Which charity to donate to? 15 November 2020 at 10:02AM in Charities 13 replies 493 views

musol

Hi,
I would like to set up a direct debit of a few pounds a month to donate to charity. However, when I choose a charity and then do some research I find that they are dogged by scandal, corruption, mis-management of funds etc. I appreciate charities having running costs but would like to donate where I can be confident as much of my money is going to the cause. Any suggestions would be gratefully welcomed. Looks like the MSE charity would be a good option but I'm not sure I can set up a direct debit to contribute. Thanks

Savvy_Sue

I don't know if you're confusing DDs with Standing Orders. Some of the larger charities do have the facilities for DDs but you'd be able to set up a Standing Order to any charity, all you'd need is their bank details. 

I like supporting smaller local charities, where I'm passionate about what they do and can feel more connected to what they're doing. For example, local organisations working with homeless people can try really innovative solutions. 

So what's your passion? Find a local organisation and see if you can support them.

MalMonroe

Sorry to be a party pooper but the pink heading for this particular page, see above, says -

"At this time, please note the Charities Board should only be used by registered charities and not include personal posts. I’m afraid we will have to delete any posts that aren’t from a registered charity."

I was going to add a comment but as it may be removed at any time, I won't. Sorry.

thegentleway

musol said:

Hi,
I would like to set up a direct debit of a few pounds a month to donate to charity. However, when I choose a charity and then do some research I find that they are dogged by scandal, corruption, mis-management of funds etc. I appreciate charities having running costs but would like to donate where I can be confident as much of my money is going to the cause. Any suggestions would be gratefully welcomed. Looks like the MSE charity would be a good option but I'm not sure I can set up a direct debit to contribute. Thanks

Great to hear you want to give to charity. It was my desire to ensure that my donations were going to the cause that got me into effective altruism. Take a look at GiveWell https://www.givewell.org/giving they are a non for profit that do careful research to identify the charities that do the most good in terms of lives saved or improved, for every dollar donated. 

p00hsticks

You don't give any indications as to your preference for type of charity, so this may not be of interest, but there are a number of 'microloan' charities where you lend money to individual groups or people in the developing world to help them improve their lives and businesses. The advantage is that all being well the loans get repaid and you can then re-loan it out later (the charities ask for a small  voluntary percentage of each loan to cover the administrative costs. I use LendwithCare and ((US-based) KIVA

https://lendwithcare.org/

https://www.kiva.org/

thegentleway

p00hsticks said:

You don't give any indications as to your preference for type of charity, so this may not be of interest, but there are a number of 'microloan' charities where you lend money to individual groups or people in the developing world to help them improve their lives and businesses. The advantage is that all being well the loans get repaid and you can then re-loan it out later (the charities ask for a small  voluntary percentage of each loan to cover the administrative costs. I use LendwithCare and ((US-based) KIVA

https://lendwithcare.org/

https://www.kiva.org/

Seeing as you are into microfinance you might want to take a look at https://www.givewell.org/international/economic-empowerment/microfinance

There’s also a really good book on this topic called due diligence. Briefly, microfinance (such as developing effective outreach, creating incentives for repayment, and helping people to save as well as borrow) involve significant institutional expenses so it’s not cost-effective (which I think is important to the OP). 

helpyhelper

try to check the accounts of any charity and make sure they don't overspend on marketing. 1/3 of income spent on marketing is normal but the better ones will have less.

203846930

Freegle.org could use some dosh to help keep the website running.

It is all manned by volunteers but does need funds for the upkeep of the nationwide website. No money is spent on advertising.

AnnieGunn

Your local Air Ambulance maybe?  I know ours is invaluable as most of Wiltshire is rural.

General_Grant

AnnieGunn said:

Your local Air Ambulance maybe?  I know ours is invaluable as most of Wiltshire is rural.

Good idea.  Air Ambulance does offer a monthly DD option, which is important criterion for the OP.

eastmidsaver

i've just donated to GAVI   - they are working with COVAX to ensure the poorest countries get a supply of the covid vaccines. 
https://covaxamc.ctdonate.org/index:payment.html