Wasteful Red Cross Charity ...

[Ann]

While I agree that the Red Cross do an admirable job and should be well supported I refuse to send any money to charities who waste money in advertising to this extent -

Today I received an appeal in the post for £10 donation but with the letter came all these free gifts
1. A little (metal) badge showing a rose
2. 2 coasters
3. a bookmark
4. a whole page of personalised address stickers
5. 4 notelets/giftcards with good quality envelopes.

What an appalling waste of money. Several years ago I rang a company who was marketing in this way and asked to speak directly to the Marketing director. He listened to my rants and promised he would have a re-think (not sure if he ever did!)
What do you think? Would you donate - knowing most of your money is going on these kind of free gifts, which most people would throw away?

[tonyav]

No, I don't think that I would, Ann.

[ummmm]

They might get them for free themselves.

[ethandron]

No I wouldn't. I think these mail shots are a total waste of funds which should be used elsewhere.
In a similar way, I strongly object to the British legion sending me a wooden cross through the post. I always donate on poppy day, I don't want or need a wooden cross sent to me, unasked for and with all the cost involved, to remind me it's poppy day.

[RandyMarsh]

as money gets tighter charities need to compete with each other for our donations, i am sure someone with a degree in marketing has made these decisions and can point to results that suggest they work. ]

[tonyav]

Those pens that they put in the envelopes are usually crap anyway.

[mrs_overall]

I refuse to donate to most large charities such as the Red Cross after reading about the huge salaries they pay to executives.

My money goes to two small, local charities although I will put my hand in my purse for the air ambulance

[tonyav]

Afternoon, mrs o. my gawd, a Yorkshire lass that puts her hand in her purse, wonders will never cease.

[viv38]

One of my favourite charities used to constantly send free gifts, some of them quite large, so I contacted them and told them to stop and that I would rather the money went directly to help the animals (it was the IFAW). The free gifts stopped after that, thank goodness.

[mrs_overall]

Afternoon tony. You seem to have forgotten my full details:
international supermodel, philanthropist and all round good egg

[giveup]

I work for a charity that is concerned only with our town.We help people with money problems, school and nursery funding,a pensioners lunch club,many other purely local projects,and we do over 2,000 hospital trips a year. We have over 100 volunteers and not one of us including the trustees get a penny.Our volunteer drivers get a bit of help with petrol money and it is all funded by a charity shop and donations.(we do get a free diary at Christmas)

[mackfender]

I would only donate to a charity if I wanted to. Free gifts through the post would not swing me in any direction. I also object to the local charity shops being refurnished a couple ot times a year, new doors, new windows,new signs and new shopfittings. We all know where the shops are so a complete waste of funds.

[tonyav]

Thats the way that it should be, giveup.

Oh yes, I had forgotten about the philanthropist bit, mrs o, not the supermodel bit though ;-)

[giveup]

Whats a new shopfitting?---I wish.

[giveup]

Mrs O would love our shop. Bargains galore and we do have a laugh.

[Ann]

Local charities like the one giveup mentions are the ones I would give to, also our local day and children's hospices which are not funded at all, and depend on donations from the public also the air ambulance which does such a brilliant job.
The charities which really make me angry are the ones which send out junk mail and have the audacity to quote suggested donations of £10, £15 or £20+ - please tick the box of your choice. What a cheek!

[mackfender]

@ giveup
Come to my town and see how many times the shops are closed for ' refitting '. A complete waste.

[theshedman]

What I object to is these companies that come around the houses late afternoon early evenings and sometimes weekends asking me to sign up to so much a month for a charity when they are getting a big slice of what's collected and it doesn't go to the charity they collect for. Most of these seem to say they work for the particular charity when they are in fact working for someone else and are just a collection firm and nearly all of them have the same lines of chat with the exception of the charities name. Afraid I will not sign up to anything at the door anymore or in the middle of town where they do the same thing.

[giveup]

I completely agree with Ann. An aquaintance of mine has a daughter who works for a large charity,she is nowhere near the top of her particular tree and she is earning £60,000 a year.I won't give to any of the various charities that advertise on TV,thats where the money goes. We do support the RNLI for obvious reasons.

[barney15c]

Ok I fully accept charity shops should not accept rubbish, however I took some perfectly respectable items that were in good working order and clean and they turned their noses up at it, and its not just me, a number of people I know have experienced the same. Also they want absolutely unrealistic prices for things too, of course they have to maximise donations, however they frequently shoot themselves in the foot losing sales through overpricing. BTW I make donations via payroll giving to selected charities instead.

[wolf63]

Remember that the shop probably isn't owned by the charity and they may have no say in what their landlord is planning.

Our charity shop is to be closed for a week or so this year but it is due to structural 'stuff' needing to be done. We are managed by one paid full-time manager and left to run the shop the rest of the time.

I give money each month to Cats Protection - their local branch only as the HQ sent me too many raffle tickets etc to sell.

I stick to my voluntary work and the cats and don't give to anyone else.