Giving to charities

I like choosing my own and donating or raising funds as I decide.
I'm open to listening, but I hate being pushed.

If I had experienced what you mention, the charity would have been blackballed straightaway, sadly.

Am also not a fan of the tugging-at-the-heartstrings TV appeals. Rightly or wrongly they irritate me.

 

I donate things rather than money, as directly as possible.

 

I tend to donate online to people who are doing outstanding feats to raise funds e.g. Kevin Sinfield and some BBS members such as Metatarsal. The TV adverts for £2 or more per month by direct debit I ignore because it feels like emotional blackmail to me. I also do the text contributions each year for Children in Need etc. I also donate to collections if I've any spare cash on me. I just don't like the commitment of direct debits.

 

I'll add, for 4 consecutive years I did bike rides for a local charity and people on here (and other places) were really kind.
But on the 5th year, the organiser got really arsey (and pushy) and I felt I could no longer appeal, nor create another JustGiving page as I felt I was taking folk's generosity for granted and being seen as a pest. I agree with Simon above that we are all able to make up our own minds and notice a genuine cause when we see one. Metataral and WSB Walks were great examples.

 

I've put some thought into it as I thought the question was interesting. I guess, if I'm being completely honest, me getting something back probably goes into my decision-making a lot when I consider the charities I support and have supported in the past. It comes in many different forms:
- donating to medical charities that relates to someone who I know having that condition
- regular donation via direct debit to Dog's Trust because I love dogs and want to help them but also they send cute stuff at various times throughout the year
- editing books for VI people because I want everyone to be able to read as I know I couldn't cope if I wasn't able to read anymore
- fostering Guide Dogs to give people independence but also I get to have a dog at home
- donating to RNLI basically to shove it to Farage
- donating to a National Campaign on special dates (e.g. Children in Need) or when the club does the takeover days. I guess that gives me a sense of comradery.
- sponsoring someone doing a 'big thing' (e.g. walk, cycle etc.) is probably the one I find hardest to find the selfish motivation, I was thinking that maybe I just don't want to look tight when it's a friend but I often chip in when I see strangers doing things online and no-one has I clue that I did as I donate anonymously
- donating clothes/books to charity shops. Not sure of the selfish bit here, it does mean I get a uncluttered house I suppose but that's not the reason for donating and not chucking

The above means that someone stopping me in the street or random adverts pulling on my heartstrings wouldn't be effective as I seem to often need some kind of personal motivation to donate time or money. There's so many charities around that there has to be something that sways me one way or another.

When someone knocks on the door I always just tell them that I will look up the charity online and will donate there if I find it appropriate to do so. I'd never, ever sign up directly with a doorknocker.

 

I put everything i dont want in the Front Garden, with a sign on it, Free, its gone within the hour or two at most.

 

I donate to The Donkey Sanctuary mainly because I want Mitch Ward to be looked after in his dotage

 

I pick a charity each month to which I make a donation. It's usually the same ones from year-to-year, but it does change. It is sometimes more than one per month, in exceptional circumstances.

That being said, I still feel guilty, and I shouldn't, when I'm asked at the grocery checkout to donate, or someone shakes a donation box in my face,

 

I’ve donated to Barnsley Hospice & a number of fundraising efforts of fellow reds fans. I’ve supported the autistic society, diabetes uk & Debra (skin blister children). I do not like being approached in the street/supermarket & will immediately say No

 

Too many higher ups in charities are on inflated salaries that is off putting.

 

I donate to people who suffer with dwarfism as i know what its like for folk who find it a struggle just to put food on the table every week.

 

I tend to buy pin badges, usually a pound, i've got over a hundred all on display in mi garden shed, now i'm in Brid ive started with the R, S, P, B, these are quite nice, i've supported various Cancer Charities, Dog's, Cats, and you get somehing to show for yer support. I do support the Poppy Apeal and donate, every year, this is the only Charity i give to, being a veteran.

 

Last time i donated was on here a few years back when i ran my one and only marathon.

It went to Parkinson's Uk.

i have found the BBS folk to be most generous towards worthwhile causes.

 

We used to donate monthly to Cancer Research but we were continuously harassed on a monthly basis with telephone calls to up the amount using very aggressive methods, we told them one more and we would cancel, within a month we had cancelled. I do make a yearly contribution to them via just giving via my niece who runs a marathon to raise funds after loosing her hubby to the horrible disease. Also guide dogs suffered the same fate, I was an executer for a will which left a contribution to them, I sent a cheque for more than the amount due made up from my own share stating why I had sent it, that wasn't good enough, they contacted my solicitor to say they were due money and hadn't received it so I contacted them, apparently they have a department dedicated to scouring wills for bequests, ( how much does that cost) I told them I had sent it. Apparently there is a procedure you have to follow, which I didn't know existed. Has luck had it I still had the cheque stub so could prove it was sent. It didn't end there, they hadn't read the will properly and thought they were due to a percentage of whole estate including property rather than the residual amount after all other bequests were shared out. To prove this they wanted a copy of the will, proof of all other money and valuables plus a breakdown of how it had all been worked out. They thought they were due to thousands instead of the amount they received. They never apologised for the hassle they had caused. So we cancelled our monthly contribution, they have lost more over the years than they gained due to the loss of our contributions. We sent a bequest to the hospital that had treated her husband many years earlier and they just accepted it at face value and sent a thank you letter. I wouldn't put a contribution to any charity in my will to avoid the executer having to jump through hoops. We contribute to the NSPCC and the Deaf children's charity, we haven't had a phone call or begging letter from either, we receive updates and thank you letters from the Deaf children's organisation, so we will keep donating to those two whilst that continues.

 

We try to donate to charity when we can , we do share it about a bit but are influenced by personal reasons, cancer research as it’s affected family members, our late so really related to the lifeboats , so RNLI etc.
But, I like it to be our choice and I totally back off when am ‘aggressively’ approached .
I totally object to the number of ads that tug at the heartstrings, I get that they need money, but in a previous employment, I had to help a lady who got into financial difficulties because she was so sorry for them. She just found it so hard to say no and quite honestly the charities were circling like sharks having obviously shared her details. God knows how many cases there are like her where so called caring organisations are hammering them.

 

I freely give to Charity but read up on what the CEO's receive and its disgusting imo. It saddens me that all the ones on tv especially channel 4 don't make me give now although it 'hurts' to see all the suffering. Iam afraid charity is BIG business now. Also i knew someone who was a boss at one and got parking tickets and wasn't bothered because he didn't have to pay for them.

 

Ive done a seaside theme on one side of mi Garden and i wanted a Lobster pot, so i went an spoke to Harbour Master and he said if i donated 10quid to R,N,L,I, hed sort me one out, worth every penny lovely looking thing, an Granbairns bought me a plastic lobster to take pride of place.

 

My way of helping charities is by buying stuff from charity shops and donating stuff to them. I also donated to the RNLI recently but that was mainly because Farage called them a taxi service for illegal immigrants...

Edit; fundamentally I don't believe in charities, everyone should have the right to live a decent life but the way things are at the moment, charities are a necessity.

 

I wouldn't take much notice of him lol.