Would this annoy you? Charity donations?

[SpookyScarySkeletons]

Fully accepting I might be told I'm wrong in this one but I just wondered if this would annoy you??

There is a cat rescue that is very close to my heart. I support them a lot financially, send food and adopted both my girls from there. They really struggled during the pandemic as they couldn't do fundraising activities.

I took on a real hard challenge and raised £300 for them earlier this year. On Christmas Eve they asked for donations for vet bills for a little kitten they have just taken in. I sent a donation on Christmas morning.

I've just read on their Facebook group that as a "kind gesture" the rescue have sent £100 to another charity (nothing related to animals at all).

I'm honestly feeling a bit miffed as I sent my money thinking it would go towards kittens vets fees. And why are they asking for support if they can divert those funds to another charity who i (and other supporters) may or not support??

Am I being a miserly old grinch here???

@Aprilx

I am afraid I lost some sympathy when you said it was not a charity. If you want to know your donations are being used correctly, or at least should have suitable rigour over them, then there are plenty of charities about!

There are and I will choose more carefully next time.

However I have visited numerous time, adopted both my cats from there. I had absolutely no reason to be suspicious about my donations are used for.

I think as well it hurts a bit more because the fundraising activity I did was incredibly difficult. I have disabilities and it absolutes exhausted me. And then it stings a bit that the money all my friends and family have given plus the donations I have made myself may not have been used in the best way.

I feel like a bit of an idiot now.

YANBU. If I wanted to give to another charity I would do it directly.

Y

Sorry for random Y, I was in middle of a text conversation with husband and meant to text him Yes in answer to his question.

You are not being unreasonable. At all. That would piss me right off.

@RandomMess

There is a lady local to me that fundraises mainly via raffle and sales of donated goods for animal charities.

Generally goes 50:50 to local animal shelters. Sometimes to other animal causes must importantly she regularly tells what is in the pot and she always asks/puts to the vote where the money goes

I would not be happy if she suddenly have it to some random cause!

Hope she has a gambling licence!

It depends what the charity is. There would be a few I wouldn’t be happy with but most I’d be ok with. As long as they are looking after the cats well that need looking after, I wouldn’t be too fussed.

Yes, that would hack me off too, especially when you really put yourself through it to earn your donations. I’m sorry your efforts -which sound fantastic - have not been matched by similar effort on their part to direct funds appropriately, particularly when this is often a busy time for animal causes.

I always check the charitable registration status of anything I donate to for that very reason as I want my cash - hard-earned or hard-raised donation money - to go where it’s meant to go.

Registration doesn’t completely avoid malpractice or, at best, dodgy decision-making, altogether - but it makes both far less likely. Either they don’t want the oversight or they’re too short-sighted to work for the medium- to long-term goals of the cause, such as reputation or maximising income in a proper manner - as registration enables charities to reclaim Gift Aid and maximise income.

If they are unable to think strategically and make appropriate fundraising requests or decisions to direct funds, then at best they may be in over their heads and at worst you don’t know where else money might be going.

Is there a local journalist who covers these matters for a local magazine or paper? If there is malpractice it needs bringing to light - that’s what good local journalism is for - and if it’s just misguided decision-making, investigation could make them aware of reputational damage and the need to not alienate supporters.

@HangingOutWithTheSandman

It depends what the charity is. There would be a few I wouldn’t be happy with but most I’d be ok with. As long as they are looking after the cats well that need looking after, I wouldn’t be too fussed.

Yes I think this is where my AIBU confusion is kicking in.

Like the charity they had given money to certainly isn't a charity I would not support. In fact it's an extremely worthy cause.

But if I wanted to support them I would have sent my money to them.

I made a decision to support the rescue with their vet bills for a very poorly kitten. I didn't choose to support a nationwide charity regardless of how much good they do.

I'd be tempted to send a polite email to say that you donated £300 to support their cats, and if they're using their funds for other purposes, then you'd like your money back

They won't pay, but it might make them think twice about taking their supporters for granted

@RozHuntleysStump

That’s an outrage. I’d be very cross about that.

I no longer donate to a local dog rescue that imports dogs from Romania. They are always moaning that people don’t donate any more. I always want to say that it’s because people want to help animals shelters that have taken in animals that have lost their homes. Not ones that are imported by choice.

Well I only donate to rescues helping overseas animals. Specifically Romania. So we are even.

You're not unreasonable to be cross about this, but unless you specifically ringfence the money you donate, the charity is free to use it in whatever way they see fit. It's one of the reasons I'd donate time/skill to a charity, but not money.

They aren't a registered charity so I assume those rules don't apply. they sound well dodgy then. Don't give them another penny of your money

Why are you donating to a cat rescue and mire importantly fundraising so others donate, without it being a registered charity. I’d be feeling guilty as hell for my friends that I mislead OP.

If it's not registered as a charity, it's just a business.

Any business whose "plan" relies on people donating money deserves to go under.

They aren’t allowed to do that, even if they haven’t registered as a charity. If they are calling themselves a charity and fundraising under that name, then they are still bound by charity law.

They are obliged to spend the funds they receive in donations on the thing that they have raised the money for. I would complain or report them. They shouldn’t be raising money from the pubic if they can’t be trusted to spend it as it was intended.

Fwiw, you don’t have to avoid giving money to charities just because they aren’t registered. A charity that I help with had to operate as a charity for a year before they had enough turnover to be allowed to be registered charity with a number. They still had to fundraise in that time, but they were trustworthy.

YANBU - that is taking the piss. Having said that I don’t know what the ‘answer’ is to stop it happening again.

@Boombastic22

Why are you donating to a cat rescue and mire importantly fundraising so others donate, without it being a registered charity. I’d be feeling guilty as hell for my friends that I mislead OP.

I think that's very unfair to suggest I mislead my friends.

I haven't mislead anyone. At worst I put my trust in the wrong people.

I’d be feeling guilty as hell for my friends that I mislead OP.

🙄 Ignore this OP. You’ve raised money in good faith.

And the cat rescue are probably fine anyway, they’ve given to another charity, which is a nice thing too. Whether you still give to them is up to you, but I don’t think there’s any reason to think anyone has done anything with any bad intent here.

@SpookyScarySkeletons I'd be livid, and it's illegal under charity rules unless they specifically allow for it.

And now another post with another donation to another charity.

I have commented and asked how this is being funded.

I know you said you've found another cat rescue.

For anyone else looking catchcat.org
www.catchat.org/ is a great resource.
Plus look on the charities commission.

Are you quite sure that all these "kittens who need vet bills paying" even exist?
Because to me the whole thing stinks to high heaven (and what a coincidence that it appeared on Christmas Eve )

I have applied for charitable status. It was a slight PITA, and submitting accounts took a few hours a year, but it was completely manageable in my spare time around a full time job. I had no prior experience. I would start looking for a registered charity to donate to.