To be really pissed off about my office's attitude towards our food bank donation

[LookingForAHandHold]

Every year we run an office collection for a local food bank. This year we're doing one for families with nothing and young children.

So far im the only one who has really donated. I understand times are tough, but it's £1 for a pack of biscuits in Iceland.

People are making horrible comments too, about the branded names etc and the ungrateful brats who don't deserve it. It's for young children. It just breaks my heart.

I'm so close to taking it all home and donating it myself

money for gifts for management? now that is something I would definitely decline

Sadly, you are right.

Good for you. But you're not carrying a whole household's costs, so stop judging your colleagues.

She sounds a lot nicer than you.

When you're a proper grown up, with a household of your own to finance, you might understand the branded biscuits comment.

The fact that it’s suggested by marketing hasn’t given you pause for thought?! Why would marketing be involved with a staff charity donation ?

because this is a way they get their staff to spend their own wages on getting the company good marketing. The donation - does the company name get used in the donation? Is it “gift from the team at xxx company” ? So they get to give a much bigger donation than they have to use from their budget (to get a better positive impact) but instead of having to use company money that would reduce owner’s profits, they effectively take that from staff wages and you all feel good about it.

there’s a food bank collection at work, I’ve never added to it. I do donate weekly to a food bank, but I refuse to give my employer the kudos for my generosity.

maybe OP this is your brutal introduction to the wider world
I gather you are in your early 20s and maybe from a family like mine, I think my own adult DCs would also have been shocked by what you've heard...but the truth is there are a lot of mean spirited ignorant people out there who feel no responsibility at all to their fellows (the evidence is not the lack of donations but the nasty remarks)

correct to assume that you don’t generally have the best of relations with these colleagues at the best of times?

One, employers have no business trying to have any influence at all over what staff do with their money. Two, if you're management there's a power differential there. You might think it's a friendly email and people can just politely decline, but you don't get to decide that this view is shared by others. Three, employees shouldn't have to put their hands in their pockets so that their employers can use the charity donations for good publicity. Which is what tends to happen.

So yep, inappropriate.

Kindly, the OP is young, naive, cosseted, and will grow up. I'm sure she will have a different opinion when she funds her own life.

I thought I did, I've been at the company for around six months and thought we were all getting along well

Obviously @LookingForAHandHold - I take it back if your company donates this collection anonymously- doesn’t take photos for your company website etc. otherwise it’s a cynical marketing stunt.

Because I assume that senior management agreed to this fundraising initiative and then expected the more lower paid member of staff to sort it out.

This collection wasn't OP's idea. She is just doing this because no-one else volunteered.

Argh, this is getting worse. Just don't engage with it any further. Your employers should mind their own business about what their staff spend their money on anyway, but if they insist on interfering, don't let it become your problem.

“every year we run”

so first year you’ve been involved

and it has been going on presumably quite successfully for years

It's always the same. Those with wealth are often not generous and rather disparaging about those who aren't and struggle. While those who can just about spare £5 will do. Some of these comments are shocking but not surprising on MN.

@stillthinkdaft yes, they send around pictures of the year before and ask people to "beat" it. I'm guessing it'll be my horrible stinking personality that has caused people to not donate this year

Donations are voluntary.

I have donated to the food bank via my dc’s school, (which is private) for more than a decade. This year was the last time I’ll ever donate. Someone from the food bank came in and spoke in assembly and told the kids they hadn’t brought enough and that they were overprivileged. That food bank won’t see another grain of rice from me.

No reason to assume that. Lots of people object on principle, nothing to do with the personnel. I do. I would bet good money that at least some of your colleagues are pissed off with your employer over the whole thing.

I've never seen such a lot of misanthropic responses on a thread before.

So they took pictures last year, what did they do with those pictures? Use them for good publicity?

the company wants to give a bigger donation this year to last year. But rather than using company funds, they are asking their employees to give up more of their wages to help the company get good publicity by giving even more this year- without the company having to give more this year.

do your own donation in your own name next time.

@FancyBiscuitsLevel I have no idea. I don't really care, because at the end of the day my donation is helping people no matter what.

What are people with children doing with their money that is more important than feeding their kids though? Benefits should cover the cost of food at a minimum, and if they don't then the amounts of benefit should increase.

There is a baby bank in my local supermarket which asks for nappies, milk formula, baby food. I always think if parents can't provide these things then social services should be aware, and charities shouldn't be masking the problem.

You're getting a hard time op and I don't know why. It's not the refusing to donate it's the horrible comments that go with it. Probably mumsnetters amongst them.
You sound like a kind hearted and caring person try not to lose that.

Perhaps you can see why employees who have been there longer than you might think this is a cynical move by their employer? A sign of cheapness.

give donations in your own name, not via work, letting your employer take credit for your contribution.