Not so sweet charity
Saturday 26th May 2007, 2:07PM BST.
We may not be the wealthiest section of society, but teenagers must be amongst the best supporters of charities.
All of the fund raising schemes and events that take place in schools, clubs and colleges are generally fun and done for good courses – and thats great, but some of the bigger charities take the – well, let’s just say that the way they go about things isn’t praiseworthy.
They soften you up with heart breaking pictures and stories, but they just don’t want a donation, they want your personal information and your bank account details too – if you’ve got one. Why?
Because they want you to become a “customer” and because they can sell your name and contact information onto other charities and marketing businesses, who then begin telephoning or bombarding you with junk mail because they want you to provide THEM with your details and your money too.
But what do all the TV advertising, glossy leaflets, administration, telephone calls and postage cost? And how dare those charities that we’ve helped, expose us to all this hassle?
I have my favourite charities; we all do, but I hate the “corporate greed” approach to raising money. It verges on being unethical.
Charity is about caring and unselfishness, but when charities become big businesses, they simply lose the plot – and that’s not nice.
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Why is it all the money we give for charities never seems to be enough and we never really see any difference? I do give to charity if i can but sometimes i do have to wonder is it worth it?
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Yes, of course it’s worth it. Where would people in desperate need, like those in Darfur, be otherwise? How would local charities like the Severn Hospice carry on, were it not for local people giving their money and their time? Perhaps the teeny blogger’s time would have been better spent writing about the work of local charities. It’s particularly inopportune of her to make these comments just a couple of days after the launch of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Darfur & Chad Appeal. And (again) she’s wrong; charities are not `becoming big businesses’; they’re using professional methods to try to maximise their income, which in turns means they can help more people. And what can be wrong with that?
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Perhaps, then, they can act in a more professional way. I give what I can, when I can, and resent being hounded by these people. – many of whom get a cut when they ‘sign you up.’ I’ll be more inclined to give more when I see the chief executives of these organisations travelling by standard transport & staying in standard accommodation – it’s hardly appropriate that most conferences about poverty are held over an excellent lunch in a 5* hotel. And what can be wrong with that? – plenty.
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I think you’ve missed the point of the article, Allie – the blogger is writing specifically about the larger national charities, I think it goes without saying that the work of local charities like Severn Hospice is terrific. No, there is nothing wrong with using professional methods to maximise their income, but lets not forget that as individuals, we have a right to protect our personal information and shouldn’t have to accept it being openly shared.
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So the end justifies the means, does it Allie? Never mind the wastage and extravagance and the taking away of available cash and generosity from smaller, equally deserving charities (like the Severn Hospice Appeal) who can’t play in the premiere league. I think she’s spot on – and it’s you that’s wrong.
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Exactly, shes not saying about the smaller charities cause they tend to be honest and have genuine people giving up there time and working hard with only the reward of knowing they are making a difference. Shes saying about the bigger charities who although mean well, keep pestering you or want you to sign up to schemes which do feed charity but also feed the people behind the charitys greedy expensive lifestyle.
Rhians spot on with what shes saying and I respect her for saying it
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What `wastage and extravagance’, TJ? Do you have any examples you could identify? What makes you think there is a finite amount of available cash and generosity? And Thomas, which charities have a `greedy, expensive lifestyle’?
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Allie, OXFAM and “Charity fatigue”
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No Allie I wasn’t saying the charities have a ‘Greedy, expensive lifestyle’ I was saying some of the charities have people who run them with that kind of lifestyle. A parent of mine used to be manageress of an ‘Imperial cancer’ charity shop and she regularly found herself having to go on buisness meetings with staff from other shops. All there travel expenses were paid for, there lunch was paid for, and most of the meetings were held in conference rooms of expensive hotels in Henley. Thats on top of the wages they were paying the managers which were very high for the job type.
I’m not saying anything against the charities, i’m just saying that some of the larger ones use some of the money to fund a more lavish lifestyle than is nessicary for there managers and people higher up the ‘company’.
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Well if being hassled by charities is so ‘annoying’, dont give to anthing unless you can be 100% sure that EVERY penny goes DIRECTLY to the charity – oops you probably wont be donating anytime soon to any charity then….
Also call me cynical but a lot of teenagers will arrange a charity day under the premise of a skiving day!
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TJ, what evidence do you have of `wastage and extravagance’ by Oxfam? And as far as `charity fatigue is concerned: just because you may tire of helping people, don’t assume we all do.
Thomas: isn’t it worth paying the going rate to attract the best people for the job?
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Allie, what’s the bottom line for a “non profit” making “charity” that follows the deity of growing business efficiency and expansion? And who regulates this “charity industry” where many executives make big bucks, but aren’t in it for the money – or are they? And how many people now pass right by charity collectors and justify doing so by virtue of the fact that they donate to larger, TV marketed charities by bank standing order? Don’t bother answering. Clearly, you enjoy a morality and intellectualism far superior to mine. Please don’t let me distract you from your benevolence.
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So you don’t have any evidence of `wastage and extravagance’ at Oxfam, then. Thought as much.
If efficiency and expansion means more money spent helping more people, then what’s the problem?
The Charity Commission regulates the charity sector.
Not many executives of charities make `big bucks’, but why shouldn’t those that do be rewarded for their expertise, so the charities can attract the best people for the job?
How many more people give by standing order, and also give to street collections?
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So you have no evidence of `wastage and extravagance’ by Oxfam. Thought as much.
If `efficiency and expansion’ means making money go further to help more people, then what is the problem with that? Would you rather charities were inefficient – wasteful – and didn’t aim to help as many people as possible?
The Charity Commission regulates charities.
How many more people give by standing order, but also donate to street collections?
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Allie, Leo Tolstoy said “The more intellectual we become, the less we understand the meaning of life.”
It could likewise be said of charities, that the more “business efficient” they become, the less they understand their founding principles. If you want examples, I’m not going to do your work for you, I’ll just suggest you research the net, you’ll find them there. The Charity Commission regulates charities and again we hit the conundrum of when does a “not for profit” charity become a business in the true sense of the word. Finally, you’ve never “shook a tin,” have you?
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Yes, I want examples, but you don’t have any, which makes your original claim about Oxfam (income spent on administration: 10%) look pretty hollow and groundless.
And yes, I’ve volunteered for charities for many years, and continue to do so.
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It’s no use trying to goad me, Allie. You sound like a “wannabe” charity business exec, brainwashed by some trendy business management course you’ve attended. Sorry, but you’re still wrong and I can tell it’s choking you. You also seem to need to have the last word, well, be my guest.
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As someone who has volunteered for Oxfam I see little to support the idea of a lavish lifestyle enjoyed either by staff or volunteers.
A basic breakdown of how Oxfam spends its cash may be found at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/about_us/downloads/pie_chart.pdf
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