Charity - what is your feeling?

[Orangejuicemarathoner]

I have been active in many charities for a long time.

There was a time when you could go around asking for contributions and get a "yes" or a "no".

These days I keep getting "OMG- how racist/patronising/politically incorrect/non-woke is that, you are a terrible person".

I don't get it really. Poorer people need help and support from richer people. Sometimes the poorer people are next door, sometimes hundreds of miles away and sometimes on another continent. Sometimes in the past, the poorer person has been me and I have needed and accepted charity

Why have people stopped thinking sharing is a good thing?

I know some charities are ineffective, and some unhelpful, maybe even damaging. I am not talking about specifics. I am talking about the general principle, if you know the charity is effective.

YABU - charitable giving is evil - stop it at once

YANBU - altruism is important

If its not the first response you've had like that then the charity may well be problematic, or it's something about the way you're asking people.

Just because you believe in something it doesn't mean others are automatically obliged to believe in it

Oh god - are you that Geordie Georgie from Catherine Tate who is always doing sponsored stuff ?

@ABCeasyasdohrayme

If its not the first response you've had like that then the charity may well be problematic, or it's something about the way you're asking people.

Just because you believe in something it doesn't mean others are automatically obliged to believe in it

no, there is no problem with the charity, and there is no problem with how I ask either

Its a change in how "woke" people view charity, as insulting to the receiver.

However I just think that is very silly. Nobody wants to be in a position to need charity, but if you are, better to have charity than not to have it.

I think these people are superimposing their own misplaced feelings of pride and shame onto people who don't have the luxury to care about pride and shame, and just need support

It really isn't about being 'woke'. I move in circles that would be perceived as very 'woke' and every person I know supports various (often multiple) charities in one way or another.

Its a change in how "woke" people view charity, as insulting to the receiver.

Are you referring to white saviour complex?

There's a big difference between raising money that will be used for genuine good, and making a big show of raising money for what turns into more of a PR opportunity than a project achieving results. A project to provide education, sanitation etc is a worthwhile project. Fundraising for some z lister to go and have pictures with various poor people, not something I'd donate to.

It's only insulting to the recipient if they are used for PR purposes.

I think folk are using it as a new excuse for not donating. BUT apart from Poppy Day, i dislike being asked face to face to donate to charities and I won't donate to charities who evangelise as part of their charitable activity. I have got a smal portfolio of donations which go out of my bank account directly and I add to it when I can afford to.

Have a look at their balance sheet before you give - it's an eye opener.

I think it's a bit awkward when people in the street try to sign me up for things - I will usually ignore! I agree with the above, that charity is to be researched and looked into rather than foisted upon us.

Perhaps the reason you got such a reaction was the views that charity begins at home? Or perhaps because some developing nations have explained that multiple European people deciding what to create / donate and travelling abroad to input such "charity" is in itself causing issues?

I think people are allowed to have views about charities.
There are many I happily support
Whereas I wouldn't touch Samaritans Purse with a barge pole and would therefore be one of your woke people perhaps

@ThroughTheTunnel

Have a look at their balance sheet before you give - it's an eye opener.

I am well aware of their balance sheet - as I said I have worked for them in the past, in Malawi. Its a very good, effective, helpful charity, with many adults in long term careers, supporting themselves and their families now because they were supported through their education in the past.

It is an excellent charity. I know not all charities are this good, but as I said, it is the principle that people are against, not anything about the specific charity

In 2010 I did a sponsored race for a charity that my friend worked for at the time. The aim of the charity was to support African street children. When I was trying to raise my sponsorship money I was genuinely surprised by how many people objected to giving any money to a charity where the money was going overseas, and they had no issue telling me that and why. (Basically, charity begins at home.) I've never done a sponsored anything since.

I think that a lot of people have strong ideas on what charities are worthy these days. Plus, there's charity fatigue (being asked to donate to this, that, the other all the time) and it's not always clear where the money is going.

YABU for your stupid polarising options

I suspect the charities you support are known for being racist/sexist/homophobic as some are.

Charities are sadly essential but some have a particular agenda to their work which not everyone likes.

@PicaK

I think people are allowed to have views about charities. There are many I happily support Whereas I wouldn't touch Samaritans Purse with a barge pole and would therefore be one of your woke people perhaps

no, of course not - there are many reasons not to support a charity, most of which I understand.

"It is patronising and insulting to the people receiving charity" - that one I do not understand. I've been in receipt of charity myself in the past and I was grateful, and I wouldn't be where I am now without it

@MadeOfStarStuff

YABU for your stupid polarising options

I suspect the charities you support are known for being racist/sexist/homophobic as some are.

Charities are sadly essential but some have a particular agenda to their work which not everyone likes.

no it is not racist sexist or homophobic. It is simply concerned with teaching maths, literacy, music, sport, science, history etc, in line with the local educational curriculum, so children can be educated, qualified and employed, as we hope for for our own children

It’s not altruism if there is a selfish or self serving motive. That’s not the definition.

@supermoonrising

It’s not altruism if there is a selfish or self serving motive. That’s not the definition.

So what? Makes me feel good, and it's better than not doing it.

Reciprocal altruism is a thing. Google it (also has vampire bat facts so that's a bonus).

@supermoonrising

It’s not altruism if there is a selfish or self serving motive. That’s not the definition.

It doesn't matter, does it. The effect is the same. If you need financial support, why would you care what percentage of the donors heart is doing it for selfish reasons, or not.

We all want to be kind, so if we are kind, we get to think of ourselves as kind, which is what we want, so in that sense, no kindness is ever truly 100% unselfish, but who cares? The more kindness in the world the better

I think alot of people have charity fatigue. I know I have. I've always donated but it just gets too much and most charities just want cash not donations or time. The last time I donated to a food bank I was neither helped with the bags or thanked so I refuse to do that again. The same with Project Shoebox where my donations were refused.

Times are hard and getting harder and people may not have the money to donate.

I choose which charities i give to based on my personal experiences. If people stop me on the street they get nothing. I won't sponsor other adults for doing stuff that's not difficult, like race for Life. I wouldn't give someone abuse for raising money but also don't have any issues with telling rspca fundraisers for example why i will never donate to them.

I agree with @MrsTerryPratchett

Totally bizarre. Worked in charities for decades and volunteered for many others and never, ever, had this kind of response. I work in a similar area to the charity you mentioned, too.

There you go OP!

You can see the push back against charitable endeavours in almost every post here.

It isn't even like the Live Aid fatigue. It's more personal, it's YOU!

YOU are selfish
YOU just want all the applause
It's all just a PR stunt
YOU are a serial charity hugger
Being asked face to face is like emotional blackmail
The charity is absolutely guranteed to racist/sexist/homophobic etc

I work in the charity sector. I volunteer at a foodbank; I monitor funding streams, look at funding applications; I sit on the cooperative board of a group of local community charities (from foodbank to DV services; cooking clubs to dbt management, that kind of thing).

And I too get all of the above just because I breath, apparently! I get it. Really I do. Everyone is sick and tired of hearing about charity walks, donkeys, cats, dogs etc etc etc

But it really wouldn't hurt people to take a breath and bloody listen (or in this case read) before they saunter in and plop down their biases, prejudices and assumptions.

@Justcallmebebes

So much scandal surrounding charities recently including financial and sexual exploitation and I think people are also waking up to the fact that a lot of the major charities rely on volunteers to do a lot of the actual hard work whilst those at the top are on obscene salaries.

If you can afford to pay your directors £100,000 a year, you're not having a contribution towards that from me. I'm looking at you Amnesty

I could do the job for a lot less, but nobody is going to let me because I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing.

Rightly or wrongly, the bigger the charity is, the more income they have, the more they have to pay the person at the top because of the greater responsibilities it brings. Of course it would be lovely if people with the relevant skills offered to do it for free, but that's highly unlikely.

There is a definite issue with the increasingly corporate nature of large charities though, I know this could be considered them being more professional, but I think there's a risk they're throwing the baby out with the bathwater there.

Disclaimer - I work for a charity, though there's no big bucks salaries here and we all work considerably more than we are paid for to keep everything running in the face of constant reductions in income.

I have children there were some charity people collecting for deaf and disabled children in our local town they were persistently following people asking for donations by direct debit I was unemployed and was walking with my other unemployed mum friend who had her autistic daughter with her that day the conversation went

Donate to children? These children are deaf disabled living in poor conditions etc etc I was polite said no sorry he blockades us by a building to pour on more of the misery about disabled children I said no again redirected friends daughter walked on he FOLLOWED us come on you CLEARLY don't care for children its ONLY TEN POUNDS A MONTH thats a few of your coffees you don't care if they DIE because of you DO YOU? Autistic child turns round and screamed NO WE BLOODY DONT

And that's why chugger got banned in our town centre for 18 months

Its also why I don't donate to many charities

But OP is not a chugger.

They are a totally undefensible other kettle of fish!