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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to politely decline to contribute to animal charities?

51 replies

MardyBra · 18/11/2011 09:08

I just prefer to give my limited funds and time to human projects instead. if given the choice of helping a sick or struggling person or a sick or struggling animal, I'd always choose the person.

I am fully aware that I will get flamed by a section of MN for this. .

OP posts:
TeapotsInJune · 18/11/2011 09:35

YANBU - any giving to charity is positive :)

I prefer animals. Kids are horrible Grin

Trills · 18/11/2011 09:36

YANBU to politely decline any charity you choose to decline.

YABU to post about it in a way that is trying to get a rise out of people.

DooinMeCleanin · 18/11/2011 09:40

YANBU. Why would I/we/animal rights supporters care which charities you donate to? Why would Op be flamed? Bar the blatent AR supporters baiting that is.

FWIW my only 'regular' financial contribution is made to our local hospice and various other cancer charities. I help out AR and dog charities in practical ways more than financial ways. I do not feel equipped to help out practically in hospices etc. If I can help animal charities in a financial way, then of course I do, but I don't make regular donations.

worraliberty · 18/11/2011 09:42

It's your money, give it to whoever you want

No hard hat needed Biscuit

porcamiseria · 18/11/2011 09:44

my friend works for an animal charity. I personally would not donate to them. But in parallel I am glad some people do care as people treating animals like shit is the mark of an incovilised society

LaFilleSurLePont · 18/11/2011 09:47

YANBU. I don't care which charities you donate to.

YABU to go looking for a fight about it,which is what you're blatantly doing.

What pisses me off is when people tell me not to donate to animal charities. I'll donate to whichever charities I like. It's my business,and mine alone.

Scuttlebutter · 18/11/2011 09:55

YABU for assuming a crack team of ninja animal supporters are going to come and tie you to a seat and force you to watch films about puppy farms.

Charitable giving (whether by financial or practical support) is a hugely rewarding activity, and should be encouraged. Other people's charitable choices should be supported, not mocked, though every individual has the right to have their giving respected and for those choices to be private.

I try hard to make my charitable giving as effective as possible, I tithe my after tax income, give regularly (albeit small amounts) to the charities I support and do a lot of voluntary work. This means i am much less likely to give to one-off appeals such as CIN, but it doesn't mean I can't or won't help a range of charities if I can. For instance I am donating some hand stitched goodies to a friend's Christmas school fair, some cakes for a bake sale and am just going through the process of charity registration with a friend who's brilliant at doing things but not so hot on paperwork. It' really not an either/or split, but I suspect that wasn't your point in posting.

Also, many animal charities are also hugely beneficial to people. Example - one of the charities I support is the Brooke - they do a huge amount of work in the developing world to support working equids. So far, so fluffy. Wrong. By doing so, they are helping families in poverty, as the loss of a working equid to a poor family in Ethiopia can make a huge difference to their crop yields for instance, thus affecting the whole family's income. Supporting a working donkey or horse, means supporting an entire family, often living in brutal poverty. So, again, not so black and white.

LtEveDallas · 18/11/2011 10:05

YANBU to support (or not) whatever charity you want.

YABU for expecting a pat on the head for doing so.

YABVVU for posting this just to try and start another fight.

1/10

coffeesleeve · 18/11/2011 11:06

I used to go out with a guy who was very into charity giving / work etc. He encouraged me to set up a direct debit to donate. I did - donating to the Brook (which treats sick donkeys/horses in the 3rd world, so that people can use them for work/transport etc). My ex was furious - why would I donate to animals? Didn't I know children were more deserving?! etc etc

Twit. My money, my choice (and besides, the Brook actually helps people by helping their beasts of burden). Needless to say, he is no longer my boyfriend ;-)

MollyTheMole · 18/11/2011 11:23

YANBU

Just as IANBU for preferring to donate to animal charities Smile

Dawndonna · 18/11/2011 11:41

I'm another one that will only give to people charities.
It's entirely up to you.

LadyGrace · 18/11/2011 11:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Goldenbrown1981 · 18/11/2011 11:49

I see no reason why you would be flamed. Different matter if you were funding animal cruelty, but just to want to give your money elsewhere.

I give to three charities: One cancer, one children and one animal. If I had to stop the animal one would be the last to go but that's my personal choice. It's nothing to do with choosing animals over people (ridiculous concept) but just that i will continue to support the charity that i think will get the least support elsewhere.

So YANBU

juneau · 18/11/2011 11:54

YANBU - you give your money to the charities you care about. I tend to give to children's charities, because that's what is closest to my heart. My sister, who doesn't have children, but has a cat, gives to cat charities. My mother's favourite one is a horse charity. We all have our personal favourites and what's important is the giving.

issey6cats · 18/11/2011 12:52

as others have said all of us if we give to charity wether its time, money or making items that charities can raise funds with have our own prefered charities to give to, some prefer human based ones some give to animal based ones, my preference is animals (two small independant ones) but dosent mean i have no empathy with the human based ones, just limited funds

MardyBra · 18/11/2011 14:02

Sorry I had to post and run earlier. Thought I was going to have a quiet morning MNing doing paperwork but something came up.

Love the Macrame Owl link btw. But still can't be persuaded.

Its seems the main criticism I have got is for being "trying to get a rise out of people" or "for posting this just to try and start another fight". Well, this is AIBU after all and is the place for a bunfight bit of reasoned debate. My OP was also intentionally designed to not criticise people who do contribute to animal based charities.

My main reason for posting is that I've been in a similar situation to aldiwhore where I have been asked to contribute to animal charities and preferred not to. I've never had the full-on guilt trip that she received but for example, I have a friend who has run marathons for Battersea Dogs Home. I have contributed in the past, but felt uncomfortable about it. Would it have been churlish to have refused? I had resolved to ask if I could nominate a different charity the next time round, but he decided to run for a children's charity the following year anyway.

OP posts:
BeerTricksPotter · 18/11/2011 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 18/11/2011 14:16

I think is completely up to you, and thats its honorable to give to charity full stop, whichever one it is, so big genuine Smile from me OP.

I personally only give to animal charities, (aside from the St Giles lottery) and feel thats my right and I need not explain motive to anyone.

We are all different, tis a wonderful thing :)

MoreBeta · 18/11/2011 14:19

There should be no obligation on anyone to donate to charity.

I donate to the RNLI because I used to be involved in the shipping industry. I also donate to local hospices that have a link to DSs school. I therefore have a personal link to the charities - albeit tenuous - but am sure that the bulk of the money does go to actually go to frontline delivery of these charities' aims.

I do not donate to animal charities because I believe that animals that are unwanted or sick should be put down. It is mostly the kindest thing to do. I also have a suspicion that many animal charities are actually in effect just businesses. Set up for no other purpose than provide an income for the staff and operators of the charity. I am especially dubious about charities asking you to adopt to wild animal or other facing extinction.

PaintYouByNumbers · 18/11/2011 14:21

I don't think you are under any obligation to donate if you don't want to.

I was followed down the road a few weeks ago by a charity collector incessantly rattling his tin at me. I was rather annoyed!

YANBU

Scuttlebutter · 18/11/2011 14:59

YANBU to be annoyed at doorstep chuggers - they are horribly aggressive and guilt-trippy, no matter which charity they collect for, but that's really a different issue.

Similarly, with being asked to sponsor people doing runs, bike races, treks across China - I always politely decline these. DH loves running, and enters masses of races. There is often a donation to the charity who are running the event built in to the entry form (which is fine) but he has no desire to go hassling relatives, friends and colleagues for money to make him feel good about his hobby. If people want to trek across China, cycle backwards to scotland etc that's fine, but I'd rather they funded their own dream trips. As MN often says, NO is a complete sentence.

Fluffycloudland77 · 18/11/2011 15:29

It's fine, it makes up for me ignoring all human charities and giving to animals in asia and spana.

Anyone who used to get me presents now donates to them instead, one to asia and one to spana. Only DH gets me presents now.

I think as long as you care enough to give to a charity thats what makes you a nice person. imvho.

ouryve · 18/11/2011 15:31

YANBU. There's thousands of charities and you can't support them all.

MildlyNarkyPuffin · 18/11/2011 15:37

Give to whatever charities you wish to give to.

I donate to animal and human charities.

Humans can help themselves, animals can't.

FabbyChic · 18/11/2011 15:43

I dont do CHarity, it begins at home. If I did have money to just give away i'd go for McMillan, NSPCC, Breast Cancer.

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