Which charity for a wedding

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Our wedding is coming up next June so we are sending out invites soon. We have everything we need for the house and have no use for candelsticks holders or picture frames etc. We are comfortable so feel it selfish and rude to ask for financial contributions towards the honeymoon. I suggested that we pick a charity that we would like people to donate to instead and putting the money to better use etc. So far I have thought about maybe the Make a Wish foundation but wanted to see if there is any other charities I should consider

Which are the 8 you donate to? Could you divide them into categories and choose one from each?

I'd donate to bliss for babies born sick or premature. They make a huge difference to families at the worst time of their lives.

I would let people choose tbh OP, charity giving is quite a personal thing, there are some I wouldn't donate to. I'd pick something small and local, for maximum impact. DP worked in finance for a large and well known charity a few years and the % that actually goes into projects from single donations by individuals (or adoptions and subscriptions etc) is fairly loe.

My best friend married last year and set up a Just Giving for a charity relating to a deceased family members illness, for her wedding, gave out cards with the charity pins on as favours and link to donate (which was also on the invite). Sadly almost all the pins were left on the tables at the end of the night still and it did upset her a bit. I think they had a handful of small token donations from immediate family and that was it (which also upset her as it was something in her mind related to the family member and felt to her that people didn't care about said family member. It put a real dampener on it, we had do a sweep of the abandoned pins and dispose of them.

Obviously people are free to donate or not (I obviously did, for her) and made a point of taking the pin- but I will say that it's a bit wasteful, the pins aren't really going to be worn or used or even kept (realistically, unless by people also close to the deceased). I would prefer just to donate.

Really not trying to be a downer OP honestly, just pointing out that on the day, if the charity you choose holds real meaning then there is scope for upset to you. Fingers crossed it would go the other way for you and your guests are nicer than hers were . I did also see someone leave early with an unopened bottle of the table wine in hand, so there you go!

@PurpleDaisies Cancer Research (though I have been thinking of swapping to one that focuses more on the after care), Shelter (we both do individually), Guide Dogs, RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Cats Protection, Sight Savers, then the WWF where I addopted a tiger years ago and we last year also addopted an orangutan together after that palm tree oil issue brought me to tears

@dontgobaconmyheart oh that is terrible. Your poor friend 😔. I have somewhat prepared myself that some guests might not donate. I would not hold it against them and assume they are in financially tight situation themselves etc for most of my friends if it was my mother's side I certainly know it is pure selfishness but expect nothing less these days

SENSE is also a fantastic charity. It's for deaf and blind children .
Have an amazing wedding day x

@Itallt0omuch I have put them on the list. Especially as it has effected my closer circle directly

@GreatBritishbakeofffan thank you so much for the wishes and the sugestion. Both are appreciated

Please consider a local charity. Big charities won’t miss what is likely to be a relatively small donation in the big scheme of things but it could make the world of difference to a smaller one and the money would be spent locally. Your local food bank would be very appreciative- cash to buy perishable goods like bread.

How about a toy collection for kids in care. Then people can buy something and you might even get a pile that people can see at the reception to show what a difference it would make.

Emmeline's Pantry are a women's food bank who support women rescued from domestic violence or trafficking. City Hearts are also a fantastic anti-trafficking charity.

@Sotiredofthislife I have been trying to search for more local ones too.

@Dave234234 that is a wonderful idea

@Nomad86 both of them sound like real help. Thank you for suggesting them ☺️

www.c-r-y.org.uk/sads/

Charity for sudden adult death syndrome

So many people don't even know sudden adult death syndrome exists

I know this wasn’t the point, but I’m really enjoying this thread. Lovely to find out about all these different charities.

We chose one from either side of our families where we had been personally affected. So in our case it was Parkinsons UK and Prostate Cancer UK.

Other friends who did the same thing chose the hospice where the bride's mother had been cared for during her cancer

i think it needs to be something thst really means something to you. Out of the 8 you donate to, if you had to cut 7 which one would you still donate to?
I'd pick our local Children's Hospital where we spent so much time, BHF as DS has a heart condition, my branch of Samaritans as I volunteer there or Shelter as I've worked it as a Samaritan.

Additionally, I think to a degree the bigger the charity less people are inclined. Anything where the CEO gets paid lots will be contentious, as w Re there's a question over how much donation goes to the charity.

So saying that I'd look at a small local charity where 1k could make a huge difference, or physical donations (flood Bank, women's hostel, local children's Hospice etc)

I’d go a smaller charity as when you ask the big charities (and I did for my wedding and I won’t name them on here) how much actually goes towards the treatment/people who need it it’s a shockingly small amount. So the smaller the charity the bigger the difference your contribution will make as they won’t have to pay large salaries!

I like this thread!
I would draw up a list of a few smaller/less common charities your guests could choose which to donate to. For e.g. I follow a small cat rescue on Facebook-so somewhere like that; a local hospice/hospital; the charities supporting the Deaf are good as they are under supported; as a PP said Arthritis UK and some of the lesser known national charities-so less obvious cancer ones, MNDA etc

I agree that small local charities are a great idea. We give regularly to our local hospice, who are just down the road and do great work.

Homeless shelters are a good idea.

One way to find out about local charities is to look in local supermarkets - Waitrose, Tesco and Co-op usually have collections going for good causes in the local area.

Baffled by the poster who thinks it's 'cheeky' to ask for charity donations - I think it's really lovely, and the opposite of grabby!

@Witchinaditch I’d go a smaller charity as when you ask the big charities (and I did for my wedding and I won’t name them on here) how much actually goes towards the treatment/people who need it it’s a shockingly small amount. So the smaller the charity the bigger the difference your contribution will make as they won’t have to pay large salaries!

Agree 100%. The 'overheads' of the big charities are shocking. Air fares to international conferences, expensive central London offices, perks, etc. etc. You're often paying to send the CEO's kids to private school!

What country do you live in?

How about a small local charity, many are run on a shoestring and are desperate for funding.

I’m really sorry but I don’t like this idea. If I were going to a wedding I would want to get THE COUPLE a gift. If they truly didn’t want anything then I would respect that, but I wouldn’t enjoy being told what charity to donate to.

DH and I have 6 causes we have a monthly direct debit to. I wouldn’t start giving to causes requested by friends, as any extra charity giving from me would go to an emergency appeal or similar.

I would just gift you cash, then after that it would be up to you to give it to charity. Charity is a personal thing.

I also don’t like charity favours. Sorry!! They are donations in lieu of gifts for guests. which are pointless anyway However I rarely see couples quietly donating in lieu of things like their flowers, the dress, or anything else that is for the benefit of the couple.

Hope I didn’t offend, and condolences for those that have lost loved ones. Just wanted to give you another perspective.