Are you annoyed if you donated to the air ambulance charity?

Artofdookie

I must have stuck a tenner in the tubs over the year, and i'm slighty upset

An air ambulance charity that collected more than £750,000 has been wound up without ever landing a helicopter.
It said it is reforming in another guise with new personnel and will continue to raise money.
The chief executive of the Charities Commission has welcomed the move.
Last year, a BBC investigation revealed that 90% of the money collected by the Ireland Air Ambulance Charity in its first year went on wages and overheads.

Its recent accounts show it has only £65,000 left out of almost £700,000 collected over the past two years.
It now says that the association known as Ireland Air Ambulance has been dissolved.
The existing trustees and some of the staff have been stood down and a new company has been formed which will retain the old name.
The chief executive of the Charities Commission, Frances McCandless, said the charity has changed from being an unincorporated organisation to being a company limited by guarantee, which she said is "a good thing."
"It means the organisation submits details of its directors and accounts to Companies House and they are available for public scrutiny.
"We have met over the past few months with Ireland Air Ambulance following concerns that had been raised by the media.
"We have given them advice and we have pointed out what would be best practice."
Dissolution
In the 12 months up until 2009, the accounts show the organisation raised £479,000, and spent £387,265 most of it on what are described as "charitable purposes." Most of this expenditure went on staff and fundraising.
Nick Taylor, a business advisor for the newly constituted charity said the association known as the Ireland Air Ambulance has gone through the formal process of dissolution.
Its existing trustees, director, and some employees have all stood down, he said.
According to Mr Taylor, the charity is now being run by a new board of eight directors drawn from the business community who want to move the aims of the charity forward.
A new interim chief executive has been appointed.
He said all the assets of the IAA will be transferred to a new company which will retain the name Ireland Air Ambulance.
He said he is unable to say how much this is likely to be, but it is thought its could be less than £65,000 pounds - a small fraction of the total money raised.

Snoozle

yes, I feel a bit cheated. I know charities have admin costs, but this is something else altogether.

Sadly, this sort of thing damages all charity collections - when I am in a shopping centre, or wherever, now and someone is standing with a collection box, I can't be the only person who now thinks 'hmmm, but will it actually help cancer sufferers/disabled children/earthquake victims?' where previously I would just have put my hand in my pocket.

McKneff

They are all the same unfortunately, they go off fundraising to different towns
and the managers go to their meetings,sleeping in the best hotels, first class train fare. Because somebody else is paying.
I get sick of giving to charity to be honest, i call in tothe Supermarket most evenings on the way from work and theres a collector there 6 times out of seven. I have got to the stage now, where i leave my purse in the car and just take my card with me so i can honestly say that i dont carry any cash.
Im not mean but giving every night is way over the top.

Artofdookie

Foolish me used to think that people volunteered to go stand outside shopping centres and collect for charity, until i saw adverts looking people to do it for £6.50 ph + bonuses. So if they are collecting £20 ph after they get their £6.50 and the big boss gets his cut, how much does the charity actually get?

NAR

Mmmm is the penny starting to drop? Registered charities are nearly all cash cows for those who work for them.

over_flo

NAR wrote: »

Mmmm is the penny starting to drop? Registered charities are nearly all cash cows for those who work for them.

Bit of a sweeping statement isn't it?

I would say don't feel obliged to give to all and sundry - do your research
I have a few charities that are important to me for various reasons.
I know that a fair proportion of what I give goes to the intended purpose and I give regularly via standing order and covenant the amount.

I'm even careful to read the small print on the charity collection bags and only the genuine charities get my cast offs!

caz2703

Can't say I've ever seen anyone collecting for the Air Ambulance but I must admit I'm choosy as to who I donate to. I will donate to Assisi Animal Sanctuary (our wee doggie is from there) and Dogs Trust as both organisations refuse to put down healthy animals. Other charities I'm not so sure about and if in doubt I would donate directly rather than to people who are collecting in supermarkets.

So back to the original topic - my jaw actually dropped when I saw on the news that out of £700K they'd only actually got £65K to use towards a helicopter. Unfortunately news like this will make a lot of people re-think donating to any charity regardless of the fact that most charities I *hope* aren't run the same way.

dmxdave

Yes I am annoyed! I did give to this "charity" too, as I thought it was good cause, That was before the cracks started to appear! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8101574.stm

kidshorsesdogs

I'm very disappointed as I have donated on many occassions. My daughter rode horses and at the time they were prominent she was eventing which can be dangerous.

I was supporting a very worthwhile venture or so I thought, praying that it would save lifes.

McKneff

But I suppose, if they didnt fund raise, they wouldnt have even got the £65K

Are these people accountable to anyone.
I'd soon sort them out with Bed and Breakfasts instead of five star hotels
and standard travel instead of automatically booking first class.
I get the impression when you get to upper level management they are all
upper class and expect the treatment, not all, but lots of them, a bit like the MPs.

McKneff

From now on I will look for a small independant charity to donate to.
Any worthy causes in North Yorkshire that anyone know of?