charity affiliates - is it moral?

[WigWam]

this ones to all charity affiliates.

just wondering if you think it is fair to profit of a charitys donations, for example cancer research pays about £20 a sign up, even on a £24 a year donation.

please vote above.

Do you think it is moral

 

[Skinner]

I give money back to charities all my ebay listings have 10% give back

My question is, is it moral for charities to try and guilt you into increasing your already high donations every 6 months in a time of recession ?

They ask what your yearly income is, and my sister for example earns about £10-12k a year, and donates £15 a month to PETA, yet every 6 months they send a request to increase the amount by £5, the first time she agreed but now every 6 months they ask to increase the Direct Debit, is that ethical or moral ?

 

[rob]

Big charity is big business - just check out some of the salaries given out.

Thats why I only do local stuff / direct stuff.

 

[Takwa]

So that's what those ppl on the street with a charity clipboard gets.... I always thought they were doing it for free

 

[mat]

Most of the people on the streets and who knock your door are working on commision.

I allways offer to give a donation there and then in cash, but they allways try and get your credit card details and im not having any of that. I tell them that I would much rather submit my details on the official website but they still wont shut up.

One woman working for a child charity started asking me "So you dont care about children being abused and raped then?" Now that is not on!

As for being a charity affiliate, I have no interest in making money from charity, I think its wrong....

 

[springer]

I don't think being a charity affiliate is immoral at all. I am sure that they have figured out the benefits and have costed appropriately (eg on a £24 a year donation, it is likely to last longer than a year and as mentioned above they have manipulative ways to increase that commission).

Also, without your hard work in promoting them, they may not have got a new subscriber.

A major gripe I have with charities are the salaries given, as mentioned by Rob. It is common to be paid more for salaried positions in the charity sector that you would for a company or in the public sector.

If you believe it to be immoral personally then promote them for free.

 

[rob]

from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...s-spread-to-charities-union-says-1817725.html


High earners: Charity bosses

*Riverside Housing Group: Deborah Shackleton, chief executive, received a salary of £231,000 for 2008-9.

*Barnardo's: Its chief executive, Martin Narey, earns a salary of £166,532.

*National Trust: Fiona Reynolds, the director general, is paid between £160,000 and £169,000.

*British Heart Foundation: Peter Hollins, chief executive, enjoys a salary of £153,000

*Action for Children: Its boss Clare Tickell was paid between £130,000 and 140,000 last year.

*Guide Dogs for the Blind: Bridget Warr, chief executive, earns between £120,000 and £130,000.

*Age Concern: Its director general Gordon Lishman earned £117,488 in 2007-8.

*RSPCA: Mark Watts, chief executive, received £105,500 in pay and perks in the year to April 2009.

*The RSPB: Chief executive Graham Wynne's pay and benefits were up to £100,000 for 2007-8.

*Victim Support: Gillian Guy, the group's chief executive, earns a salary of £100,000.

*World Vision: Justin Byworth, the chief executive, received £99,994 in pay and perks in 2008.

*Greenpeace: The current salary of the organisation's chief executive, John Sauven, is £65,000.

The following charities were contacted by The Independent but refused to name their highest earners:

*NSPCC – highest earner received pay and perks of between £110,001 and £120,000 in 2009.

*Anchor Trust – Jane Ashcroft, deputy chief executive, stepped in as acting chief executive after the resignation of John Belcher who earned nearly £400,000. The charity said it did not know who will be the permanent replacement and how much they will be paid.

 

[brum]

lets not forget the expenses too ......

 

[aZooZa]

Unless, as Rob suggest, you go direct and are discerning, it's all just business.

 

[scooter]

I was approached by a charity last year who wanted to buy a 3 letter org.uk name i had. It was advertised for £250.

The first thing i was asked was would I be willing to sell them it for the price i registered it for as they were a charity.

I asked him if he was working full time for the charity. He stated he was.
I told him then he of all people would appreciate that charity begins at home and like him i had bills to pay and a family to feed and I thought £250 was a very reasonable price to pay considering they would own the name for the lifetime of the charity and beyond.

He said it was a pity as the name exactly matched the initials of the charity but he could not justify the price and i was forcing him to think about registering something else. :lol:

So we parted ways.


.

 

[jasman]

I have a few things to say about this.

1. Concern Worldwide: A person collecting for Concern Worldwide, a large charity claiming to help disaster victims, signed me up in the street. Months later, having found out that street charity workers keep much of the monthly donations, I phoned up Concern Worldwide and asked how much if any of my monthly donation was going to the person who signed me up. The chap on the phone gave me several vague answers but when I finally pressed him to give me a figure, he admitted that 100% of the donations for the first year go to the person who signs you up. Thereafter 100% go to Concern Worldwide. I was disgusted and cancelled immediately, having donated a considerable sum, all of which went to some other person in my home town rather than those desparate people in disaster areas who need it.

2. Red Cross. I suggest you watch this video about the Red Cross, who have collected over $100 million for survivors in Haiti. This is a video shot by a Haitian on the ground loking for any evidence of that aid. There seems to be no evidence. $100m and no tents for people - they're having to live in cardboard boxes, no food given out according to the people in the survivor camps... where's all that money?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSfACmrc_E

If that shocks you, it's not the first time they have been heavily criticised despite being idolised by the BBC and the establishment press. You may be interested to hear that of the half billion they collected for relief for the 911 attacks, they only passed on a fraction of that and kept the rest.

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/11/06/rec.charity.hearing/

3. I have a friend who works at Cancer Research UK, who tells me that it's a no expsense spared environment. It seems they are literally swimming in money, being first choice for so many who wish to raise money for cancer, with flash company cars and other perks. To me, it looks like a corporation who has managed to gain charity status to avoid tax.

Also I think the poll in this thread is too polarised to be of use. It is the level of commission in question, the unwillingness of many fundraisers during the sign-up process to declare that a proportion of the donations will be kept to themselves, and the lack of accountability in big charities that are squandering generous people's hard-earned donations on lavish and prestigious offices, executive bonuses, extravagant perks etc thereby denying in the most grotesque and arrogant way, many £millions from reaching the poor people who they claim to be helping, while ripping off donors at the same time.

 

[aZooZa]

@jasman

It's business mate. Caveat emptor.

 

[jasman]

Another outrageous example of wasted donations... I first saw this gigantic glass building, which is opposite St Pauls Cathedral, in one of the world's most expensive property locations about 7 years ago. I think it was Bernados back then who had seen fit to spend God knows how many £millions per year on renting it for their offices. It looks like the Salvation Army are renting it now.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...d=5kVn-76AYB44mqqrt_nQow&cbp=11,186.7,,0,2.42

 

[Skinner]

This is the exact reasons I buy multiple big issues, of regular people. Least you know there is a chance the big issue guy will buy more copies of the big issue and maybe make more to help himself.

I also donate to some of the smaller animal ones, like Dogs Trust and PDSA.

Did you know in most charity shops, the manager is PAID but the staff are NOT paid.

Did you also know most of the upper management ontop of massive salaries have expenses, bonuses and such like on top.

 

[rob]

Check out the salary of the bloke who founded the big issue.

Big charities are big biz.

Dig deep though...!

 

[Skinner]

I know Rob, its why I put my money DIRECTLY into the vendors hand. I know he has to pay about £1 per issue, he sells for £2 but thats £1 in his/her pocket. This is my other beef, have you seen the price to advertise in the big issue ? The magzine is probably a 60/40 split in favour of adverts, which must be generating million after million in advertising yet they still charge the vendors £1 per issue for a cheaply printed mag.

If you pay Big Issue via Debit or directly, I am in no doubt a vast amount of my money would go to the business people which big houses and bonuses. Least you know half of your money is actually being used by the people its meant for when you buy it on the street.

 

[disruptive]

I had a similar experience a few years ago. Fixed costs are well, exactly that. I choose to give money to charity, but I do not mix business and charity. And yes as for charities being businesses, as much as we need them, yes they are. I feel sorry for the volunteers, the ground troops who donate their time, experience whilst corporate types get paid...I'd love another way...but I don't think there is.

I was approached by a charity last year who wanted to buy a 3 letter org.uk name i had. It was advertised for £250.

The first thing i was asked was would I be willing to sell them it for the price i registered it for as they were a charity.

I asked him if he was working full time for the charity. He stated he was.
I told him then he of all people would appreciate that charity begins at home and like him i had bills to pay and a family to feed and I thought £250 was a very reasonable price to pay considering they would own the name for the lifetime of the charity and beyond.

He said it was a pity as the name exactly matched the initials of the charity but he could not justify the price and i was forcing him to think about registering something else. :lol:

So we parted ways.


.

 

[retired_member32]

yes some of the richest people on earth are leaders of third world countries especially around the african continent,there are also thousands of companies that start up businesses in this country and get financial help and advice from Business Link,not forgetting that only a small percentage has to go to a charitable cause.

and the post with the earnings of ceo's that run charities.....well that is so far from the mark it would make you cringe ,probably put x3 on top....unfortunately salary is the top line and the bottom line is another story

how much of the Pakistan Floods fund will make it to the needy ? 5%-10% at best,unfortunate but true...

 

[GreyWing]

I struggle to know what to do with donate - org - uk

I don't want to get involved in big companies getting rich, it is as Rob and others say a business. I don't think it is right and would love to give that site the ability to donate direct to small charities.

Even justgiving take a percantage of the donation before it gets to the charity. The argument is that if they didn't do it, then the charity would get less money at the end of the day.

I find it hard to justfiy to be honest and won't get involved in things I can't justfiy despite the fact that I ould fill that sites with affiliates in 24 hours and make good cash from it.

 

[Leeroy]

Cracking name mate, with something like that i would list local homeless shelters/ animal shelters etc these guys always need more money and you really are going direct to the source.

I think a site like that listing local charities would really take off, as for making money out of it i have no idea.

Even if you go down the affiliate route the charities are still getting money maybe not the full amount but i would say something is better than nothing.

Cheers,
Lee

I struggle to know what to do with donate - org - uk

I don't want to get involved in big companies getting rich, it is as Rob and others say a business. I don't think it is right and would love to give that site the ability to donate direct to small charities.

Even justgiving take a percantage of the donation before it gets to the charity. The argument is that if they didn't do it, then the charity would get less money at the end of the day.

I find it hard to justfiy to be honest and won't get involved in things I can't justfiy despite the fact that I ould fill that sites with affiliates in 24 hours and make good cash from it.