Just £2 a month

qetu1357

One poster objects to staff being paid £100k. Some of the
charities are businesses with a turnover of £100m plus. How much would you pay someone to run a charity like that? Would you rather pay someone peanuts but they be rubbish at their job?

Secondly, another poster objects to a charity having reserves. Every organisation, local authorities for example, have reserves in case expenditure suddenly leaps or income suddenly drops. How would the British Red Cross respond to a disaster if they didn't have any reserves?

Also if the Charity Commission find that a charity has too much reserves they all told to cut back on fundraising.

And finally, supporting local charities is fine but it is only national charities that can organise big scale projects and influence governments, here and worldwide, to change policy.

LilacLouisa

kuohu wrote: »

I don't think it is just one rude salesman though. I believe that they have a corporate strategy of maximising donations by guilt-tripping people into donating more and more. They have done it to me, and I have complained to them twice about it.

My daughter and I give to several charities between us, mostly children and animals. We find the NSPCC are terrible for ringing up and asking for an increase in our monthly dd.

As funds become tighter and tighter it will be the animal charities we support with funds mostly. Other charities, hospice and breast cancer etc, will be helped by doing sponsored walks and by taking saleable things to their shops.

emay

I've just cancelled my DD with NDCS for exactly the same reason, as OP had with NSPCC, also used to donate to a childrens blind charity (but can't remember name) and cancelled them as they did the same too.

squashy wrote: »

I also stopped giving to the NSPCC due to their pushy tactics.

For anyone wanting to donate to a worthwhile children's charity may I wholeheartedly promote the National Deaf Children's Society? The work they do is wonderful and allows each and every deaf child to benefit from days out to equipment to campaigning for better education for deaf kids, plus support and advice for parents, grandparents and siblings. And they didn't find me, I found them, and they have never once pushed anything. :T

http://www.ndcs.org.uk/

Katherine (mum to Amy who is severely deaf in both ears and who would have completely lost the plot without the NDCS to turn to!) x

qetu1357

Most charities have the same business model as most businesses.

Basically if you give or buy something, the charity/business then trys to get you to give or buy more.

So if you don't want to be pestered by a charity or a business, opt out from communications when you sign-up or opt-out soon after.

If you give to 90% of UK charities and don't opt-out you WILL be contacted to increase your gift.

bargainbetty

I used to donate to the NSPCC by direct debit, and agreed to up the donation from £5 to £8 and then to £10. After that, two more calls asking for more money were received, both of which were firmly rejected.

Then, in 2008, I lost my job. It took me five months and all my savings to find another, and during the second month, having shaved back all my expenditure and stopped having any kind of life, I decided charity begins at home and called them to inform them that I would not be able to continue my donations for six months. I explained that I had lost my job, and couldn't afford it. The person asked me if I could keep giving to them and try to save money elsewhere instead, and even asked me if I gave to other charities - perhaps I could stop supporting them instead!

I cancelled the dd fully, told the person to remove all my details and ensure that I was never contacted again. I now give to the British Legion - while I find the war in Afghanistan deplorable, I believe we owe a duty of care to those who are willing to fight for us. I also send occasional donations to a local children's hospice. Most of them get little govt funding in comparison to adult hospice care, and they need every penny. If you tell them that you don't want glossy mailouts or calls etc, they will be happy to save the marketing pennies.

Chuggers should be banned, or at least ring fenced on lonely street corners.

qetu1357

bargainbetty wrote: »

I used to donate to the NSPCC by direct debit, and agreed to up the donation from £5 to £8 and then to £10. After that, two more calls asking for more money were received, both of which were firmly rejected.

Then, in 2008, I lost my job. It took me five months and all my savings to find another, and during the second month, having shaved back all my expenditure and stopped having any kind of life, I decided charity begins at home and called them to inform them that I would not be able to continue my donations for six months. I explained that I had lost my job, and couldn't afford it. The person asked me if I could keep giving to them and try to save money elsewhere instead, and even asked me if I gave to other charities - perhaps I could stop supporting them instead!

I cancelled the dd fully, told the person to remove all my details and ensure that I was never contacted again. I now give to the British Legion - while I find the war in Afghanistan deplorable, I believe we owe a duty of care to those who are willing to fight for us. I also send occasional donations to a local children's hospice. Most of them get little govt funding in comparison to adult hospice care, and they need every penny. If you tell them that you don't want glossy mailouts or calls etc, they will be happy to save the marketing pennies.

Chuggers should be banned, or at least ring fenced on lonely street corners.

And your first point is very illustrative.

If you upgrade (increase your gift) you are much more likely to be contacted again to upgrade than if you never upgrade.

Becciboobah

I had an RSPCA fundraiser knock on my door, he gave me the usual speel. I don't object to this and I always listen but then wanted me to give him my bank details to start a direct debit to which I said I would take literature and decide myself if I wished to donate. He then got really aggressive about it at which point being a sucker I agreed to a direct debit. After his talk about £2 a month would fund x, y and z he said he couldn't take a DD for any less than £8 a month!?!?!

I stated that with a new baby and being on SMP I could afford £2 a month but not £8 he said he couldn't as he couldn't take less than £8 and did I know 'most animal abusers will abuse children too and with a new baby didn't I care about that'. You what?!?! I appreciate that MAY be true but I'm not going to blackmailed into a DD arrangement I couldn't afford on the basis of guilt. I'm sure he was a 'rogue' but they don't help themselves with sales talk like that!

I now put tins of dog food into the box at my local supermarket, give to my local hospice and put all my sons clothes he's grown out of into the Sally Army clothes banks but I'm totally disgusted by the RSPCA's tactics to get donations in my instance.

qetu1357

Becciboobah wrote: »

I had an RSPCA fundraiser knock on my door, he gave me the usual speel. I don't object to this and I always listen but then wanted me to give him my bank details to start a direct debit to which I said I would take literature and decide myself if I wished to donate. He then got really aggressive about it at which point being a sucker I agreed to a direct debit. After his talk about £2 a month would fund x, y and z he said he couldn't take a DD for any less than £8 a month!?!?!

I stated that with a new baby and being on SMP I could afford £2 a month but not £8 he said he couldn't as he couldn't take less than £8 and did I know 'most animal abusers will abuse children too and with a new baby didn't I care about that'. You what?!?! I appreciate that MAY be true but I'm not going to blackmailed into a DD arrangement I couldn't afford on the basis of guilt. I'm sure he was a 'rogue' but they don't help themselves with sales talk like that!

I now put tins of dog food into the box at my local supermarket, give to my local hospice and put all my sons clothes he's grown out of into the Sally Army clothes banks but I'm totally disgusted by the RSPCA's tactics to get donations in my instance.

This will almost certainly be an agency employed by RSPCA to get new givers.

If you complain to the RSPCA, the canvaseer may be disciplined/sacked and in the worst case the agency may be dropped.

RSPCA can be contacted at 0300 123 0346

1jim

I doubt the rspca would really care to be honest, if they wernt interested in making you feel guilty or shock you into donating they wouldnt send out mailings with graphic pictures of animals being mistreated.

Foggster

Its those awful pens I protest about the most.

How pushy is that! "Here is a pen to fill in the DD form, just in case you cant find one and lose interest whilst looking for one"

STOP SENDING ME PENS!!!

*end of rant*