How do you choose - there are so many good ones?

I try to support our local hospice by donating unwanted goods, furniture etc. and buy from them where possible. All my small change goes to our local shop that donates to prem baby units. They always publicise the results of their collections. Small donations also to Marie’s Curie and Poppy Day. I generally avoid national and international charities as they seem to pay over inflated salaries to their top dogs.

I always, always will support my local Hospice, a wonderful place where I had the honour of working many years ago. I give all year round, but not in a monetary way, but in making craft items for their charity shop. I also do the same for a Sue Ryder shop, an organisation I volunteered for briefly in the 90s. I support my nearest food bank and Macmillan nurses too, since they were a great help when my late mother-in-law had terminal cancer. There are so many deserving causes, but I believe that charity begins at home and also donate at Christmas to Crisis. The rest, I go with my heart.

Children charities ... a charity where MY contribution will make a real difference ... Plan International for that one girl in Nepal ... Smile Train for children with cleft palates ... costs so little and transforms young lives ... Child Line ... once visited their offices and was hugely impressed with their work...
Then all the ones i cant resist ... MsF Air Ambulance and half a dozen others plus one off donations to Children in Need and emergency appeals...
Sounds a lot put down like this but it isn't ... it's not even 5% of our pension income...
And the first three are remembered in our Will.

Aspire for people with back injuries because my daughter works for them; Crisis because everyone is only a few steps away from being homeless; breast cancer research because of so many friends. I also donate to food banks and occasionally text £3 to the charity that sends sanitary protection to girls in Thirld World. They advertise in loos on the motorway. For our 50th anniversary we asked for donations to the local hospice and raised quite a bit that way.

I read that it is our generation that gives to charity, not young people but I have to keep a close watch on what and when I donate. It adds up fast.

In a similar GN discussion a year or two ago I was severely berated by a poster for 2 reasons..
I give to an overseas charity (Mary's Meals).
Was told off because "Charity begins at home!" and she didn't like it when I pointed out that it doesn't have to end there.
I was then called a heartless bitch because I said I'd always give to charities supporting people before I 'd give to animal charities.
At least this time round, folks seem to be agreeing to disagree.

The only charity we will no longer support is GOSH as they would not let Charlie Gard's parents take him for treatment overseas. Even if it did not work I thought his parents, having raised the cash themselves, should have been aloud to give their son one last chance. I know others may not agree but that is our view.

Our main charity donation is Samaritan's Purse so we buy small toys, rubix cubes, cars, stationery and soap, flannel and toothbrush and toothpaste, hat and gloves, enough to make 10 boxes I do them for boys because I was once told by person who collects these boxes they get fewer for boys than girls. We spend about £15 per box and a further £5 per box postage. We contribute to poppy day, Pudsey, McMillan cake day, etc just a £5 for each. We also pay scouts/cub/Brownies to pack our shopping (or actually to not pack our shopping) if supermarket running campaign or will contribute to anyone with official collecting tin. We contribute more to disaster funds such as floods or famines. We also make regular financial contributions to a family member student who does not get any financial support from her parents. Our main focus is the showboxes as our nephew went one year to Romania, where they are given to orphans and the very poor, with his church to distribute these boxes and he told us children keep the boxes for years after they have consumed the contents and that it give them hope that someone out there cares about them.

On a non money basis I knit children's jumpers for a Romanian orphanage. One of our local centres send them out with other aid on a regular basis

I give to a Welsh children's cancer charity where I used to live and where my son had his treatment. It pays for children and their families to have treats or the children in isolation because of their compromised immune systems to have brand new toys to play with ( they can't have used ones because of germs). I am also putting a young girl through school in Uganda, I will continue to do it as long as she stays in education. She wants to be a doctor to help her own people. Both of these I pay by DD to cover all expenses. I give occasionally to collectors I see in the street as well but like supporting two things close to my heart.

I donate to the Lullaby Trust who fund research into cot deaths and support parents who have lost children. I also donate to Great Ormand Street Hospital.

I can no longer afford to support all the charities that I would like to be able to contribute towards, so tend to stick to a few that mean a lot to me. Our local hospice is one I will always give what I can to, have done voluntary work for in one of their shops and helped at events/fundraisers - I even used to take trolleys (that had been abandoned by the cab rank outside the shop) back to supermarkets and collect the £1 coins then pop the money in the till - some weeks that could be £10-£20! Hope that one day I'll be able to do more voluntary work for them.

A local animal charity also gets our support - we donate cash when we can and have given extra a few times when they have had urgent appeals for help. I enter quite a few comps and donate the odd prize when I've been lucky enough to win something they could use (have had cat food, cat milk, horse feed, supplements, various treats and toys etc for the animals + a few bits they could use for raffle prizes or could sell at fundraisers + shopping vouchers). One comp I entered but didn't win even contacted me and offered to donate a few bags of horse feed directly to them as they liked my entry, which I thought was a nice touch and was much-appreciated by the charity. On the rare times I've won a little bit of money I give them a bit extra too (still waiting for that big cash win, lol). My better half and his business partner have given them practical help by supplying some materials and their time to build/fix things, and their company donates cash a few times a year. When I do get my lazy arse into gear to ebay a few bits, I more often than not put the charity donation between 10% and 100% depending on what the item is and its value, as this is a good way for me to be able to give them a little more without making personal finances even tighter. I like being able to give them stuff I know they need.

Apart from the aforementioned hospice and animal charity...there is a wildlife charity, an annual few quid to the Poppy appeal and the odd PDSA raffle tickets - about all I can stretch to these days.

..... funeral

I feel shattered if watching day-time tv to be inundated with requests for cash from all these worthwhile charities...it’s overkill I’m afraid,cos now I have to turn the sound down or walk away.They are trying to ‘guilt’ us into donating...and I suspect it works.!! It’s like the adverts to arrange or purchase your own tuneral.... bloody hell.... it’s not that far away... do we need reminding constantly. I feel this stuff on constantly defeats the object...I have to ‘tune-out’

Good post Gabriella Sums it up very well.

All the causes I've read about here are worthy in their own right and I salute each and every one of you who give, according to your time, finances and beliefs. It's humbling to think that so many, often themselves in fairly straitened circumstances, will find ways of alleviating the discomfort of others. You are all really remarkable. Often still working, homemaking, GC minding, helping your own families financially, trying to keep everyone connected and happy, yet often suffering your own traumas, illness and other issues which you face with stoicism and smiles.
I really do admire you all, wherever you are. Three cheers for GN. ????

I support the RNLI, they do a wonderful job in treacherous weather, volunteers who save lives at sea.

I give to Crisis at Christmas and a small monthly donation to a cancer charity and the Salvation Army. Not sure if I will still be able to do this when I retire though

I have given by monthly dd to SSPCA for some years and give a little at Christmas to a couple of other charities. Also organised a raffle, charity walk and coffee morning for BHF this year (raising about £1000) as dgs was diagnosed with a major heart condition. I would like to give more but had to retire early with a medical condition and can’t really afford what I do give. Have said to my family to donate, what they would have spent on me at Christmas, to an animal charity.

I donate to charities through the year , but I change around and donate to minor charities. At Christmas I pick another 3 charities to give to. A different 3 every year.

Have monthly small direct debits to Great Ormond Street hospital who we know from personal experience do so much for sick children and need donations to help with their pioneering work. Also, the PDSA, without which many folk would not be able to own a pet. Hundreds to choose from this time of year but at Christmas time we always give to the Salvation Army.

Being on a very low income I have to say no to many requests for funding. The charities I do support are either local to me, ones I volunteer with or those where I personally know someone in the organisation. That way I feel that I can be reasonably confident that my donations are used wisely.

I have for several years now made a monthly donation to MacMillian nurse's and World wildlife fund.I dont even notice it going out of my account.I also like donate to British leigion and our local hospice. There are so many good causes out there but i feel drawn to those that are close to my heart.Mind you i was thinking of our local homeless shelter for some reason this year.

I read a book called 'Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism' about how to pick charities. I dont know that I would recommend the book, because most of its examples were American and there was a long section about being employed by charities, which is not relevant if you are retired, but it did make me put a bit of effort into trying to find out which charities use your money most effectively. I also used Charity Navigator, a web site which systematically evaluates the effectiveness of charities, unfortunately again its US based, but it does help. I ended up donating regularly by DD to Camfed who support girls in Africa to stay in education. In some countries its common for girls to leave school and become mothers by the age of 13, effectively trapping them into endless childbirth and poverty for the rest of their lives. The charity is very well run with a large proportion of donations going directly to the cause. They also work to embed change by getting the girls who have been educated to mentor the new ones coming into the programme and they educate communities to identify the girls most at risk to support. camfed.org/

DH & I support NSPCC, Oxfam, local Hospice, & Foodbank - all monthly. Always give to any (reputable) "street collection". We donate all our "unwanted" items to charity shops and/or the local homeless centre. At Christmas we donate to a couple of charities. I feel very fortunate to live in a country where we have the NHS, to have a roof over our heads, and to be able to pay our bills. (My dear MiL used to say: "if you can, spread your money around, & share it with others".)

I let my heart guide my charitable giving. Also, i research each charity before setting up regular payments to ensure only appropriate deductions are taken from donations , with most of the money going where it is needed rather than to line pockets of overpaid executives or wasted on administration.