to think that if you sell poppy related products, you give ALL the money to charity?

[DrSeuss]

Not just 20%?

A local FB selling page has someone selling crystal poppy brooches, stating that 20% goes to the RBL. I commented that I disliked anyone profiting from the sale of poppies apart from the RBL or Help for Heroes. Seller responds that he is giving more than many high street stores, e.g. Marks and Spencer's. This may be true but IMHO, neither he nor any other commercial enterprise should be making money from poppies.

I have previously made crochet poppies but gave every penny to the RBL. I didn't even take out money for materials. AIBU to find making money for yourself in this way wrong?

the key is transparency so people know 'up-front' You'd hope so. Sadly in local politicking transparency is often defined as "the act of handing those who disagree with you all the ammunition they need"

Do 100% of the sales from normal poppies go to charity work? Unlikely, as the poppies have to be manufactured, staff have to be paid, buildings rented etc. It should be 100% of the profits, not 100% of sales.

On a more serious note I remember my mother who lived through both world wars refusing ever to buy a poppy as she used to say hardly any of it went to charity and most to the Haigh family. I have no idea whether or not that's true either then or now but clearly organisers taking more than you'd expect is nothing new and continues shamelessly.

Ironically the advert at the bottom of the page is for RBL poppy appeal. Wonder how much they pay for such advertising? All normal part of running a charity.

Small groups banding together to make and sell poppies then taking a small amount for costs and as a thank you to volunteers are very different to the person I am talking about. They don't even attempt to portray themselves as anything other than a salesman who is "generously" donating 20p in the pound!

It's not just about raising money it's about awareness

Completely by coincidence a poppy seller has just knocked at my door. This year they are also doing a bracelet with an enamel poppy in the middle as an alternative to the pin on poppy.

ItsJustNotRight

My granddad said the same. Lived through World War 1 and fought in World War 2, one of the first to go in on D-Day. He would have absolutely nothing to do with the Royal Legion and nor would any of his fellow troops. They were all promised they would be looked after (they all had different injuries from the war) but the legion did nothing for them. My granddad died when I was about 8 - he was only in his 60s then. My grandma was promised by the Legion that she would be looked after because of my granddad's service, but they never did anything for her. Still came round with the jar on poppy day though, which she always refused to donate to.

DesignedForLife most charities publish a 'conversion rate' showing how much they spend on items like advertising compared with how much they get back, if you have concerns. Advertising tends to draw money in return, most big charities do advertise these days.

Creampastry

Awareness of what? War? We all know about war. What disgusts me about the poppy is how it represents every war, not just World War 1 and 2. If it represented only the wars that people had no choice but fight in, I'd donate. But it now represents every armed conflict, which doesn't sit right with me. DP is RAF and won't wear one because he does not support the Iraq or Falklands wars. He will donate only to Help for Heroes because they are genuinely doing excellent and vital work. The British Legion does sod all.

I have been selling poppies today for Poppy Scotland. Companies like M and S sell the bling ones and keep most of the profit. Please buy from RBL or Poppy Scotland.

My grandfather fought on the Western front in the First World War, and he always said the Salvation Army saved his life and did more than anyone else for the wounded and dying.

Out of curiosity, what's wrong with Help for Heroes (apart from the slightly cloying name)? I don't know much about them but assumed they were related to BL in some way

Just checked on ebay. The cheapest available crystal poppy is 10p! Most are 3-4 pounds. He's selling them for 8 quid! I may have a limited understanding of business but I think he could be a little more generous!

branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/copythorne/poppy-appeal/where-does-your-money-go

support.britishlegion.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/280/~/poppy-faqs

All net Poppy Appeal income raised goes into the Royal British Legion Benevolent Fund, and is made available to beneficiaries according to need, regardless of where they live, and includes beneficiaries who qualify overseas.

The national Poppy Appeal does wonderfully well but cannot fully fund the welfare requirements of the charity. It is for that reason that Legion branches like Copythorne put a great deal of effort into funding other ways of raising additional funds to swell the Benevolent Fund.

The Royal British Legion bridges that gap through special events, lotteries and also generates money through its Trading Companies. This extra activity raised £17.5 million last year. Donations and legacies raised a further £38.8 million.

A small percentage of the money goes toward running the charity, its premises, staff, fundraising and other activities such as the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas and Remembrance Tours.

And the "Haig kept the money" was something I heard my Nana say too. Having read a bit about him I suspect it was because Earl Haig's battlefield accommodation was a very luxurious chateau far behind the battle lines; he wasn't a very personable man, never looked at the reality of the men he sent to their deaths and was considered to be as great a killer of British men as Stalin and Hitler combined.

I think it's fine to detract production costs etc...

Help for Heroes does indeed have a name that tmany service people dislike. It is also so big that it diverts money from smaller charities and, allegedly, doesn't always deliver!

Bowiefan. You and your husband have got that arse backwards. H4H has strict 'criteria' for the soldiers it helps and turns away 100s each and every year as they don't 'qualify' for their support and/or money.

RBL helps soldiers, sailors, airmen. Ex serving, currently serving, Families of, bereved families of, schools of and military medical charities (like combat stress)

I won't give a penny to H4H, but still pay part of my pension to the RBL. As do many, many forces personnel.

parrots

Yes DP doesn't like the name or the fact they're very friendly with the right-wing press, but he has seen himself that they do some vital work so he does donate to them.

DP doesn't like being called a hero though, so he does it through gritted teeth.

Most charity tat results in tiny donations - those boxes of sweets, polluting wristbands and so on usually have small print which is well worth reading.

That will include many big stores. At least the seller in the op is being fairly clear.

exLtEveDallas

We're just going off personal experience. British Legion did not care when DP was injured very badly on deployment. H4H got DP the private treatment he needed in this country. A friend of DP's had his legs blown off and got more support from H4H than he did from the Legion.

Add in my granddad's experiences with them, and that's why we don't support the Legion. H4H does have strict criteria, but only because they do not get funding on the same scale as the Legion does. H4H doesn't have people wearing their products for a month, including every single person on TV and all politicians.

H4H has done a lot in 9 years.

It's about raising awareness??? To what purpose?

I used to buy a poppy every year, but I feel that the culture has shifted to a celebration of militarism in the U.K. now, rather than one of remembrance. I made a personal decision a couple of years ago to stop buying one.

Ah, yes. 'Awareness'. The modern justification for all kinds of bullshit.

I hate how helpforheroes is bandied around as a great charity and I would hate to find out any money I donated for poppies went there.

As a forces family - veteran parents; we support the BL and SSAFA

I agree. It's fine to take costs for materials used, but every penny of profit should be going to the charity concerned IMO.

There was a similar issue locally with someone (a business premises) holding a Macmillan Coffee Morning where something like 10% of the profits was actually being donated. That is NOT the point at all!