Extra 'donation' added to cover costs

Mountainbiker2

Does anyone else find it really annoying and impertinent of charities to automatically add a sum to a donation to 'cover coats of donation?'

I think it's a damn cheek. I like to make numerous small donations to several current charities and the 'expenses' added often add a third onto the donation I initially made.

I resent my generosity being taken advantage of. If you didn't keep an eye out you could easily miss it. It is done automatically without permission.

How is this legal?

Is it something MSE could have a word with the Charities Commission about?

oldernonethewiser

Are these compulsary add-ons or can you opt out?

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6688588/extra-donation-added-to-cover-costs

Which charities?

JGB1955

I had this recently when making a donation on Just Giving. I had to use google to find out how to avoid the 12.5% 'voluntary' additional fee. Very disappointing. I had always assumed they took their cut from the original donation but would have thought more in the region of 5% or less.....

p00hsticks

I strongly suspect that it's not the charities themselves that are adding on these fees, but rather that the OP is taking about going through a third party platform.such as Just Giving. I donate to a number of larger charities directly and have never been asked for an additional amount to cover admin costs (although I'm sure some of my donation will be spent on those).

Platforms such as Just Giving allow anyone to set up fundraising pages - the vast majority of them won't actually be registered charities so the Charity Commission won't be involved or interested. As I understand it these operate with the fundraiser not having to pay the platform and keeping all the donations but the then platform suggests a top up amount from each donor towards their running costs.

From my experience of Just giving you can alter the suggested amount or opt out altogether. Or if you are genuinely donating to a registered charity, give it directly to them rather than going via a third party,

Savvy_Sue

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82186343#Comment_82186343

the problem with gifting direct is that quite a few charities won't have their bank details on the website, so you have to contact them. Even then, they may prefer to direct you to their preferred online platform, at least partly because if you can do Gift Aid the platform will both ask the question, and deal with the related admin.

molerat

Obviously "giving" is exempt from fair trading laws where optional add-ons must be explicitly agreed to and selected rather than automatically pre selected / added. What I hate is that it is often not easy or clear how to remove the add on especially on a mobile device. Charity is big business.