Dedicated charity boards?

TangoLime

Hi,
I was wondering whether anyone is aware of any fully-dedicated forums / boards where people can get advice on choosing charities and/or discuss? Appreciate this here is already a great platform but it is a sub-forum of a broader platform that is mostly focused on other topics.
I have tried to look around but for some reason cannot seem to find a "go-to" charity discussion platform so wanted to see whether any of you are aware of that?
Thanks in advance!

Savvy_Sue

I don't, but didn't want to leave you hanging ... 

A good starting point would always be a charity's annual accounts, and learning to read them. I know a lot of people get het up about the amount / % spent on administration and fundraising, but I do think it's worth giving that some thought: an organisation which spends very little on these things may not be a good and efficient charity, and may well not be sustainable in the longer term: Even if it's set up that way initially, there comes a time for growth. 

I'd also consider whether I wanted to support a large national charity, or whether there was a small local one close to my heart. You will still need to read the annual accounts. 

I wonder if the reason such a "go-to" platform is hard to find is that the charity sector covers such a broad area, you only have to look at the list of registered charities on the Charity Commission website to realise that. 

TangoLime

Thanks a lot, Sue! Appreciate my hope might have been a bit high and what you are saying makes a lot of sense! I am still very early on in my journey to find "my" charity so hence was looking for a platform where people exchange their ideas and can challenge each other. But agree this might be too broad and I first need to focus on specific charities to learn more!

Savvy_Sue

I think the search for 'my' charity could start in various ways: 

• small and local, medium and regional, large and national / international?
• people / animals / heritage / buildings / transport / landscape? (there are subdivisions of all of those ...)
• particular interests, hobbies or passions? 
  
• financial support only, or getting 'stuck in'?

Certainly I would start by thinking about some of those.

And another possible approach is to make a few small donations, and see what the response is. For example, over a year ago I sent a donation to a charity which was local to a particular area, but there is a charity of this kind serving most (if not all) parts of the UK. Because I was able to Gift Aid, I gave them my address, and I was quite surprised to receive a reply checking that I'd intended to give to THEM rather than 'my' local charity. Of course I explained why I was supporting them rather than the locals, but I was quite impressed by them.

Less impressed by the charity to which I sent a one-off donation saying "no receipt required and please don't add me to your mailing list" who promptly posted me a receipt and added me to their mailing list ... but hey, we all make mistakes.