Cancer Charity - am I over-reacting?

UncleJoe_2

Six months ago, realising how lucky I was to have my kids, health etc, I decided to 'give a bit back' and set up a regular donation to Breast Cancer Research.
Charity forms regularly come through my door asking for 'just two pounds a month' and I usually put them straight in the recycling bin as I really resent these begging letters being addressed directly to me.
But as I'd come to the decision of my own accord, and I'd saved money elsewhere thanks to MSE, I went online and filled in my details.

A month later, I received a letter saying thank you for the donation, but if I Gift-Aided it they get even more money. I wrote back saying I didn't earn enough to qualify.
A month later I got an almost identical letter saying Pleeeeeez Gift Aid it. I sent it back saying I didn't qualify.
A month later I got a third letter, which I put in the bin.
Last week, I got a letter saying, along the lines of, 'your £2 per month is ok, but we could do so much more if you increased it to £4'.

I was really p'ed off. I'm annoyed that after feeling really good about myself for donating, my £2 is actually pretty paltry. After only 6 months, my donation isn't enough. I don't even earn enough to qualify for gift aid. Surely that should hint at the unlikelihood of me increasing my donation by 100%

I'm also annoyed that they are sending me small mountains of mail (surely costing them money) and not taking any notice of my response. Is that where my £2 is going?

Am I over-reacting?

wigginsmum

No I don't think so. Many charities churn out begging letters to existing donors, and it really pees me off too.

The best you can do is ignore those letters and decide if you want to carry on supporting the charity.

Astaroth

If you pay any UK tax then you earn enough to use gift aid.

I personally donate all my charity money through my employers as it comes from my gross salary (so is the same as gift aid) and my employers double match what I donate (as an example - I donate £10 a month, my salary goes down by £6 a month but the charity receives £30 a month). The benefit other benefit of it is that I can choose to remain annomyous and so the charity does not have my name and address (my employers square off the tax issue)

taxiphil

I can certainly see your annoyance at them spending your money on sending you junk mail asking you for more money. I'd politely ask them to spend your £2 a month on Cancer Research instead.

Saucepot

When you bin the begging letters, bin the pens too. Never put them in your shirt pocket. Unless you wish to phone your mum and ask her "Mum, how would i go about getting ink out of a cotton shirt ?"

IvanOpinion

This annoys me about charities as well. I would willingly give more if I could find a means to give anonymously and NOT be hassled with follow up mail shots. The bit that I can't understand is that I am told that for a business to send out a standard letter can cost anywhere between £2 and £8 .. does that mean if they are given £2 they have just wasted it sending me a thank you letter or asking for more money?

Ivan

Becles

It seems the more you give, the more they pester you for more money.

My Grandpa was living on his own and had altzeihmers, so my Dad had to take over his finances for him. Looking back, he'd responded to all the charity appeals posted to him, and they would just send more and more asking him for money. He was sending hundereds of pounds a week out to various places, then sitting with his coat on instead of putting the heating on and eating badly as he had no money left for decent food.

We moved him into a sheltered accomodation flat, and sorted out a re-direct on all his mail so my Dad dealt with his affairs after that and was able to bin the charity begging letters before he saw them!

mwjmum

I don't agree with charities approaching us like this. Having done the Race for Life a couple of years ago, I find I get calls asking for more. I give quite a lot to charities as it is, and I don't find it acceptable to be called up at home by a young man who opened with the words: "Do you know what it's like to lose your mother to cancer?" I gave my standard answer of not being prepared to discuss giving money over the phone, but by the time the conversation had finished, I was quite upset - which presumably was the aim of the exercise.
I will continue giving as and when I can, but I can't believe this kind of approach is effective.

looby75

It's these kind of stories that put me off setting up regular payments to give to a charity. I would like to support cancer research uk, as a lot of my family have had cancer and many of them have died from it

I am on a very limited budget and £2 a month really is as much as I could afford to give, so because of that I don't want to receive letters asking for more. Also I wouldn't want to think that the £2 I gave was being wasted on sending those kinds of letters out.

So I don't set it up, I simply give to people I know who collect for cancer charities as and when they are collecting. I doubt that I give £24 a year though, and it doesn't all go to one charity, as it would if I felt comfortable enough to set up a regular payment.

soolin

I did the MacMillan coffee morning last year and paid in my money the same day and got a thank you letter. Three weeks later I got a reminder letter to pay my money in and a thank you again. I replied that I had already paid it in. A couple of weeks after than another letter ignoring the fact I'd contacted them and asking me for full details and my receipt if necessary, which I sent back. I then got another thank you letter and in the same post a 'please pay in your money' letter.

I only raised around £80 and I'm sure they've spent that in letters to me. It has made me nervous about doing it again next year as I was beginning to feel like a thief.

Soo

mrcow

wigginsmum wrote:

The best you can do is ignore those letters and decide if you want to carry on supporting the charity.

Actually, the best thing you can do is to give them a quick call and ask them to take you off their mailing lists. They'll happily do this and you'll save the wasted paper/postage as well as stopping the annoying letters.

It is annoying, and all charities that I've ever subscribed to do it, but it's quite easy to rectify.

I'm sure your donation is appreciated, they just see existing donors as "soft targets" for further donations.

Good luck.