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

Old_Git

I dont usually give to charity because so much goes on admin costs .

purt

Old_Git wrote: »

I dont usually give to charity because so much goes on admin costs .

Same here.

SnowyOwl_2

Artofdookie wrote: »

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?

These are adverts for "chuggers" - ie the ones who will badger you in the street to sign up to a direct debit there and then. The point is to get people to sign up for the long term rather than to just hand over a one off fiver or some change. The charities benefit because if they have lots of direct debits set up then they have a predictable stream of income and can therefore plan much better. These chuggers usually work for agencies, and are used by lots of charities, not just the one. However there is a backlash against this practice by some charities who feel that such methods of recruiting donors is counterproductive and puts too many people off.

I don't begrudge admin costs in the least for charities. Obviously if what they spend is excessive then there is something wrong with how they manage money. I give by direct debit to my favoured charity because I know they operate at a local level and don't fling money around.

Like any organisation if there is a rotten or greedy apple at the top the whole organisation will suffer. If a chief executive or management team of a charity is well paid but also produces exceptional results by getting things done, making progress in the particular sphere the charity operates in and making a sustained and positive difference, then surely they are worth their salaries.

That said, I NEVER sign up to direct debits, especially not in the street and most definitely not when they arrive unannounced at the door. A bit of research is needed on the part of the donor if they want their money to be used responsibly.

Robothell

I have to say I never donated to this charity as I knew it was a non-runner. The purpose of the air ambulance was to bring people from every corner of Norn Iron to the regional trauma centre (the RVH) where all the major surgeries reside. Thing is, the RVH does not have a helipad and could not support one on its existing roof. The nearest one would be army owned and they have let it be used when the need has arisen. The only hospitals with helipads are those that take patients from coast guard eg Altnagelvin and Craigavon.

Nice idea in principle but I fear that we've been duped - I saw them collecting again in the foyer of the RVH in the last few weeks so I would hope that there is a full investigation planned into where the money has actually gone and what sort of "wages" people were drawing from the money raised.

On a separate note, I used to do charity collecting (man with a tin on a street corner) back in the late 90s. At that time we were paid 10% of what we collected to a maximum of £13.05 per day (from 8am to 6pm). The thought of people getting £6+ per hour for clipboards makes me really annoyed!

Snoozle

Artofdookie wrote: »

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?

Ironically, given my earlier post, I have actually given up my time to stand outside B&Q in the pouring rain, collecting money for charity, for no payment, simply because I though it was a good cause. But after this saga, I'm not sure I would do it again.....

jellynose

NAR wrote: »

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

I am glad that you at least said "nearly all". I work for a registered charity and I can tell you that we do not raise money but give money out to groups that are involved in very important work with the community here in NI.

I am a paid worker, however, I earn way below what I could if I worked in another sector. However, money is not the main motivator for me, what motivates me is the outputs of the work I do.

The difference where I work is that air ambulance charity is that were I work we a charity limited by guarantee. I understand that the new air ambulance charity is also going to be a charity limited by guarantee. However, I will not be giving to them as I am very peeved at what happened to the donation that I gave them :mad:

A lesson for everyone to do a bit of research before giving to a charity, but please don't tar them all with the same brush. Lots of people give their time freely to help chairties.

bodyprojectliverpool

My company is advising Ireland Air Ambulance and I have noted many of the post here which are directly reacting to the BBc reporting rather than the facts. Can I ask you all to visit ] irelandairambulance dot wordpress dot com to read the official statements then compare them to the BBC reporting and spot the difference and make your mind up. Unfortunately some journalists never let the facts get in the way of a story. Please continue to support this charity by getting fully involved and understanding the scale of what is required and maybe give the BBC a little more scrutiny as this great broadcasting corporation can be a little selective in the way it operates sometime.

Artofdookie

bodyprojectliverpool wrote: »

My company is advising Ireland Air Ambulance and I have noted many of the post here which are directly reacting to the BBc reporting rather than the facts. Can I ask you all to visit ] irelandairambulance dot wordpress dot com to read the official statements then compare them to the BBC reporting and spot the difference and make your mind up. Unfortunately some journalists never let the facts get in the way of a story. Please continue to support this charity by getting fully involved and understanding the scale of what is required and maybe give the BBC a little more scrutiny as this great broadcasting corporation can be a little selective in the way it operates sometime.

Fair enough the BBC are lairs (shame on them), so since you know, how much was raised and how much is left? On another note id be worried that this guy is STILL involved (Aidan Rice is a financial adviser and one of the people who worked with Peter and Helen Fearon to raise money to establish an air ambulance.)considering his advising seemed slack first time around

donnac2558

I never give but did see the tins sitting in shops.

I if stopped by the chuggers would and which part of !!!! off do you not understand?

Cancer, Oxfam all drive up to date four by fours supplied by the charity for the bosses. I refuse to give. Knew someone who volunteered in a Oxfam shop and heard the stories. Wouldn't give them a penny.

lilac_lady

I give to a children's hospice charity where I can see where the money goes.