Charity giving and Conscience
 

I would appreciate the views of others on the following subject. I know we’ve had some discussion already on the subject of the Asian Earthquake and donating funds but I’m still struggling with my own conscience. When the tsunami struck East Asia I made a donation as soon as the lines to Dec opened, I give a fiver for Vincent House for the Harvest Festival collection last week and Last night I stuck a Ten Pound note in to a bottle in aid of Donna’s Dream House, a Hospice Charity for kid’s.

These actions where automatic without much thought of the money or my own needs, with the Pakistani and Indian Earthquake I haven’t given. It’s not that I don’t want to or can’t afford it, I can. I just struggle doing it, I don’t believe that may reluctance is racial, political or anything to do with the bombings earlier this year, I’m gutted when I see people on the news suffering but I wonder if the cash would ever get to them or if it would make a difference…….how do you feel on the subject?

Re: Charity giving and Conscience
 

It is always a worry about how much of a cash donation gets to the intended target. If asked most charities will provide information about what percentage of donations goes towards administration costs.

Don't beat yourself up Doug, but was is the difference between the tsunami and this earth quake, both are natural disasters?

You could always find a charity that is accepting donations of blankets, clothing etc.

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Aww Doug you are very charitable:D thing is you dont have to stick your hand in your wallet everytime, you can donate things like Garinda said, i gave 7 bags of clothes to the heart foundation & felt good for doing so because they sell it on to raise money & if they couldnt sell it or as i gave quite a lot, it would also be circulated around other charity shops - therefore potential of helping raise money to help a host of people improving their life chances.

I do worry about a lot of charities that it doesn't go to the right places & find it best to donate monatry to recognised charities direct. Im not sure about the earthquake & tsunami set up donations but even at a local level kids had a funday & raised funds would go to these events, so even still it all helps.

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There is a tupperware box on the counter in my local shop, which is run by some very nice Pakistani brothers, asking for donations for the earthquake victims.

Call my cynical, but when I asked them they said the collected money would be sent from their mosque.

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I'm not so much beating myself up, I'm quite capable of turning the other cheek when it suites me, and I’m not being insensitive when I say that. I was taking to a fireman the other night who said that most of the lads hadn’t given because of the attitudes of some governments, groups and individuals relating to the bombings, others felt that they had already give widely over the past years are so. I was just wondering if others felt the same or had been as indecisive.

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Suffering is suffering in my book, regardless of geography or politics.

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I'd say trust your own instinct Doug if you believe it doesn't feel right then it doesn't & it wont make you damned or burn in inferno for not, personally call me cynical im dodgey about the pakistan one because with all thats gone on i dont trust them at all how do you know if its going to the right place & not to a bomb making factory:confused:?? Even if it got to the right place would their gov send it to right place of need cos they have done naff all for their own needy people.

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Thank you Accymal, I don’t mind when I have it really and I do send stuff to the collections when I have a clear out I sent ten videos up to the Cancer Research shop this morning in fact. I just wonder sometimes if there’s a better way so that indifference or selective giving doesn’t perhaps leave a sense of guilt or neglect.

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Live Aid ????? x2....x3 do they know its xmas...do i say more:rolleyes:

Trouble with it is that its a continuous charitable circulation

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Deep down I agree...........

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Yes I feel the same as the firemen. They would probably use the money to make bombs to kill us with in a couple of years anyway.

Another question!! If it happened here, do you think they would be rallying around trying to give us support???:rolleyes:
NO! they would probably say " it's gods way of punishing you for your sins".

Like you said Doug, when I see it on T.V or in the papers, it too breaks my heart that these people are suffering, but then like I have just pointed out, you start to get hardened to it.

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Unless you is mega rich & have loads to give away then there will be charity you cant give it to, sorry you cant save them all Doug, besides as been discussed so far you want your donated money to go to the right place unfortunately there are so many charitable scams about who steal effectively off backs of charity so its wise to be very careful specially with links off net sites in sigs or mails.

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I am always very wary of charity collections that are that spontaneous. I donate to a number of charities direct from my bank account and whilst I know that some of the money goes to admin etc, I do know that at least some of the money goes to the right place. When you have a natural disaster and people start out with collection boxes I'm never sure the money goes further than that.

Having said I do participate in school collections by supporting cake days and non uniform days, but that's partly so the kids don't feel left out rather than supporting a cause as such.

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We musn't forget that the war against terror isn't against any political country, it's against Islamic extremists throughout the world.

Three of the London suicide bombers came from Dewsbury. If a natural disaster happened there, should we not be charitable because some aid might go towards British Muslims?

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Its not that Rindy its the fact im making is if it was here money would go to the right place but im not giving to fund a bomb racket so to cause more mass destruction to the innocent - that would make me feel suicidal myself.

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Well i am not saying where this is but there is 1 newsagents in the area that has a tin on the counter that had a lable on for the Cancer Research and they have stuck another lable over it for the earthquake.
so what happend to the Cancer Research money ?

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I am always very wary of any charity.. The collectors selling flowers in pubs or approaching you on the street are usually bogus in my opinion. I believe that most of the money from these so-called collections goes towards admin fees and the six figure salaries of some of the organisers. There is one particular charity which sells flowers in pubs and clubs in aid of special care baby units. This is totally bogus, according to a memo at work a couple of years back, there isn't a baby unit in the country which has benefitted from this charity.

I did give to the Tsunami and I do take stuff to charity shops. I dropped some change into a bucket at Asda the other week for the Earthquake, but I do not give all of the time and I do not feel the slightest pang of guilt when I don't. It's my choice and I will not be made to feel guilty or tight for not giving...:)

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I hope you never bought anything off a street seller in Blackpool over the past 25 years........That aside I'm sure most people would share your sentiments. I think Gayle's approach is quite sensible really, but it won't serve the immediate need following a natural disaster.

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Now theres an interesting thing, i'd say they sodded the cancer & put in all for their cause.......thats so sick & furthers my point earlier on scams

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PMSL!!! haven't been for 10 years & no im too posh to buy off street sellers beside im dodgey about them too & im going there in a fortnight an all & if i see a street delboy I'll think of ya doug pmsl....radioactive glowstick anyone?? LOL

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Too Posh, give up you knock around with that tinky bird? :rolleyes:

Enjoy your vist......:)

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PMSL!!! so im not posh then tinks has a tiara you know:D

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It was only a hand me down off me...............:p

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Did it get to small for you? :rolleyes: :p

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Er...has Doug led the ladies off down an alley?

Thread wandering?:)

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No actually I lost some of the jewels out of it on a rampant night.......you know how it is Doug;)

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Don't start..........rindy, I know and I was just about to post comment to the fact. I'm sorry I won't do it again, kettle caller.........:rolleyes:

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PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC THANKYOU

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I am awfully sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D ( I'm not sniggering honest):(

Anyway, where were we!!!! oh yes charity. A fella came to my door the other day asking me to start giving to a blind charity. He was asking for my bank details for monthly direct debits to be taken out of the bank.
I'm sorry, but no way. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but, he gave me the impression that, he was not for leaving the door until it had been signed and sealed.
Like Lettie said, it's my choice, and i wont be bullied into it.

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Yeah, we get then up here occasionally, I’m a sucker for giving loose change in supermarkets and to old tramps on the streets.

I can’t say I’m enlightened by this discussion but it is nice to know that either way I’m not alone so I would thank you all for that. :)

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Yeh i had simular up here, a few weeks back i had a rather posh suited man come up to my wanting my bank details for a cancer charity & got rather snotty when i said i weren't prepared to sign up because i needed to think about it:(, he looked like he could afford to give himself & yet harrang me a chav looking person pmsl

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By definition a charity is PEOPLE GIVING THEIR TIME AND MONEY to help the less fortunate with the operative word being GIVING. To GIVE something means that you get NOTHING in return.

So how come these various charities have paid employees coordinating the collection and distribution of donations? Some of whom make a very good living out of it. Some charities even have people who coordinate the efforts to raise funds and they get paid for doing so. Something wrong there! Why don’t these fund raisers GIVE THEIR TIME FOR FREE?

The other question I would ask is why do we need charities? We need charities because the public has decided that there is a need for something.

But hang on! We pay taxes so that the government of the day can take care of all the public needs. Isn’t that why we pay taxes? So that the government can take care of the public need.

Take the RNLI for instance. There is a need to have what is the FOURTH EMERGENCY SERVICE yet it is totally funded by public subscription. RSPCA, RSPCC to mention two more. Those charities exist because the public found that there was a need for them and because the government did not cater for those needs the public rolled up their collective sleeves and set up a charity to address the issue. How many hospitals have had vital equipment bought for them from public donations when the government who fund the NHS failed to supply what was NECESSARY.

The government knows that if a public need is identified all the government needs to do is to drag its collective heels and sooner or later the general public will respond and set up a charity to take care of that need. Thus removing the need of government intervention and the cost associated with it. Money that they spend on illegal wars and funding projects that benefit the few.

We, the general public, have and will continue to help ourselves when the need arises and the government knows that we will. So they let us get on with it whilst taxing us more and more.

We have even been conned into buying lottery tickets for good causes and even here the government takes a slice of each pound that you spend.

This current government even encourages people to join the ‘Voluntary’ sector. Why?

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Yes I got the same man mel............ I too told him no.

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You said no to a man? :rolleyes: That was a first ;) :D

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It was HARD!!! but I managed it:D ;)

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LOL the funny bit about him he thought he was soo goodlooking & smart in suit he thought the birds would be swarming to up his sales & yet this was a charity org & he looked like the manager of sales - all talk LOL & yet i said no ta that peved him off something cronic

mmm he could of been a perv trolling for women:rolleyes:

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Yep, that certainly concentrates the mind Jambutty, as a fell walker I often support the Mountain rescue services, I also believe that we should support the air ambulance and the RNLI and the likes of the RSPCA and PDSA. But where should we draw the line. When I do give it’s usually directly to the charity itself, I don’t believe in middle men because of the reasons that have been given in this thread. It would be easier and for more effective if there where clear lines of responsibility between what the Government give in our name and what we the public support.

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Please note I had nothing to do with this meandering..............:rolleyes:

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Nope but the point of that is that the guy was so peeved off that i didnt sign there & then - erm bully boy tactics in charity:D

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Nor should you and I take your point. By the way did any of you report this chap......

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No!! but he reported me for kicking him the NADS;)

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No i didnt though thought about it cos of his attitude wouldnt know how to report or whether it would be taken seriously

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I just recently did some fund raising for the North west air ambulance which is completely charitable funded. And yet how many times will the helicopter go out instead of an ambulance therefore saving the NHS, so why don't the nhs at least contribute some way to its running. They have also recently been turned down for lottery funding as they "supposedly" don't reach a wide enough group of people!!! Errrrrr, they get called out mostly to car accidents..... and I would say the majority of people travel in cars!! whats that all about....:mad:

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I also think that the air ambulance should be funded. The government is responsible for NHS funding and the ambulance services are lumped under the title of 'Care Trust' which also covers patient transport (you can access the NHS structure online at www.nhs.uk ) I think that people using ambulances unnecessarily should have to pay a charge of at least £50. The amount of people using our ambulances as a free taxi service is unbelievable. The ambulance crews are not allowed to tell these people off, but I have been known to give them a good rollocking when they arrive on our ward, then ring a friend for a lift home half an hour later after wasting everybody's time....:D

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lol Lettie but then you have the flip side to the coin when someone like me, who got a proper rollocking off the doctor for not ringing an ambulance with my apendix! I'm one of those who would still try to drive myself to the hospital if my leg was hanging off, I'd be telling myself it's nothing serious! :)

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Doug, maybe you have charity fatigue. There are so many charities out there begging for our money. I donate books and clothes to several of the charity shops.....I toss my loose change into collecting tins.....but like Lettie, I am not going to be intimidated into giving.....some of the pictures we see ARE heartbreaking.....and if you could be sure your donation would help those people then maybe, just maybe it would be worth while. The huge amounts of money that was donated after the Tsunami do not appear to have filtered through very well.....and we are now 10 months away from that disaster.....so where is the money? What is it doing? Is it languishing in some government departments account?

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Well I give to cancer research the heart foundation and kiddy charities. To me its up to the individual to whom they donate there hard earned cash and in some small way hope it goes to the area of need they want it to.

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I have to say that my personal response to people collecting for charity is "I pay enough in taxation for the government to take care of that. I do not see the point of keeping a dog and barking yourself."

The only charity I contribute towards is the Haig Fund and I do that as a continuing means of expressing my appreciation of what I enjoy as a result of the sacrifice of others.

It is not so long ago that I pointed out the scandal of the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity, with reserves of millions of pounds, which it prefers to keep in the bank while spending less than it takes in donations each year.

The Imperial Cancer Research Fund; how many millions of people's hard earned money have been poured into that black hole over the years, and are we any closer to a cure for cancer?

The NSPCC would have us believe that if enough of us donated by direct debit every month, then cruelty to children would suddenly become a thing of the past. Who are they trying to kid?

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[quote=Acrylic-bobThe Imperial Cancer Research Fund; how many millions of people's hard earned money have been poured into that black hole over the years, and are we any closer to a cure for cancer?[/quote]

Who's to know if there isn't a cure for cancer already? The pharmaceutical industry and research organisations would loose billions if there were. So no incentive for them.

I have read a book that claims a cure exists! Reckons vitamin B17 is it, found in the bitter contents on apricot kernels and apple pips and the like.

Charitable donations are a personal choice and probably needs to be a regular contribution so that none are suddenly cut off.

It is also an emotional response. Many individuals and campains pray on the emotions. I fight against any individual or organisation that says "GIVE". I like to respond 1-to-1 when my internal prompting says "give".

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I do find the use of child actors in television advertisments by the NSPCC, recreating scenes of children in distress, in very poor taste. It must work though.

Like A-b said, although the likes of the NSPCC do good work, there really should be no need for an organisation like them. They pick up the cases were our government controlled Social Services have clearly failed.

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I've seen the buckets at Asda checkouts for the Earthquake fund.I didn't donate and was half tempted to take the bucket to donate to a better cause.I've given alot to charitable causes over the years but not this one.

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Oh how I hate to find fault with such a positive little soul, but earthquake should be in lower case, and twice you didn't leave a space when starting a sentence.

I got the jist of your post though, despite these appalling errors.:)

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No contest, my handkerchief contains arsenic and old lace.

I think that someone who delights in pointing out other people's mistakes, rather than posting original comments, should be very sure not to make a mistake of their own.:)

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You are quite right for once Doug, I shall forgive the little scrote.:)

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They say charity begins at home, but there is a limit to it.