To think that The Red Cross should not waste their money sending out pens AND two coasters AND two greetings cards AND a bookmark!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LottieJenkins]

I got one. My Mum had one when she went to get the post at her old house and the lady I work for had one with her post when I let myself in yesterday!!! I cant believe they can justify spending that much money!!!

I don't have one

Do they hate me?

Ironically, charities are only allowed to put so much ink in the pen as it is a "tool" in order for you to "fill in the form". If they put even slightly more ink in them, it is a gift, and therefore taxable. VAT rules, again.

Charities are in a bind, they can't NOT write to you to raise funds, as that would make them delinquent in their charitable aims and they'd raise less money. Likewise, they can't just ASK you for money, as that means they pay more VAT (it's considered a "sale" in the tax rules), and therefore they lose 20% of the money they DO raise, so they are actually forced to write to you, NOT to ask you to give them money, but to make you think about the charity and consider giving them money, as this isn't a sale. The "gifts" in the envelope have to be there for tax purposes.

It's hellishly complicated, and charities are forced to spend money in order to raise money - it makes no sense from the outside, but the alternative is less money for charities, either because people don't know about them (because people get upset when charities try to let people know they exist), or less money through taxation (because the government forces them to do seemingly irrational things to save money).

I get very angry when people say they "refuse to give money" to charities who spend money on administration and fundraising - there are far better reasons not to give money to individual charities, but not giving money because they are forced to spend money just on existing? How stupid.

Agreed Mine is in the bin .....................

I like the coasters and I use the cards as thank you cards. I give my spare change to The Red Cross so it's worked here.

YABU. I do actually hate receiving them because I feel like it is such a waste of money for those items to be sent to me, but I understand that the increase in donations they receive by sending out items far outweighs the cost. Therefore I try not to mind and either use or chuck the items, safe in the knowledge that the charity will receive more money whether I use the items or not.

We had these last year, think I started a thread actually. Addressed to 'The Homeowner' they went out within something like a 2 mile radius. I did a quick survey on friends (twitter mates locally, relatives etc) and nobody I asked who had received this crap had done anything other than toss it in the bin.

I got one this morning op and said exactly the same thing to dh.

totally agree, what a waste of money.

I'm quite sure the charities in question have costed it out and found it generates income. The fundraisers aren't stupid.

It's got you talking about it, though, OP, so it's been pretty effective in getting you thinking about the Red Cross. If you're not predisposed to donate to the Red Cross, then you won't donate, but imagine one in ten (or whatever) of the others who thought about it as a result of this mailshot are predisposed to donate...

And The Red Cross are entitled to believe that the issues they're raising money for are more important than stuff going into landfill. Presumably greenpeace would use a different strategy.

Personally after I had three or four of the same envelopes pushed through my door over the course of that month I pretty much made my mind up that they would be the last charity I'd ever donate to.

Prior to this if I saw a collector in the street I'd probably have tossed in a £1 or 2, now because of this I definitely wouldn't donate.

My Mother is elderly and of the generation that believes anything like this through the post needs to be paid for. I've had to convince her to throw them away because at 78 she thinks she needs to send a cheque. Thats what annoys me about these campaigns, they seem to rely on 'guilt donations'.

I find that I've homed in on one particular charity, for all my donations of everything, and purchases of clothes for DD.

Why?

Because in a town with probably ten to fifteen charity shops to choose from, their shop is the ONLY one with the children's items accessible with a pram. ALL of the others have them up stairs so you can't get to them unless you are willing to leave your child, pram and shopping.

I've queried this in various places. Apparently it's 'policy' and beyond the control of the staff.

So the charity which exercises common sense is the one that gets everything from me.

They also do paperless communication for all the gift aid stuff, which suits me down to the ground.

arsepaste good post.

I think that charities are becoming the new bankers or estate agents, which is an enormous shame. On the whole, they do terrifically good work that benefits all of us, and in the past few years raising money has become increasingly difficult.

I really dislike receiving anything like that. Doesn't make me want to donate but I don't want to use or bin it.

Slightly off topic (sorry) I used to donate to dogs trust until one of their chuggers tried to guilt trip me into sponsoring a 2nd dog. I'm so glad I knocked it on the head because recently I have seen their posters on soaps (think one was on the wall of the cafe in corrie) and it annoys me that a) they pay for that and b) it's like a subconscious way of getting to you IYSWIM.

You don't pay for posters in soaps. You just send the poster to the TVcompany amdand they either use them or not. It's a bit of free promotion for charities.

Arsepaste- bit there are other charities that don't do it, so I do ate to those instead. I don't mind reasonable amounts of money for on admin but mailing shots and chuggers annoy me so I choose alternatives instead.

We got our pack yesterday. Quite liked the cards and coasters and made a donation in return - living proof that their strategy works! Don't know whether I felt guilted into it or just that their (pretty) artistic efforts deserved a response!

We already donate too, by monthly DD!

Ring the charity and ask not to be sent these things. Certainly the charity I work for is perfectly pleased to get these kind of calls and would far rather send you only what you want. (But we are very small and our supporter care is done by me, not a team of faceless people!)

Fascinating Arsepaste - thank you.

Someone send their unwanted one to WowserBowser!

Yes!! Thank you Saul

I feel better now.

You had a pen in yours? Coasters are useful for outside furniture. Donate anyway.

Dido I would love to call them and tell them I don't want these things but they choose to send them in bulk, over a 2 mile radius addressed to 'The Homeowner'. (I am friends with our postman who told me this)
Any research on demographic of this 2 mile radius would show a predominantly poor area mostly consisting of LA properties and high unemployment.
Hardly a target area.

YANBU