Deciding which Charity to donate to.

xxJudexx

Hey,

I have recently started my first full time job and now I have money coming in I want to donate on a regular basis. I want to set up a direct debit, it won't be much but I want to do it while I am able to.

I want to choose a charity where as little money as possible is spent on wages and advertising etc. Where the money actually goes to the cause.

Does anyone know of a directory I can visit that would give me percentages of spending each year or something like that?

Thanks

monkey_writer

Interesting one! I'd be more worried about what the people who were being paid the wages were doing. I wouldn't want to be paying the wages of telemarketing or too much fundraising or admin... But the charities I like best provide a service - counselling or playwork, and those counsellors and playworkers need to earn a living or they too will need the help of a charity so I'm happy putting money into their salaries knowing that I'm getting value for money and the disadvantaged kids and trafficked women are getting the professional help they need. I guess my concerns would be efficiency and effectiveness.

kingfisherblue

You might want to check the Charities Commision website, in case that offers the information that you require. Another thing to think about is what type of charity you want to support. Cancer, animals, children, disability? Local or national?

I think that sometimes small, local charities spend less on administration. Community groups, whilst not registered charities, tend to be run by volunteers, with minimal admin costs. Some schools have a fundraising section that is separate from the school. My child attends a special school and they have a separate charity that has been fundraising to provide specialist playground equipment for the children. It is due to open shortly, and children in wheelchairs will be able to access swings and a roundabout, which they can't do in ordinary playgrounds. The committee is made up of volunteers and school staff. Running costs are very low, so the vast majority of the money raised goes directly towards equipment for the children.

Your local Council for Voluntary Action might be able to help with a list of local charities or community groups. The library or community centre might also have this information.

PlutoinCapricorn

What do you care about most? Animals, people? Certain medical conditions? Rights and issues? Overseas aid, the environment, museums & galleries ... there is an endless list of good causes.

If you give to a huge, household name charity your donation will just be swallowed up and go in the pot for running costs. A small local charity might be able to use your money to make a difference that you can see.

Goldiegirl

I work in the charity sector, and when I started I was suprised at just how many charities there are, supporting causes both in the UK and overseas. It would be impossible to recommend just one.

Maybe google charities using key words on subjects that interest you, check out their websites, and look on the Charities Commission website - a lot of information is held on there.

Also, when you have found something that interests you, give them a ring and talk to them about how they spend donations.

I'd definitely support a smaller charity. Having spoken to the people that run some of these smaller charities I know there is a lot of worth while work being done.

PlutoinCapricorn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3612519

rarrarrar

You shouldnt just dismiss charities which have a higher spend on admin and wages.
The work of some charities involves a degree of campaigning for change i.e. Shelter, Amnesty..
Other charities would say that in some areas having paid staff closely manage or audit projects results in getting best value for their money and making sure none of it goes astray.

As others have suggested split your money over 2 or 3 areas of interest and make sure you use Gift Aid to make your donation tax efficient.

Savvy_Sue

The thread Pluto linked to is well worth a read. Also take a look at Martin's articles on Charity Giving here (you want the Tax and Benefits tab, for some reason ....

xxJudexx wrote: »

I have recently started my first full time job and now I have money coming in I want to donate on a regular basis. I want to set up a direct debit, it won't be much but I want to do it while I am able to.

That's great. Bear in mind that not all charities accept Direct Debits, but all of them should accept Standing Orders. I prefer SOs because I'm in control of them.

Does your employer run a Give as you Earn scheme (sometimes called Payroll Giving)? If they do, do they match your giving? That's the only compelling reason to use them, IMO!

xxJudexx wrote: »

I want to choose a charity where as little money as possible is spent on wages and advertising etc. Where the money actually goes to the cause.

You've had some answers again, but at the risk of sounding like a cracked record, there are some areas where paying someone to do an excellent professional job is essential. If that pushes up the wages bill, so be it. Personally I think that's especially true of charities where money is going overseas, and the larger charities. oldtoolie also makes good points on the thread Pluto linked you to (as does Pluto).

monkey_writer wrote: »

Interesting one! I'd be more worried about what the people who were being paid the wages were doing. I wouldn't want to be paying the wages of telemarketing or too much fundraising or admin... But the charities I like best provide a service - counselling or playwork, and those counsellors and playworkers need to earn a living or they too will need the help of a charity so I'm happy putting money into their salaries knowing that I'm getting value for money and the disadvantaged kids and trafficked women are getting the professional help they need. I guess my concerns would be efficiency and effectiveness.

Picking up on your example of trafficked women, they're not exactly a 'popular' cause, therefore it may be more cost effective to pay professional fundraisers who really know what they're doing and who to target than to rely on passionate volunteers. Just a thought ...

rarrarrar wrote: »

You shouldnt just dismiss charities which have a higher spend on admin and wages.
The work of some charities involves a degree of campaigning for change i.e. Shelter, Amnesty..
Other charities would say that in some areas having paid staff closely manage or audit projects results in getting best value for their money and making sure none of it goes astray.

Exactly, on both counts.

rarrarrar wrote: »

As others have suggested split your money over 2 or 3 areas of interest and make sure you use Gift Aid to make your donation tax efficient.

Most definitely!

xxJudexx

Wow. Some fantastic responses and advice! I think I am going to be spending some time going through all my options so I make the right choice.

Thanks everyone for all your help :-)

Lokolo

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/

This gives some figures but they are quite high level.

An example is British Eye Foundation

Froglet

xxJudexx wrote: »

Wow. Some fantastic responses and advice! I think I am going to be spending some time going through all my options so I make the right choice.

Thanks everyone for all your help :-)

I am going through the same thing.I give money to animal charities only,and then only the ones that fight cruelty to animals as i think that is a priority(to me anyway).

As i already donate every month to one that fights against cruel and useless experiments on animals i found this link useful,so that i don't give to any charity that uses my donations to fund experiments.


http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/campaigns/experiments//281//


There are so many worthy causes it is hard to decide.My new years resolution this year was to donate instead of receiving presents for birthday and christmas,plus any bonuses i make at work.