable.

We will also often donate larger one-off amounts to specific campaigns run by charities such as Red Cross, Unicef etc responding to a specific world event or for example to the local hospital where DD was born.

Others/ad-hoc tend to be focused around friends fundraising activities so it's things important to them.

We will also donate to food banks etc in the local supermarkets.

We're lucky enough that this is comfortable for us, and we have cut back a bit in times where that wasn't so true.

Supporting deprived kids through music and sport.
Cat rescue.
Food bank.
I typed it out in more detail but decided it would out us in nano seconds.

I think giving time is even more valuable than money but I don’t give time at the moment. I would say if you’re in debt don’t give money personally. The charities I give to have changed a lot over the years.

Monthly:
Linda Norgrove Foundation
Abortion Support Network
Trussell Trust

Annually:
Abortion Rights
Crisis

RNIB & Age Concern because they’ve both been helpful for people I care about.

I used to do a monthly DD to Oxfam, stuck it out over the sexual exploitation scandal but gave up after the TERF/JKR cartoon.

My H has a monthly DD for Centerpoint because one year a Christmas advertising campaign made him cry, and also gives to the Salvation Army because the brass bands at Christmas make him cry, and the RNLI which doesn’t make him cry, he just likes lifeboats.

I forgot, I also donate to Hunt Sabs too.

Refuge and Sex Matters by direct debit, and lots of ad hoc donations to crowdfunders (usually ones flagged up on FWR), one-off appeals, and sponsoring people taking on challenges that are out of their comfort zone.

I have monthly Direct Debits to a range of charities, including the Alzheimer's Society, Oxfam (although I keep meaning to cancel every time they talk about "people who menstruate"). RNLI, Amnesty International and Diabetes UK. I also give monthly to 3 small local charities. DH and I are members of the RSPB and the National Trust and we sponsor a child in Nigeria via Action Aid.

They are all causes which I deem important or personal to me.

ETA. And I donate approx £10 of food each week to the local food bank

I have a monthly DD to our local branch of Cats Protection, where we got our lovely cat from, and one to a dog rescue charity in Manchester which rehabilitates and rescues animals in some terrible states.

DP had meningitis as a kid and has a monthly payment to a charity related to that.

I also occasionally bung money to an animal rescue i follow on TikTok if they are desperate. I have to be careful with that though as the algorithm then starts to serve me a lot of sad pet content.

Local food bank and the children's hospital. I think it's important to include at least one local cause as we should all try to have a positive impact on our communities. Happy to do one offs to bigger causes but I got a bit freaked out by the various scandals.

Child bereavement charity - I heard of them through jason Watkins telling his story of losing his daughter and was motivated to look further into them.

A local children's hospice charity as they do fabulous work for ill/dying children and their families

unicef - no real reason

The dog charity we got our dog from

RNLI as they're an amazingly selfless organisation without government funding - they save lives without judgement and are the best of us

Air Ambulance and Be more Laura Foundation (for brain cancer)

I also have various memberships to charities such as my local Wildlife Trust and the Bumblebee Trust.

Me too. Neither get any government funding which means they are totally reliant on donations.
I have the upmost respect for the volunteer Lifeboat crews who attend every shout without hesitation.
Cornwall's 2nd Air Ambulance has just become operational after an appeal in 2023 to raise £2.85m.

Wildlife charities every month and at Christmas a one off donation to SEND. I also fundraise for Mind in memory of my daughter.

I've a DD with The Dogs Trust...but I want to cancel however they make that process near impossible to navigate!

Otherwise I tend to donate as I've had a bit extra, a premium bond win or if there's a particular humanitarian crisis. Christmas i always feel guilty so £50 goes somewhere worthy too.

I didn't know that.

Really interesting to read, some great charities and lovely incentives for supporting them, it’s so individual isn’t it.
i don’t tell anyone who I support so certainly no virtue signalling, I’m just interested.
i don’t think you should only donate if you are well off, I’m not but I’m comparatively rich to a lot of people. I think it’s important to demonstrate to DC how you actively try to help others.
My job is a helping role, they hear about and I’ve done volunteering in the past but wouldn’t until my DC are older now.

Local hospice
School in Africa
Air Ambulance

Thanks for mentioning this charity. Donation sent.

My regular donation is to cancer research and local food bank.

I pay monthly donations via DD to a local hospice, a local children's hospice, and Sense. I also use the charity shops (both donating and buying) of the two local hospices. And we frequently buy tickets to events and raffles that they hold throughout the year. We also make donations when we can to the local food bank.

With the exception of Sense, almost all my charity donations are to local charities. I think tbh my trust in big charity organisations was broken by Oxfam and I feel like my money is better utilised this way.

I donate to our local hospice, I used to work there.
Also sponser two dogs as dogs trust because I love dogs.
Also the Brooke charity for horses and donkeys just because I can't bear to see the ads of the poor overworked creatures. It breaks my heart.

Sight savers and RNLI.
Forgot to say why - so many people are blinded by preventable trichoma.
And I was brought up by the sea, with relatives who were on the lifeboats, and it was our family's charity.

The RNLI and Book Trust, which supports children and families with reading. Local foodbank/kitchen and hospice. Search & Rescue for my county, as my son is a volunteer.

I give adhoc donations to local and international appeals.

Mercy Ships. Water Aid. Tear Fund. Scouts.
Our church (which supports many local charities such as the food bank, homeless shelter, street pastors, prison visitors, an orphanage abroad among others).
We tithe, so the amount we give goes up or down according to our income. We will give extra on top when we feel prompted to eg disaster fund, Children in Need, the kid’s school, sponsored events etc
https://www.mercyships.org.uk/

The hospice my mum passed away in as they were amazing. The local dog refuge. At Xmas I buy gifts for the local children's charity.