Captain Tom's daughter

[Sneezeless]

Who would have thought it?

£50 is the limit set by HMRC, any more has to go through PAYE.

@PotNoodlesFTW totally agree- she was a good hearted but naive person without the business skills required - I don't think there was any malice involved - the Ingram Moores however - not so much

It should be the law that charities have to disclose salaries and bonuses. I think people would be shocked how much some people who work for charities or founded them are paid!

You can see the number of people receiving bracketed salaries above 60k on the Charity Commission website. Charities must be registered and must report these things.

(Maybe people who comment on the work and operations on charities should be required to take a read of what the Charity Commission does before they comment?)

I had a bit of a vulnerable time many years ago and a lovely friend was involved with the Salvation Army - now I'm not religious but can honestly say the kindness and support offered was of immense help and totally non judgemental - so I have a very soft spot for their work -

How much or how little?

Most paid work in charities is under market rate without fancy benefits.

And I’m confused as to the moral stance of refusing to pay people properly as a virtue… it’s not really ok to expect people to work for peanuts, yet make huge demands on their goodwill and integrity.

And if you make it financially unsustainable for ordinary people to work in charities the jobs get taken by people doing hobby jobs.

If you look at charity accounts they do have to disclose certain salaries. Always have a look. If they are very late filing then red flag tbh

Re paying - of course people should get a fair wage for what they do. I think the issue is more around people at high levels expecting to be paid the same as very high earners in the private sector. Or celebs taking an excessive appearance fee when they go to one of their own charity events etc

If I donate I want most of the money to go to the cause

You aren't going to be happy then!.

@Crikeyalmighty
Why's goes the Salvation Army have to do with Religion!

I'm interested to know if people who want such scrutiny of charities make sure that they buy from companies where the wage structures are not exploitative?

Do you make sure you buy milk where a fair percent goes to the farmer, not the profits of Tesco? Do you make sure the children making your clothes get a fair wage?

I'm not defending poor practice in charities - far from it. I just find the psychology of it fascinating. By the mere act of a stated aim of doing good, charities are opened up to intrusion and demands by the public which the same people usually don't remotely apply the same principles to corporate entities who are ruining the environment, communities and society.

The sort of magical thinking you display here is very common when it comes to charities, as is people mouthing off about salaries without knowing about what's already required to be reported. So I expect you're right about the levels of surprise, unfortunately.

Which is why I donate stuff to charity shops rather than give money.

And yes, I did know that.

Where is the logic? A charity shop is an expensive way to raise money.

Agree. A lot of people view charity shops as a way to get rid of things they no longer want, without feeling guilty. My main priority is for it to be out of my way.

Which is fine when you're giving decent stuff, and I try to make sure I am. But let's be honest, any charity shop worker will tell you there's a section of the general public who view it as a glorified free waste disposal. Some of whom expect gratitude to be shown to them while they do it!

I think that there are 2 lessons to take from the discussion:

1. If you want all your donation to go to a good cause - roll your sleeves up and get involved yourself. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to work for a charity, 2 examples might be:

Give a street sleeper a meal deal that you just bought from a supermarket.

Give an Animal Shelter your old bedding, blankets, and throws. They need vast quantities for the animal beds as it doesn't last long.

2. Like it or not a lot of bigger charity work can only be done by corporate style organisations with skills, expertise, technology, but also the attendant overheads (think drug companies, hospices, medical research, Samaritans, Macmillan).

Salvation Army is a Christian organisation https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/our-faith

I believe they have a very good name for actually rolling up their sleeves, doing useful things and practical help

And this is the charities justification for a low % of turnover going to good works. From my other post - if you can give your charity donation goods directly to someone who needs them there is a much more effective outcome. (e.g. blankets to animal shelters).

Giving direct works to a point but only on a fairly simple level.

Giving a homeless person a meal will help stave off hunger but it won’t get them into accommodation or help them to address the trauma, addiction problems etc that they need to address to thrive. For that you do need charities or statutory services.

Same here. Didn't like it from the start.

Quite. And donations of physical items, while useful in some types of charity work, are actively unhelpful sometimes. There was someone on here the other week complaining that Social Services hadn't accepted their used pram to give to a teenage mother instead of buying new, for example.

I had the misfortune of meeting them in person a year or so ago at a corporate event.

I got a bad vibe from the both of them, however what I will say is that from memory, her husband seemed to be pushing the agenda. Hannah is not innocent by any means and is totally culpable, but I do wonder whether there was an element of encouragement verging on control from her husband, who has been able to remain in the background.

I only had a short chat as I felt uncomfortable with the glee with which they were talking about their plans and the shameless way they wanted to exploit ‘the captain tom brand’, from books, mugs and gin, they also spoke of Captain Tom branded holidays and at that point I politely introduced them to an unsuspecting colleague and moved on!

Indeed.

My charity funds health research into conditions that cost the taxpayer BILLIONS.

The quid pro quo for existence is really obvious. Quibbling about the below-market rate we're paid for doing it is massively missing the bigger picture.

(Funnily enough I've had a 12% pay bump recently when my role was evaluated against the whole sector for my job - this brings it up to the lowest end of the normal rate. It's a six figure role elsewhere, and I specifically chose not to apply for several such roles that I felt were an unethical use of my skillset.)

Hannah Ingram-Moore is sure to turn up as a contestant on I’m a celebrity get me out of here at some point.

Completely agree. The Irish charity here for Stillbirth and Neonatal death supported me and my dh after our baby twin sons died last year. They provided a coffin, memory boxes , photos and footprints and free counselling. We'd have nothing left of our boys without them as we were so numb to the world when it was all happening. Not all charities are self grabbing. But this charity is regulated and ran by families who lost children. There is accountability

Captain Tom branded holidays?

wtaf?