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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel outraged at my friends re charity salaries?

879 replies

Pissedoffandbored · 03/07/2019 20:54

Have a group chat going with a load of my girlfriends. There have been some additions to the group chat this week, some I know well and others are just acquaintances. One girl I don’t know sent a link to published salaries for charities. Girl didn’t know I work for a National Charity in a senior position and slated the amount I earn saying people don’t deserve to earn more than PM. At this point I interjected making her aware of my position and she proceeded to have a go at me. I defended my position but most of my friends agreed I earned too much since I worked for a charity.

So AIBU to be pissed off? Also, is this the general consensus or are my mates just dick heads?

OP posts:
Ylvamoon · 04/07/2019 23:49

piesfortea but they are businesses that do offer a service for FREE. The money they raise enables them to give something to the end user = person / animal in need.
The paid staff is there to ensure consistency and that the right people receive the help. A councillor for "John" as mentioned above, warm place to sleep for a homeless person in winter, respite care for uncle Tom because aunty Betty has dementia and no care home place available. They pay the game keeper in a nature reserve, as it's the only way to stop him from inviting the poachers, they pay a vet to care for a mistreated pet cat / dog ...

You have no idea about how charities are run, nor do you know anything about possible end users. Let's hope you never have to ask any of those generous organisations with their amazing (paid) staff for help.

piesfortea · 04/07/2019 23:49

soulrunner

And those hedgehogs are saved at the expense of other donations being moved away from cats hats. Less money for charity overall because they are paying money to compete against each other.

Overall less hedgehogs and cats helped, but some marketing person takes a nice cut for achieving nothing overall.

GleefulGlitch · 04/07/2019 23:51

However, administration and fund raising are not the cause - and this is the side that should be volunteers only.

Without these things there is way the cause can be supported.

Free workers are flakey inconsistent and not always skilled enough. They are also amazing and much needed.
Why you have this idea that there are 1000s of highly trained folk just lounging around looking to give away their free time and skills is beyond me.
Do you live in a retirement village?

soulrunner · 04/07/2019 23:52

There is a fixed amount of money people are willing to give, and beyond this it's unethical.

Yeah, not true. There's a fixed amount people are willing to give but the amount given unprompted is way lower.

But anyway, what about IT? Just interested in your thoughts on that?

GleefulGlitch · 04/07/2019 23:54

And those hedgehogs are saved at the expense of other donations being moved away from cats hats. Less money for charity overall because they are paying money to compete against each other.

Overall less hedgehogs and cats helped, but some marketing person takes a nice cut for achieving nothing overall.

Now you are talking out of your arse!

Are you saying there should only ever be 1 charity. Not hedgehogs or cats just 1 charity?

piesfortea · 04/07/2019 23:54

Ylvamoon

Okay, so if they are businesses, then I'm happy.
But businesses do not exploit workers (i.e. use volunteers) at all, get money for no services (donations) and get tax subsidies.

No issue at all with a normal business setting up, selling its services and using the profit to help people for free - but not if exploiting labour, paying less than other businesses for rates and taking money from elderly people for nothing (which in any normal business would be fraud).

Lets admit it, they are businesses that only operate as businesses in certain ways - and with people who are more interested in their own benefits from the donations.

soulrunner · 04/07/2019 23:54

Overall less hedgehogs and cats helped, but some marketing person takes a nice cut for achieving nothing overall.

Not necessarily, because you're assuming that all charities are equally impactful, and all other things being equal, larger charities are likely to be more impactful per $ due to economies of scale and potential for driving systemic change through policy work.

piesfortea · 04/07/2019 23:57

IT is administration and is not very skilled as a role. In general I would expect a charity to expect people to use their own PC's and free on-line services. No need to pay anything for IT.

GleefulGlitch · 04/07/2019 23:58

Right I am off to bed.

I shall leave the goady hedgehog to it.

Goodnight sensible people.

piesfortea · 04/07/2019 23:59

soulrunner

It's certainly the larger charities that have the most impact in exploiting vulnerable people for donations.

piesfortea · 05/07/2019 00:00

GleefulGlitch

Of course not, just that using donations to pay for more donations is harmful to the charity sector overall. Just get volunteers to do fundraising.

GleefulGlitch · 05/07/2019 00:00

In general I would expect a charity to expect people to use their own PC's and free on-line services. No need to pay anything for IT.

GDPR does not allow for this if peoples personal details need to be stored.
Shared networks are required as well as servers to ensure safety from misuse.

This stuff breaks so IT service are also required.

You really dont have a clue 🤣😂

GleefulGlitch · 05/07/2019 00:02

Just get volunteers to do fundraising
What if one of those volunteers steals?

This happens sadly every year across many charities. Who will manage that?

piesfortea · 05/07/2019 00:06

Free workers are flakey inconsistent and not always skilled enough. They are also amazing and much needed.
Why you have this idea that there are 1000s of highly trained folk just lounging around looking to give away their free time and skills is beyond me.

Very patronising - obviously the same people who are amazing at their jobs suddenly are useless when volunteering.

As I said, we have managed to find people who volunteer for free, and in a few hours ac hive a lot with 100% efficiency. So there must be 1000's in the country doing the same.

Maybe if more people were willing to do so, we'd all be happier donating a little more. At the moment, I'd rather not waste money on organisations spending donations on fund raising and admin/management when many professionals will give up time for free if everyone does so.

HariboBrenshnio · 05/07/2019 00:07

Proper fundraising is a skill. Have you ever done it? It's hard work, time consuming and at times difficult and soul destroying. I can completely understand why volunteers don't want to do it for free too often. Wonderful committees and group take on local fundraising but as a group. Whereas one paid skilled fundraiser can cover huge regional patches.

piesfortea · 05/07/2019 00:08

A volunteer manager?

Are you saying no paid charity worker has committed a crime? They are basically stealing every day.

HariboBrenshnio · 05/07/2019 00:09

When you take the hump about 11p or so going back into fundraising and wages, it's the service uses that stuff - no one else. If donations are down, so are services because the government gives most charities bugger all. So it's less Marie curie nurses, less people on the phones at MIND, less Macmillan support workers, less scientist doing research, less women getting into hostels.. you need to remember the bigger picture and what these charities actually do achieve.

HariboBrenshnio · 05/07/2019 00:11

Most big charities are filling huge gaps austerity has left behind meaning more pressure, more need for donations and more need for skilled charity workers to help boost those donations.

Ylvamoon · 05/07/2019 00:13

piesfortea - you really haven't got a clue, have you?
You don't know much about business or economy and even less about the business that is charity.
Glad there are more sensible people in this world, who are willing to donate, volunteer and work for charities.

Screamanger · 05/07/2019 00:14

piesfortea

It’s simple, you need to spend money to make money.

GleefulGlitch · 05/07/2019 00:14

Very patronising - obviously the same people who are amazing at their jobs suddenly are useless when volunteering.

Yes because its not paid work so they can opt in and opt out whenever they like and they do.
I mange 10 volunteers and as lovely as they are and the tine they give is needed I can never really rely on them. They drop days/hours /pop of to meet their husband for a 3 hour coffee. Its inconsistent and quite rightly they do it to suit them.

Are you saying no paid charity worker has committed a crime? They are basically stealing every day.

I never said any such thing.

I asked you specifically about volunteers.

So this volunteer manager is Joan who was a machinist for 40 years. How is Joan going to handle theft by volunteers?

piesfortea · 05/07/2019 00:15

HariboBrenshnio

I understand what you are saying - but we see it differently. I believe you are saying the outcome must be achieved at whatever cost, however inefficiently.

I don't believe the outcome justifies the means. If less people want to donate money and time, then the outcome will be smaller - and yes, I think that's right.

It would be interesting to let donors choose the amount to be used for admin, and if it's 11% then that is fine,.If people only want 2% or 0% to go to admin, then that should also be respected.

piesfortea · 05/07/2019 00:18

Or maybe Joan has been a supervisor for 40 years and can handle basic admin and management absolutely fine. I'm sure she can discuss the issue with the volunteer, investigate and call the police as easily as anyone else.

HariboBrenshnio · 05/07/2019 00:19

Nobody is hiding anything from donors though. All charities declare what they spend their money on each year. The information is right there, usually on their website, showing their annual reports. So if people have an issue they can just not donate. Thankfully, majority don't have an issue so charities can continue to support and give free services to people that genuinely need it.

If we went by the logic of 'if people want 0% going into fundraising then they should get that', there could be only volunteers, charities being unable to provide support and we'd see more people struggle. It seems a daft argument considering the impact charities currently have in the UK following austerity and vital government services being cut for the vulnerable and needy.

GleefulGlitch · 05/07/2019 00:21

If people only want 2% or 0% to go to admin, then that should also be respected.

So that would be me and 100s like me out of the job then. That would mean the service we provide will be cut leaving many many vulnerable people in desperate and dangerous situations.

Wow you really are a piece of work. Just because you hate the thought of skilled ordinary people getting a wage you accept that many many other people will go without support which could cost their life and you are comfortable with that?

Wow and some on here called the OP vile Hmm