To ask about charity giving

[Puppymonkeybaby1]

Not a TAAT but inspired by the homeless thread, I wondered if I could ask about your approach to charity giving?

I work for a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities - think Mencap or similar, and we really struggle to get people to donate. I think this is down to a number of factors, but one of them is that we're not well known and it's difficult to gain traction in a really overcrowded charity space.

So for anyone who does, do you donate because of a personal connection to that cause? Or did the subject just pull on your heart strings?

If other people feel that they prefer not to donate to charities where they think the government or NHS or local authority should be providing the service - I hope you are never in need of such a service yourself - cuts are really biting and things are only going to get worse

A lot of charities shouldn't need to exist if the government were actually spending their money where it is most needed and donating to them only reinforces the reliance of them.

@JaceLancs

These posters have a point though. In a politics lecture during my degree the lecturer talked about how repeatedly sending aid to developing countries means that governments feel that they don't have to support their own people.

I'm sure that this principle can be applied within the UK.

Jace no disrespect but that sort of comment is what puts people off. It's the 'better pray you don't get heart disease' when you decline to donate to heart research attitude. It's pretty off putting tbh

Cause and confidence in the charity..effectiveness, cost effectiveness, openninformation

I tend to go for things with a personal connection. I won't donate to causes that employ chuggers, as I feel my donation isn't going to help, it's only going to employ someone to continue to chug.

I choose to donate based on causes that are important to me - either because they touch me personally or because I just feel they are hugely worthwhile and possibly orphan causes. I pick the causes (at the moment - homelessness, prematurity prevention, mental health, environment, landmines) then try to find a charity in each area which seems well run, efficient etc.

I have to say I do think the charity sector is very overcrowded and would be more efficient if there was more consolidation. So I'm afraid in your example, if I wanted to give to your cause, I'd choose Mencap rather than your similar but less well known charity.

I might give if something unexpectedly pulls my heartstrings (I texted Blanket to unicef on impulse, for example), but generally I avoid any charity that I feel manipulated by. I once gave Cancer Research £5 and they hounded me for months. I'll give to any other cancer charity from now on.

I am already committed, i donate a fair amount already - so for me it is about market saturation. Plus I feel that a lot try and make me feel guilty for not choosing tenor charity, but I annoy possibly sponsor every charity and I don't agree with many of them. I would much rather make larger one off donations of buy items for the charity, like buying a goat or toilet for a 3rd world country. I totally understand why organisations want standing orders but I think they need to widen their options. Surely getting £20 off someone once is better than getting nothing?

Otherwise I stick with charities than I have some relationship with.

I do Concern, Sightsavers and Barnardo's by DD.

Concern give a break down on where the money goes and have been doing so for years. It's prominent on their website.

Barnardo's for children at home. I've no idea how money breakdown is.

Sightsavers I think give a good breakdown, and seem to do a lot with little.

I also donate to Unicef, world vision and Médicine Sans Frontiers for refugees and war zones. I've a feeling Unicef may not be the most efficient and I don't know about World Vision.

Occasionally Amnesty international. Occasionally a local dog rescue.

We donate to a few, some with a personal link but some that don't. It depends on the cause as others have said and who benefits.

I don't give to any that pay high wages as it's just funding a salary then so most are small local ones and mostly animal related.

I don’t donate to very large charities because I feel like they’re a bit of a machine and my donation may be spent on the huge chief exec’s wage (which, I know, is paid legitimately and fairly but I just don’t want to pay it)

I don’t donate to very small charities (one man bands) because they are too open to fraud and I have seen too many people running small charities in dubious and sometimes illegal ways for me to trust them.

I prefer small to medium sized charities (my kids’ school, the local day centre etc) where I can see every penny counts and it is spent on something I can see.

Are you on FB OP? Advertising is cheap and it’s a good way to put a call out to people to raise money for you via sponsored events etc. Most charities I have experience of are surviving off donations made from people’s wills. It’s difficult to ask people to remember your charity in their will but it does work if you can find the right tone.

I give to a local charity that supports families dealing with the condition my DS has. I think mental health charities really do struggle because people tend to lean towards cancer charities/hospices. I think the public are less aware of the work charities like yours do, so instead think about helping cure cancer, save lives and end of life care.

Connection or special interest. That pretty much determines all my charitable giving. And I cancel direct debit, if I get harassed by a chugger.

I work for a charity and know I get paid significantly less than I would if I worked for the public or private sectors so I feel that is part of my charitable giving. I prefer to give to charities that are actively campaigning for change or those that foster mutual aid rather than giving services to people because I think they find it harder to raise money.

I also tend to give to charities that support unpopular but just as vital causes. This year my monthly donation went to a charity advocating for the children of prisoners who get a really raw deal in our society but whose struggles are largely ignored and invisible.