Charity Sale

[simonb]

I used to own a company which was a single dictionary word and I traded under the .co.uk. It closed down several years ago and I have no plans to resurrect it. I started to get lots of email from individuals to the domain with attachments of passports / driving licenses and utility bills on a regular basis and found out it was from a charity who use the .org.uk.

Long story short I told them about it and now they want the domain. First they expressed an interest in buying it and now the FD has asked if I would donate it. The charity has over £2m in income and spent 250k on fund raising last year so I don't feel like it's something I should give away. I'm not sure how to price it or whether to give it a discount.

Thoughts?

 

[LCHappy]

Charities are not charities anymore. They are mostly gravy trains for parasites to enrich themselves. Sadly the days of the real charities who donate their time for no salary are gone, or at least they never get a look in.

I'd sell it to this charity for all you can get, then if you are that way inclined, donate the money you got to a much smaller charity in the same field. One that doesn't pay the directors £100k a year.

 

[gdomains]

Charity starts at home if they are so in need of the money why do they not accept a one of payment oh no, has to be done as a monthly fee.

 

[diablo]

Think of a price and then tell the FD to buy it with his own money and then donate the name to the charity himself. That's what he's asking you to do.

 

[WalkinDude]

If the domain has value, which it seems it does, then the value says XXXX becomes an asset the charity now owns to in the future do with as they wish. The utility of the domain is no different to if the charity needed a new van or new premises, they'd almost certainly have to pay for it. In fact, a new van would immediately start depreciating, whereas the domain may well appreciate in value.

Of all the available options the only one that is bad is to refuse to sell it except for some sort of exorbitant price. All other options, giving it away, selling it cut price, or selling it at its determined value are all the same on its face as you have no idea what will happen to this charity in the future good or bad.

The only way you could make a determination more accurately is if you did a complete deep analysis of the charity itself, but what's the point? When the charity's staff work do they do it for free? So why should your domain be free?

They already own the dotorg [that i'd give away if they wanted it], but .co.uk or .UK are commercial domain names and you are the owner. You even have the option of selling them the domain and giving the proceeds to a charity closer to your heart. Whichever way you go probably best to keep it private. Never gonna please everyone.

 

[TinkyWinky]

It is a bit of a dilemma as you want to do the right thing - but actually, as others have said, almost all charities are/have to be 'hard nosed businesses' and many of them do pay CEO's £100k plus. You have an asset they want (would like). I have been in exactly the same situation and I don't much like being soft-blackmailed in the name of charity - it's like chuggers in a way, although you have an actual asset rather than just a wallet they try to open up.

I like the diablo option - as that will root out whether these guys are serious or just looking for something for free. Or the route where you charge them but make them very aware that once monies received, you will donate to certain charities that are close to you.