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[STMO999]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8469885.stm

[Dishevelled Den]

It's a consequence of the knee-jerk reaction - however well intentioned - to this disaster.

[Richie London]

i had an e mail yesterday asking for donations. not that i would give my bank details to them or give them a penny anyway. i only give to charities to british causes.

[jerry]

Agree with Rich, I get a bit p*ssed off with what is sometimes almost harassment from some charities and I'd certainly be dubious about giving any bank details to them. If I had the money I'd donate. We do things like "shoeboxes" for the Red Cross and support the nominated charity at work. What has happened in Haiti is a tragedy but I'm simply not in a position to help -and I wont be made to feel guilty about it either.

[Chris_H]

It's my experience that American charities have for a long time pestered people for donations.  I guess the American people accept it but it really gets up my nose when they do it in the UK.

You can get your name on the mailing list simply by making an enquiry and I've got junk mail without the original enquiry being attended-to.

Not good for captivating hearts and minds.

[jerry]

As for STMO's original post; well its all very sad but hardly a suprise. Its always extremely difficult for the charities to ensure that monies/aid gets to the right people at the best of times what with anybody from oppressive regimes, scam merchants to even,in some cases, the taxman wanting their "cut". As someone once said, theres nothing like a war or a natural disaster for producing a money making opportunity

[PhilRich]

It's beginning to look like the money donated from around the Globe is being wasted. By the time the various 'Agencies' & the Yanks get their arses into gear, it will be far too little far too late for a lot of the Haitian population I fear.

[Stevie-blunder]

i had an e mail yesterday asking for donations. not that i would give my bank details to them or give them a penny anyway. i only give to charities to british causes.

Agree totally  How many give to us when we have a disaster?

[KillerWatt]

If ANY charity was truly working as a charity, then EVERY single last penny would make it to the destination it was intended for.

[Kevin Wood]

If ANY charity was truly working as a charity, then EVERY single last penny would make it to the destination it was intended for.

Indeed. And they would be grateful for whatever I have for them, in whatever form that arrives. They wouldn't pay sales staff to try to sign me up, they wouldn't insist on being paid by direct debit. That in itself means they won't ever get a single penny from me.

Kevin

[Amigo]

These folk are in trouble so deep most of us can never imagine...thankfully. They have no real effective government in place to support them hence thier reliance on outside aid.
    Anyone who tries to benefit from such tragic circumstances is beyond reprehension, despicable & should be tortured slowly over a long period of time. I could help with this!!!

[jereboam]

If ANY charity was truly working as a charity, then EVERY single last penny would make it to the destination it was intended for.

It's a very interesting subject.  If a charity doesn't spend money on fundraising, will it achieve the same level of income and have as much money to distribute as it will get if it employs expensive fundraising professionals?

I spent six months working on contract for one of the major charities.  I reduced my rates by about 20%, but I still felt guilty about taking money that was collected from the public for the purpose of helping children in Africa.  I think that my work helped a bit, and they got back more than I cost them, but I was never very sure. 

It is clear, however, that if you have to administer funds amounting to several million pounds a year, you can't do your accounts on the back of a fag packet.  And if you are running long-term projects overseas (or at home), you have to make provision to ensure regular cash flow.  So you have to buy computers and software and employ people to run them.  And it costs.  As do the mailshots and throwaway pens and street collectors and recruiters and PR people and everything else that corporate multinationals need. 

It all comes down to the bottom line...

[Chris_H]

If ANY charity was truly working as a charity, then EVERY single last penny would make it to the destination it was intended for.

It's a very interesting subject.  If a charity doesn't spend money on fundraising, will it achieve the same level of income and have as much money to distribute as it will get if it employs expensive fundraising professionals?

I spent six months working on contract for one of the major charities.  I reduced my rates by about 20%, but I still felt guilty about taking money that was collected from the public for the purpose of helping children in Africa.  I think that my work helped a bit, and they got back more than I cost them, but I was never very sure. 

It is clear, however, that if you have to administer funds amounting to several million pounds a year, you can't do your accounts on the back of a fag packet.  And if you are running long-term projects overseas (or at home), you have to make provision to ensure regular cash flow.  So you have to buy computers and software and employ people to run them.  And it costs.  As do the mailshots and throwaway pens and street collectors and recruiters and PR people and everything else that corporate multinationals need. 

It all comes down to the bottom line...

Agreed Jereboam

Even to start, a bank account is necessary and that is likely to be a business account which will cost money.  Then you need to send out receipts and acknowledgements which costs postage.

Although some small charities use the funds directly (like the old-fashioned missionary-type activity) it is seen as far more appropriate nowadays to use resources to enable local people to do the front-line work. Then you need to have a way of ascertaining that your donations/effort are being used effectively/honestly.

All that has reduced to zero the possibility of "every penny" going to service the need.  The nearest anyone can come to achieving that is to maintain separate funds for admin and "aims & objectives".  Getting help with the admin funds then becomes a struggle believe me.

It does sicken me to see waste and inefficiency in charities and it seems that it is almost automatic past a certain size.

[Dishevelled Den]

Agreed Jereboam

Even to start, a bank account is necessary and that is likely to be a business account which will cost money.  Then you need to send out receipts and acknowledgements which costs postage.

Although some small charities use the funds directly (like the old-fashioned missionary-type activity) it is seen as far more appropriate nowadays to use resources to enable local people to do the front-line work. Then you need to have a way of ascertaining that your donations/effort are being used effectively/honestly.

All that has reduced to zero the possibility of "every penny" going to service the need.  The nearest anyone can come to achieving that is to maintain separate funds for admin and "aims & objectives".  Getting help with the admin funds then becomes a struggle believe me.

It does sicken me to see waste and inefficiency in charities and it seems that it is almost automatic past a certain size.

It would seem that there's no elegant solution to this difficult but nevertheless understandable problem.

At the very least however a breakdown of the expenses involved for each charity operator and the sums anticipated to be dispersed for each cause, on an appeal by appeal basis, would put contributors minds ease.

[Chris_H]

Agreed Jereboam

Even to start, a bank account is necessary and that is likely to be a business account which will cost money.  Then you need to send out receipts and acknowledgements which costs postage.

Although some small charities use the funds directly (like the old-fashioned missionary-type activity) it is seen as far more appropriate nowadays to use resources to enable local people to do the front-line work. Then you need to have a way of ascertaining that your donations/effort are being used effectively/honestly.

All that has reduced to zero the possibility of "every penny" going to service the need.  The nearest anyone can come to achieving that is to maintain separate funds for admin and "aims & objectives".  Getting help with the admin funds then becomes a struggle believe me.

It does sicken me to see waste and inefficiency in charities and it seems that it is almost automatic past a certain size.

It would seem that there's no elegant solution to this difficult but nevertheless understandable problem.

At the very least however a breakdown of the expenses involved for each charity operator and the sums anticipated to be dispersed for each cause, on an appeal by appeal basis, would put contributors minds ease.

You probably know this Zulu77 but any registered charity of any size has to publish detailed figures viewable on the charity Commission website.  So, for instance the charity I mentioned earlier here and you can browse the Accounts for 2009 and see pie-chart on page 19, geographical breakdown on page 31 and so on - far too much for me to analyse but there is a lot of transparency forced on them.