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Original poster

To wonder if the Teenage Cancer Trust can cope with the volume of donations from Stephen Sutton's plight

52 replies

Bearbehind · 15/05/2014 08:54

The awareness of teenage cancer raised by Stephen in his last few weeks and the donations it has triggered are awe inspiring but do you think a fairly small charity like Teenage Cancer Trust will know how best to use that kind of money?

OP posts:
Canus · 15/05/2014 08:57

I didn't think the Teenage Cancer Trust was that small?

I am fairly sure they have more demands on their services than can be met at the monent, so more money can only be good.

I'm also fairly sure that their executive board and accountants will be as qualified as any others.

I've never known 'too much money' to be a problem for any organisation.

CuntBiscuit · 15/05/2014 08:59

Jesus H Christ.

Even if they don't currently know what to do with the money, they can now, at least, afford to pay for people who are experts in this kind of thing to show them how.

Also, they're hardly a tiny operation working from someone's living room, they raise millions of pounds via their partnership with the Body Shop (which is just one of their major sponsors) every year. They hold a series of concerts every year at the Royal Albert Hall, which bands like Oasis play at. They are not charity lightweights.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 15/05/2014 09:03

Even if they don't currently know what to do with the money, they can now, at least, afford to pay for people who are experts in this kind of thing to show them how.

That's my point though- paying people to tell them how to spend the money isn't the best use of it.

OP posts:
scarlettsmummy2 · 15/05/2014 09:08

You have no idea of the backgrounds or capabilities of the staff who work there. I work for a small charity (much much smaller than the TCT) but the project I personally run has a budget of a couple of million pounds! With good management and a good board they will have no trouble knowing what to use it for!

Rainicorn · 15/05/2014 09:09

A quick look at their website will tell you what they do.

They have units in practically every big city hospital for one, and if that money goes to open another one or improve the existing ones then it's money well spent.

I can't see them wasting it.

Canus · 15/05/2014 09:09

Bearbehind I can't think of a charity that doesn't spend a fortune on advertising, advisors, staff, chuggers etc.

That's why I donate to remarkably few.

The 'charity industry' is vast, and employs the most extraordinary range of people.

The Teenage Cancer Trust is not unique in that respect.

MinesAPintOfTea · 15/05/2014 09:14

Well if you look at their accounts for last year they spent £1.5m more than they received so some of it will just ensure they don't have a shortfall again. Plus I thought that they mostly provided local services, it would be easy to scale that up/provide investment for infrastructure based on the donations on behalf of Stephen Sutton.

banterwiththehunks · 15/05/2014 09:15

I do wonder if the 4 million will even cover the wages and bonus for the year of just the exec team at the charity

MinesAPintOfTea · 15/05/2014 09:19

banter look it up yourself if you want to criticise the charity. For 2012-13 (last published accounts) the governance spending was £0.34m. So yes, it will cover it by quite a large margin.

banterwiththehunks · 15/05/2014 09:22

Sorry it was just a flippant remark, I did hear once that most heads of charity's earn more than the prime minister and chuggers cost 150 for each person they sign up.

WonderWomansSister · 15/05/2014 09:23

What lovely attitudes on this thread Hmm The TCT is not some tinpot charity that doesn't know it's arse from it's elbow - and the amazing amount raised for them will no doubt help so many teenagers with cancer, and by default, their families too. This is a Good Thing.

And yes, charities actually pay their staff money, not fresh air. You have to if you actually want decent people to work for you. It won't be as much as they'd get in a private business, but still needs to reflect the role and their expertise and the huge budgets they're put in charge of. Pay peanuts and you'd get monkeys.

teacher54321 · 15/05/2014 09:24

What a strange and negative spin on such an amazing achievement.

treaclesoda · 15/05/2014 09:25

It's so patronising to assume that the charity won't know best how to spend the money. They are quite a well known charity, whose work relates to one specific area, teenage cancer. They don't have to throw the money around as soon as it comes in, but in any case they probably have loads of things that they've always said 'if we had the funds we could do ...'. Now they will have the funds.

I hate this idea that prevails sometimes that 'little people' are utterly clueless and need management consultants to tell them how to do stuff. Whilst I'm sure they have their place, I've worked in far too many places where tens of thousands of pounds are spent paying consultants to come up with exactly the same ideas that the employees have already suggested and which have been ignored or written off as a bad idea. Then some folk in snappy suits come in, suggest the same thing and present it in a nice folder with an invoice for £50k, and lo, it is introduced. And don't start me on the public sector where I've seen teams of accountants with 30 years experience each behind them being lectured by an arts graduate on how to be effective accountants Confused

WonderWomansSister · 15/05/2014 09:25

The Prime Minister's basic salary might not seem much for the job Banter but you have to take into account the role's expenses, pension and two homes - Downing Street and Chequers. Not forgetting the huge earning potential once they leave office.

WonderWomansSister · 15/05/2014 09:27

Hit send too soon. Meant to add that comparing the Prime Minister's salary with other salaried positions isn't as straightforward as it first seems.

ICanSeeTheSun · 15/05/2014 09:29

What that boy did in the last few weeks of his life was amazing.

This thread is in very poor taste.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 15/05/2014 09:33

It wasn't supposed to be a strange or negative spin, what he achieved is amazing and should be spent in a way that honours that.

My question was a genuine one, things like the Bodyshop donations is an integral part of their income but any charity suddenly receiving this kind of money has big decisions to make and I started the thread to find out how it works, not to criticise them.

OP posts:
treaclesoda · 15/05/2014 09:34

I'm starting to wonder if the OP is someone I know. Every silver lining has a cloud in her world too...

CuntBiscuit · 15/05/2014 09:35

I didn't mention - or even mean - management consultants to tell the charity how to spend the money FFS.

Here's the thing, charities HAVE to pay people to do things for them. Even volunteers are a cost to a charity. Good people cost money. The money that TCT are now getting will now help them employee more good people to do the best with the funds that they're getting in - whatever they want to do with it.

What is most important is this: TCT is not some little tinpot charity who don't know how to manage their funds. They're an excellent charity who ALREADY manage their funds in a spectacularly good fashion. Yes, they've had some unexpected cash, but thinking they won't know what to do with it is spectactuarly ignorant.

Charity thread on MN always piss me off, I don't know why I bother.

treaclesoda · 15/05/2014 09:35

sorry, cross posted!

Ok, well in that case, I guess the answer is that they will spend it on all the things they've been wanting to do but couldn't due to lack of resources.

treaclesoda · 15/05/2014 09:38

my comment about management consultants wasn't directed at you cunt (yikes, don't much like calling you that!) it was just a general point about modern workplace practice. I think the charity will do just fine, I'm sure they know what they're doing.

banterwiththehunks · 15/05/2014 09:39

Cunt my concern is pouring money in doest automatically make things better. The hospitals and schools have had more money than ever being poured in the last decade, seams to have just been sucked up by management and been a decrease in services.

TitusFlavius · 15/05/2014 09:40

Canus I've spent my working life in the voluntary sector, both as (very modestly-)paid staff and as unpaid volunteer and unpaid board member, and can confirm that there are plenty of charities out there, working hard and spending very little on advertising, advisors, staff, chuggers, etc.

There are bullshit charities out there, of course, but it is entirely proper, efficient and sensible for charities to spend a small proportion of their income on proper administration. It's the ones that don't do this that are likely to get into trouble.

On the subject of this thread - I think it's great people are moved to donate to the TCT, and they seem to have perfectly adequate infrastructure to handle these sums properly.

grayling57 · 15/05/2014 09:42

It's a lot of money, but setting up the specialist teenage cancer units takes a lot of money. They've set up dozens successfully over the last decade or so.

I had cancer when I was Stephen's age and was treated in an adult ward. It was frightening and lonely in hospital. Now my area is served by a teenage cancer trust unit. Have a look at the website if you don't realize how much of a difference this sort of facility might make to a teenager spending weeks in hospital.

I expect that the teenage cancer trust has an excellent idea on how to spend that money - making sure that more teenagers like Stephen have access to the best possible care.

Owllady · 15/05/2014 09:43

Starting this thread is incredibly insensitive :(