To be concerned about this 'charity fund raising'?

[balia]

Back in early November, my family went along to a charity fundraising event to support a friend of DD's. My mum was thrilled when she won the 'table raffle' prize, which was a week's stay in a luxury lodge. We waited for the organisers to contact us with the details, but nobody did. Eventually, over a month later, DD's friend went to the office of the organisers and refused to leave until they handed over details; this amounted to an A4 sheet with details about the lodge and an email address.

I emailed the organisers to ask why it had taken so long (my nearly 70-year old mother not having an email addy) and the lodge address, asking about dates in the new year. I got an apology from the organisers of the charity event (they were 'busy') but didn't hear anything from the lodge until the 12th of this month. They said they would check the dates and get back to me 'as soon as possible', but that the prize was 'primarily for off-peak times'.

I emailed back but haven't heard anything further. I'm really disappointed for my Mum. She's retired, but she has term-time voluntary commitments. She's lovely and she doesn't deserve to be disappointed and messed about like this. Am I being unreasonable? She would probably just have made a donation to the charity anyway (in fact I suppose we did in the sense that we paid for the tickets and took part in the ordinary raffle and the charity auction etc) but I do think people raising money for charity should be transparent and accountable.

sounds a bit weird. keep on at them until you get an explanation.

Is it actually a registered charity?

Just because it's for charity doesn't excuse the organising committee from doing things properly. YANBU, it does the charity's reputation no good if they appear to be slack.

Has the lodge been donated by the owner?or,as I suspect,she has been a "lucky winner" and you may end up paying cash to a company...the charity may not know either and may well assume, they have been donated a designated week..

If it is raising money for an individual child, probably not Hecate. Lots of fundraisers in these circumstances tend to have more enthusiasm than experience.

Was it organised by the charity itself? If so you could complain to the Fundraising Standards Board. They are pretty proactive and may be able to sort it. If it was organised by volunteer fundraisers it will be harder but you could approach the charity itself for help.

If its a registered charity, they should be doing a lot better than that. If not, then you are completely at their mercy. It can be easy for fundraising organisers with no experience to focus so much on obtaining the prize and selling the tickets then forget that there's actually work to be done after the event is over.

I wouldn't be happy in your situation, and if the raffle didn't state times that the prize was available to be taken, the your Mum has every right to go whenever she wants.

Was it a raffle ticket out of a book with just a number on it, or was it a proper printed ticket. The rules can be different depending on how the ticket was sold.

Sorry, just typed a long reply that vanished! I have no idea if it is a registered charity, I just assumed so as the whole thing is organised through my DD's 6th form college - a group of students are going to Africa to take part in some kind of housing provision and they each have to raise (what seems to me like a massive amount of) money to be able to go.

The table raffle was just a piece of A4 on the table, with some brief details about the luxury lodge. You had to put cash in the envelopes provided with your name and address to be entered.

The email reply I finally got said the lodge was owned by an uncle - I think it was from one of the students trying to raise money?

Should I email the organisers agian and ask for details of their charitable status? I don't want to be difficult with people trying to do a good thing - but at the same time I don't want my mum to be ripped off.

Sounds like the students haven't got a clue what they were doing. I'd contact the school/college as well - frankly you've been had and it needs to be dealt with.

It sounds highly unlikely that they are a registered charity, they wouldn't be given registration by the charity commission for what sounds like a gap year type trip.

I would contact the sixth form head and find out which tutors are responsible for supporting the students with this. Going through the college is likely to be the only comeback you have. Maybe your daughter will be able to point you in the right direction, you definitely shouldn't let this go.

I think you should at this point go directly to the college.

I run a charity and, when we seek raffle prizes, we're sometimes approached by people who see us as free advertising for their business but who don't want to deliver the prize. It's hard for small charities to spot this in advance. I think you're right to complain though. Hope your mum gets her prize.

When you say she "went to the organiser's office" what do you mean? I thought the organisers were just a bunch of sixth formers looking to raise funds to go on this charity trip? Or was the event actually endorsed/organised directly by teh charity they are going to work for?

To be honest, these experience type prizes are always a frikkin nightmare because usually, the beneficiary (the charity) cant legally force the provider to actually provide the prize (well they can, but it would involve legal action). Also often the donor doesnt think it through properly/offer these prizes verbally, and then when it comes down to it, they start sticking restrictions in the way which piss everyone off.

As I understand it (and it isn't my DD who is going, so a bit sketchy on details) the trip is organised by or through the 6th form college. There are two members of staff who are in charge, so by the office I mean the 6th form college office of the member of staff in charge of the trip. I think.

Have today had a text from the (student?) whose uncle has the lodge, (I sent a polite 'reminder' a few days ago) saying he hasn't got back to her as he has been ill 'for several weeks' (although no mention of that when she finally contacted me on the 12th). So I guess I'll give it a week and see if she does get back to me about the dates before I talk to the college.