Do you or don't you.

Blinko: Does anyone donate the Winter Fuel Allowance, I wonder? I know some need it for the allotted purpose, but some I know like to 'recycle' it to a good cause.

I do. I won't refuse it, there may come a time when I do need it.
But I always add a letter saying this is a one-off, don't send me begging letters cos it won't work. But I do give my name & address so they can claim Gift Aid too.

I have received book marks and coasters from the Red Cross. i see this as a way of trying to pressure me into donating money. I give them donations on an occasional basis - when there's a massive humanitarian disaster like the Haitian earthquake. Otherwise, I do have a preferred charity to which I make a monthly donation and I have also 'adopted' a snow leopard.

The only charity I donate to is the local hospice as I know where the money goes. Most charities you donate to dont get the full amount you donate as it all goes on administration.

Does anyone donate the Winter Fuel Allowance, I wonder? I know some need it for the allotted purpose, but some I know like to 'recycle' it to a good cause.

On another tack, when my DM died, we found a great pile of begging letters, pamphlets, etc. from various charities on her doormat. Mum was pretty sensible and didn't give willy nilly. But even so, the sheer number of pieces of mail from charities was staggering. I sent them all back 'Return to Sender', 'Unsolicited Mail'. I do the same if we get any. It works a treat!

I think the money allocated for a child's present for Christmas or birthday is, in a sense, their money. If they are old enough to make a choice, you could ask them if they would like a present or to make a donation, as you might an adult. If they are young, I would normally say buy a present.

I think you can make your own decision about how much of your money you can afford to give, or decide to give, to charity. There is no shortage of good causes. I tend to go with a brain tumour charity run by volunteers and a variety of others. I do not give at my door and prefer not to give in the street but, sometimes, I do.

Just going slightly off tangent....
Have any of you read 'A street cat named Bob' by James Bowen?
It's an entertaining and informative true story about a young man who was struggling in life (drugs/homelessness) until a stray cat appeared one day and changed his life forever.
It includes information about how the Big Issue selling works and is very informative. I'm just about to read the sequel.

I think a great deal of feeling uncomfortable about giving to beggars, is that you don't know if they are genuine or not.
also, I never give any money to a person with an open bucket.
If the charity volunteer looks genuine (accredited) and the collecting tin is not an open one, and it's a charity I support, then I give a donation.When neighbours put envelopes through the door for charities such as Save The Children and The RNLI then I also give a donation.Other than that we have two charities that we actively support and that's it.

Lots of good points raised , agreeing with most of you. Recently I had a really good chat to a male Big Issue seller, we were talking about how difficult it is to engage with people in small towns where the people who are begging are few & far between .I like many others find it very difficult to give or engage with people who sit on the ground I have tried to work out what it is that feels so uncomfortable about it , has any one else felt the. Same?

Call me slow on the uptake but who has told you that you * must not*give tangible presents to your DGC yorkshire?
If their parents truly feel they have enough toys/clothes/books etc what is wrong with outings, short break holidays "extras" at school or if charitable giving must be involved, sponsoring a donkey which they can visit at a Sanctuary and on which they get regular updates?
So while not getting at you or anybody on this thread, I don't go along with anybody asking or telling about charitable giving, is that not a personal matter?

I've done the Christmas present buying before from Oxfam, etc. Now we sponsor a donkey from a local charity and a child in Haiti and I'll give to local charities or community organisations.

I thought I made that quite clear EEjit - more than 80%.

Yes Anya I do realise. But just how much of each pound donated actually goes towards these projects as opposed to building costs, wages etc.

I would say it depends if the child has actually asked you to do this. Otherwise, they should get a present to open on Christmas day. Children are children.
My mother has just gone into a lovely care home and needs nothing, she has asked for charity gifts instead of presents, so I will do that thing.
I don't see any connection between charity giving and Christmas, the need exists all year round.

No - if I care about a charity (Clic, Diabetes UK, Diabetrs UK, local charities etc), I nake a voluntary donation of whatever I feel I can afford at a given time. Some years ago, my mum (very elderly, and with everything she needed), lost her dog a few weeks before Xmas. I knew she wouldn't get another, so rhought she'd like the idea of a Dogs Trust Sponsorship and was really upset when she took umbrage at what I thought was a generous and good idea. Never again! I get really angry at those horrible making you feel guilty adverts asking for "only" £3 a week. When you only have about £100 weekly to live on, with bills to pay and lots of demands on your money, £3 is actually a lot and I resent being told how much I should give.

Going off at a tangent, there are just too many charities. New ones are springing up every week. Surely it is time to bring some sense and clarity into the whole charity scene.

The large charities now employ CEOs on salaries equivalent to many large companies. They are all competing for money and despite the huge total sum given by people from all corners of the UK they still want more. This muct become a zero sum game at some time.

The more we give to charity the more those charities do the work that governments should be doing. Perhaps we will arrive at a situation where we are all debited with set amounts which will then be distributed among charities according to a set formula. At least that would relieve the charities from employing very expensive staff.

I don't give a tangible gift to grandchildren but send money to be used for things like dance classes etc. My son buys and wraps small gifts which he knows they would love (they are abroad) saying it is from gran and she is paying for your .........
I am against giving to charities whose executives earn mind watering sums and those who pay people to work on the phones or on the streets to browbeat you into regularly contributing to their coffers.
Yesterday It was freezing and I gave the big issue seller outside my place of business a plate of hot soup so we both had the same lunch. At least I know no middlemen benefitted.

I do not object to giving something to charity, I hope I did not give that impression. It is heartbreaking to see people sleeping in the streets in our cities, and even more frustrating to read that would be immigrants are being given houses and food. I think charity begins at home. More often than not when you give to a 'beggar' there is an organized gang master behind them. My son had a solution to that, he used to go in to a supermarket, buy one get one free and give the 'free' one away. That way the person receiving it could eat it themselves.....no money changing hands.

I give to charity, and I was a member of the Red Cross when younger. I worked in a hospital at Christmas and went to bathe the old folk during the summer as well as patrolling a canal that was being renovated and treading the streets to knock on doors for donations, all gratefully received. I just recently donated summer duvets to the Sally Army so they could pass them on (all washed and clean)to someone who had nothing at all to keep them warm. All unwanted clothes and shoes also go to charity shops as well as books.

Thank you. I see lots agree with me that they would rather give a present. What I object to is not being allowed to treat my grandchildren and nephews with a gift unless they can pass the money/gift on to a worthy cause. They will wonder why I didn't remember them this year. Oh well, I suppose if you give money they can do what they like with it.

A few years ago I donated to a charity via the phone. Unfortunately I was then plagued by phone calls to donate more, and just not to the original charity, my number must have been 'donated' to other charities. I felt as though I had been put on a mugs list. I now only donate a small amount of cash to certain buckets outside of shops so no details are given. I still however give to my Grandchildren too, my family always come before charities, they are more trustworthy!

I was very annoyed recently when I gave money to a charity run by Sister Rita ( on tv)
Then I found out that my money, or some of it, was given to a charity that I wouldn't support.
I've been suspect of beggars for some years now. There is only one older lady that I give to when I see her. Well actually, she see's me first and makes a beeline for me now, but we laugh about that.

I usuall give to the Salvation Army and Crisis at Christmas. This year I also bought three bales of hay for a horse sanctuary as a present for my horsey granddaughter. Hope she approves!

If you were CEO of Save the Children, for example, and had to organise the setting up of field hospital during the Ebola outbreak, staffing them, sourcing food, medicine, equipment, transport, etc. then I sincerely hope you would be paid a salary in keeping with your responsibilities. Without the likes of STC I doubt the Ebola outbreak would have been brought under control so quickly as the WHO was certainly dragging its collective heels.

Now they are organising food, blankets, tents, etc for help Syrian refugees in camps through this coming winter. Among other international relief projects.

Have you any idea of the strategic thinking that has to go into this kind of relief project EEJit - it's not like running your annual Brownie Camp.

I've no objection to paying senior staff the wages to attract those best capable of getting the job done. Over 80p in the £1 collected by OXFAM for example goes directly to the people who need it, and all charities accounts are open for public scrutiny.

Diddy1 I agree with you. Our local car park had a Romanian lady sitting under the machine when you pay for your parking. You had to lean over her. Of course she was holding out a cup for change. She has now been banned from the car park. In Dublin the beggers sit under the cash machines. It's so intimidating. I wouldn't use a machine when they're there. I know the Romanians are collected in the evenings in a minibus, so it's all organised. In Belfast there was a begger who would press the button at the crossing when people want to cross the road. Then he would demand money! The police had to deal with him.

I only give to two charities, the local air ambulance and the RNLI, both charities in which I can see the results.

The rest, especially those with expensive HQ buildings and overpaid bosses get nothing from me.

I give to my favourite Charity, and give to Charity boxes in shops.
One thing I strongly object to is, here in Sweden, outside EVERY shop door there is a beggar from Romania I think, sitting all year round begging, people are so sick of it they want a law against it, as they have in our neighbouring Country Denmark.
It may seem hard, but it isnt possible to give to all these people, where does it end, they sit with their mobile phones! when they receive money in their plastic cup, put the money in their pockets so it looks as if they have not been given any, then somebody collects them each evening, and presumably collecte their money, quite heart breaking.

I had to smile yesterday and thankfully the gentleman was a nice man so that certainly helped. I volunteer for my local hospice shop , we keep a box outside a have a pile of ( slightly tatty ) books that are 4 for a £1.00 . He came into the shop with a book ,had a look around saw we had hospice diaries for £2.00 and handed me both together at the till, I rang in £2.25 (book plus diary ). He paid and I handed both back to him. All good so far. He gave me a slight strange look and then said ' I'm giving you the book '. I'd only charged him for his own book ! . Being the lovely man he was he refused the refund. We all had a laugh in the shop saying we'd charge the lovely people that donate items 25p per item- which would soon bump up the coffers !!!