Donation to charities

Nefertari

I agree ...there are just far too many to support and have you noticed how at Xmas time there are more tv adverts asking us to support different charities?

Migaloo

I support the QLD cancer foundation and Leukaemia foundation both have been so caring and helpful since l had Lymphoma a blood cancer over 18 months ago, with out them it would of made the road to travel a lot harder for my self and my husband ,

Jana31638125

I wanted to add also, charities are basically a way to dodge paying tax, and i think if the takings were being dispersed honestly and intelligently to the cause, a lot of the problems creating charities wouldn't be there anymore.

Jana31638125

I agree, and honestly i am sure only 5-10% actually goes to the cause. The rest is spent on CEO pays, marketing, merchandise... if i am giving money to a charity i dont expect a token to prove i have...it's from the heart.

Shambles

We also gave to numerous charities, but, have cut back to a few. We checked them all out before deciding.

nick93

i donor of world vision australia.

Nefertari

I donate to charities as often as I can but I agree there are so many out there now that it makes it quite hard for a pensioner to know which to donate to. At the moment I am inclined to give more towards cancer research and medical charities like that as my husband is recovering from several different types of cancer.

Tassie Devil

I support Fred Hollows Foundation & Oxfam Australia on a monthly basis with Care Australia less regularly. I also support local groups and sporting clubs over and above these donations.

Robie

I support Fred Hollows Foundation & Oxfam Australia on a monthly basis with Care Australia less regularly. I also support local groups and sporting clubs over and above these donations.

Hi Tassie - good on you. Another thing which discourages you is what happens when you support a charity and hear that the CEO has been caught stealing $70000 from the charity, especially when he is on a salary of $250,000 a year . Shame on him. I am still supporting the charity.

Laura30061115

It's getting to the point where we have to almost support the individual instead. There are so many, they should join and all work together!

bettythrelfo

I have found that so many are jumping on the bandwagon as they say, that it is difficult to know who is actually genuine... I support fred hollows, and thru our church support the cambodian fund, for me that is enou gh. I also have a charity that I give to irregularly thru the mum who comes to our church... I know that the money gets to them thru her.

Jboy

Replaying to Rob: yes I have much the same experience.
Most of all I support the local Australian community org's.
But it is getting out of hand and apart of my local fire brigade
I do give to a African school for poor children ran by an Australian
person. Because so much good is happening there.

a1

I too am a regular donor so from this household 8 charities are paid. I am cutting back on those I find pay high prices to administrators - they should be paid as an average worker not something special. A qualifying criteria sounds great - might catch up on a few. I strongly oppose the donate-to -me facebook site. I have had to pay top rates for everything all my working life and receive no benefits as I was single without dependents. If I had to keep myself on a single income, and help my family out, then why am I paying for others. The govt give what they can to those less fortunate, but fair go for me too.

Lilmel

I agree can get very expensive for people and hard to buy even things these day that aren't necessities. I support charities that have a theme behind it like bandana day. at least you purchase something to support and show something for it.

SYD

Hi Robie, Here is a thought ,not a very nice one but true, the more starving children we save the more starving familys we will have to support in the future!
Send truck loads of contraception instead.

bettythrelfo

the only one I now support is fred hollows that I bvelieve is a genuine one, and they work for the good of people... Wearing glasses and also having glaucomia myself know how they feel and what it would be like to lose your eyesight completely.......so many ring me up for donations or send in snail mail, got another today from stroke people, it is a constant bombardment with them....

jesssurvey13

At the moment with the cyclone pam in vanuatu I have been donating a lot of mine and my babies clothes

stevet

usually i support a few charities, awl where we got our beautiful dog zoe from, ms society my brother in law suffers from ms, cancer charities, their is a gene inherrant in our family and this thing is a plague to us and everything it touches, and others, havent't had a job since april 2014 so finding if difficult to support too many at the moment

chequers

I support a few charities that are close to me. The RSPCA, because I'm a big animal lover. Breast cancer, heart disease, and fibromyalgia because myself, or family members have suffered these diseases. I just can't afford to donate to any more.
One day I had a lady ask me to donate something like $20 a month to some charity. I wasn't working, and I told her I couldn't afford it. She said "Well why not?". NOT the way to get business!

Anonymous

I agree with you, my mother is a Salvation army captain and whilst in her home one day I heard what happens with the donations that are giving to the Salvos, I was shocked to learn that the money Australians donate so people { families } can get financial support is actual giving to family out side of this country and as we have so many homeless and hungry people right here in our back yards the money should be used to support our families, but instead I have witnessed a mother with 3 kids being giving $20 to help feed her kids for a week when I know the Salvos can afford to give more to our families instead of sending it over seas, where the CEOs are racking in hundreds of thousand of dollars a year to run this church and so called charity whom are supported by our government in ways of tax cuts large financial funds per year to help the Australian people, It simple is not being giving to our families and a mother of 3 small children can not feed her family on $20 plus been told that's all the help we the SALVOS can help this week as your only aloud to get help once per month. now you look at the homeless shelter for both male and females and you will see that these people are charged 3 quarters of there unemployment checks leaving them with barely any thing so they don't help our homeless they charge them more then most rental properties would. I could go on and on about what I know to be the truth about that so called charity but I think you all have the idea, perhaps next time they knock on your door asking for donations Ask them how much stays in this country to feed our hungry children. One charity I donate to is St Vincent De Paul as all your donations are used for our hungry families.

A-Karin

Robie, you have the right to say no to charities canvassing for community support, but charities equally have a right to support any cause or need they find lacking support while it being within the bounds of our laws.

Freedomy

Your phone rings and they are asking for donations, you switch on the telly and they are asking for donations, you walk into town and they are asking for donations. The amount of people out there asking for money has increased and the way they go about asking has increased.

When I got the cash I am all for handing it out, but dont make me say no. Which I have gotten used to now, but before I was uncomfortable about. I know the RSPCA needs funds, I know we need funds to find cures for cancer, I know the scott biscuits help fund many organisations. I am aware there are people that need help, but let me choose without being in my face.

Its time to give the people a break. I dont know the answer to it all, but something has to slow down, something outside of the wages that never go up, or when they do are $10 after the utilities have double in cost to what my pay rise was.

Assaya

Remember that even though there are 'too' many charities now, how else can worthy causes be supported so they can help the needy and unfortunate? I am proposing to start a business that collects in one place and then distributes by a ballot system so that there is a balanced rotation of funds being distributed.

Perhaps your donation can be transformed into donating your time or sharing a skill that you have, that way you can still feel like you're contributing, but you're more in control and appreciated. Good is still being done too!

kathy77

I find it hard to donate to, too many charities and I believe that you are right they should all have to go through a strict criteria.

david

i completely agree robie.you can only give so much.i support tthe heart foundation and salvosi know some elderly people who give so much they can hardly afford there daily bills.some very religious oldies,no offence meant are conned by the ministers to give more,they are the real soft touch and do not know how to refuse as they tend to let there feeling for the poor etc overcome there everyday life

Gerry1945

I agree with you, 13,000 or more in Australia charities I heard some time ago. The downside to that is every million dollars collected or donated 900,000 goes to inflated directors salaries and the BMW's etc they drive. It is totally out of control especially robo calls at all hours of the day with screed they read to yo thanking you for donations which I have never done for that institution. They are allowed to call you even if we are listed on the Do Not Call register.

frannymanny

I hear what you are saying! When I went onto an Aged Pension I discovered that all the direct debits that I had for various charities could not be sustained if I also wanted to pay my rates,pay my bills and eat.
My daughter was who is an accountant was so horrified when she went through my finances that she is now my POA and pays all the bills for me as well as ensuring that there is money in hand for maintenance of the house and other expenses.
She transfers $100 per week into an account for me. This is for personal expenses like food,clothing, gardening products, charity. Of this I donate $35 per week on a regular basis and if someone approaches me for money I will give them $2. They could be tin rattlers or beggars or people coming to the door. I will give $2 to anyone without judging their worthiness. I will buy a raffle ticket for any charity that asks me.
I get very frustrated when charities say they only accept regular direct debit and then go on to tell me how little $25 per month is. Every Charity is worthy and I believe we should donate but there are so many.

frannymanny

I hear what you are saying! When I went onto an Aged Pension I discovered that all the direct debits that I had for various charities could not be sustained if I also wanted to pay my rates,pay my bills and eat.
My daughter was who is an accountant was so horrified when she went through my finances that she is now my POA and pays all the bills for me as well as ensuring that there is money in hand for maintenance of the house and other expenses.
She transfers $100 per week into an account for me. This is for personal expenses like food,clothing, gardening products, charity. Of this I donate $35 per week on a regular basis and if someone approaches me for money I will give them $2. They could be tin rattlers or beggars or people coming to the door. I will give $2 to anyone without judging their worthiness. I will buy a raffle ticket for any charity that asks me.
I get very frustrated when charities say they only accept regular direct debit and then go on to tell me how little $25 per month is. Every Charity is worthy and I believe we should donate but there are so many.

Luvmydogs

I definitely agree with you, Robie, & my standard answer to all of them now that pester you on the phone is that 1) I'm a pensioner & 2) I will NOT give out my credit card details over the phone! There are a couple of charities I support through direct debit from my bank account & there are some that I donate to on an irregular basis, but I'm sick to death of these ones that keep on ringing you up even after you tell them not to bother ringing you again!
I believe a lot of these organisations like to become registered as a charity or a non-profit organisation because of the tax benefits involved for them.

Ziah

Figure out which charities are working in areas that mean the most to you personally, and stick with them. If there's still a lot on that list, limit your donations to the groups that either speak most strongly to you or you feel are doing the most good with the funds donated to them.

I keep my donations limited to one or two that speak to my heart, and keep a small amount set aside each year for friends and family involved in charity events that I feel passionately about. I also tend to favour charities that work in areas where the recipients cannot speak for themselves (small children and animals) and who have no voice, and in disaster relief where I am certain my money is going to the people that really need it, not to overheads and lining the pockets of the group in charge.

The one charity I do feel very passionately about is charitywater.org - they are providing wells for fresh water in the most impoverished areas on the globe. I believe access to fresh water should be an inalienable right (unlike the CEO of Nestle, who is on recode as saying he doesn't believe humanity has a right to water!) for all humans - so I participate in the birthday challenge each year.

ninna

People need to look closely at where their donation is going, how much of it actually gets to those who need it & how much is used up in administration costs & wages. I am not in a situation where I can afford to donate but when I do it is always to local charities such as our fire fighters or directly to the RSPCA shelter we have here because I know it will benefit the local community & not wasted on administration. Since I made my phone number unlisted I rarely get a phone call from people asking for donations & I guard my privacy heavily on the internet. If I have to give out a phone number it is always my mobile so I can see who is calling, my mobile provider has most known telemarketers & charities already blocked. I don't like giving out any financial details over the phone because you just don't know if it is genuine, let them post me the details so I can check on it first.

Anonymous

I agree on the amount of charities that are out there. I mysef have limited the amount of charities that I donate to but if there are others that I would support if I could I volunteer and/or co-ordinate for there collections or fundraising events which to me is just as much help as financial at times as often they are really desperate for volunteers. The thing that I focus on is that I donate what I can and if thats not enough for them then obviously my donation doesnt mean alot so I re-evaluate that one. ..

rcuttell

It's your choice, but make it a choice not a guilt trip. Choose your charities carefully and give a regular amount. Never give to young people outside shops or at your front door or to unsolicited phone callers. They get a cut of the donation. If you do want to give to such a charity, do it on line or phone the charity yourself.

dunbaylass

I don't want to sound rude BUT, I can not stand the idea of people ringing me all hours of the day asking me to donate, as a pensioner with very high medical bills, I can only give to so many.... which is only to the RFDS, or the Cancer Foundation. These people do not know how or what the meaning of Sorry but I do not donate over the phone. After all they say charity start at home... and my first priorities are my family, my friends and my country, Not someone whos' government is ripping their people off.... sorry I know I am mean but hey, people in my country come first

Magenta Bruine

Dear Robie, I have had similar issues myself. In order to avoid several phone calls a day from charities (I run a small business from home and this takes up a lot of my time), I decided a few years ago to donate the minimum amount to charities that approached me. My accountant pointed out that it is ridiculous for me to donate over $4000 a year when I am only on an average income so a few months ago I took a deep breath and sat down, went through my bank statements and listed all the charities, there were 35! I got a shock and cancelled all but a handful, Fred Hollows, WSPA, RSPCA and Médecins sans Frontières. This was really hard for me to do, especially explaining that I could no longer afford the donations, and now I am back in the situation where I get several calls a day. I think it is unfair to keep badgering the same kind people for donations when there are many people I know with high incomes who never donate any money at all. Has anyone found a solution? I cannot go on the no call register as I get 'cold calls' from potential clients for my business.

crypticpat

Dear Robie, I have had similar issues myself. In order to avoid several phone calls a day from charities (I run a small business from home and this takes up a lot of my time), I decided a few...

Sadly the no call register doesn't apply to charities Megenta.

shaper

Being a pensioner I find some charities are just plane rude, we moved into a retirement village recently and the previous owner had altzimers and was moved into a care home and although I keep telling all the charities (a lot of them) they continue to ring up asking for her. It seems to me that hey really did get stuck into this poor lady and just kept taking and taking. I am not at all impressed with them
now and will not give them anything. I also feel that many of them make pensioners embarrassed when they shake their tins in their faces, dont they know that many are barely able to live and cannot afford to give to them.

margw

Being a pensioner I find some charities are just plane rude, we moved into a retirement village recently and the previous owner had altzimers and was moved into a care home and although I keep...

My main charity is MSF, and Foot and Mouth painters Xmas cards, and I donate here and there to other charities, if I have the spare cash. I did get fed up of some organisations sending me notepads, teas towels etc., and I wrote to them asking that they don't send it any more.
You can always research where your money is going to by asking the charities to itemise the percentage of money that actually goes to the cause.
MSF sends out a statement, on request of, say $10.00 going on blankets, $30.00 on immunisations, etc. Some of the people in the call centres are pushy, even though I know that is their job, so I always end with telling them that they are doing a wonderful job and to have a nice day!!!

crypticpat

Being a pensioner I find some charities are just plane rude, we moved into a retirement village recently and the previous owner had altzimers and was moved into a care home and although I keep...

For 20 years while I was working I sponsored children through Plan - very satisfying. But now with retirement and limited funds, I decided to stick to my two favourite charities - ones that don't hassle me and I know I can trust - The Smith Family and Fred Hollows. I give them a decent donation about 4 times a year - not that tax deductions are a consideration any more, It took a couple of years to stop the Heart Foundation from ringing me - if they had been less persistent I would have kept them on the list, but their callers were just too pushy. I wonder how many other potential donors are put off by this behaviour. Because of the problems with shonky collectors I never make donations to people at my door or in the street, though I will buy the odd raffle ticket for local charities when I know the sellers.

bpar

Being a pensioner I find some charities are just plane rude, we moved into a retirement village recently and the previous owner had altzimers and was moved into a care home and although I keep...

I agree with you. I have a friend who is a pensioner and she is continuously contacted by charities asking for donations. Instead of being grateful what they are given they try to persuade people to donate regularly. I have been treated rudely by chuggers in my local mall and sometimes have to deal with them as I go to the train station. There is another charity that has many different offshoots that I am sick of hearing about that seems to run campaigns monthly. To me they appear to be greedy. Instead of setting goals of how much they need to make to achieve targets charities should learn from the pensioners they harass who can only afford to spend what they receive.

Jezemeg8

I too have had to limit my support of charities, my disability pension barely covers my own needs. Now, if I can, I support charities by volunteering my services. There is always a need for people to sort through clothing and other donations in op shops etc.

That way I can afford to support many more charities than I could if I was restricted to monetary donations.

Freedomy

I find the amount of charities is overwhelming to say the least. If they are not asking for money over the phone, then you are stopped in city. They are very creative about how they go about it now. I pick three that I am happy to contribute to each year and stick with that. I don't mind there being that many charities out there, but I have been asked so many times that I am now okay with saying no.

I call myself a charity case, feel free to want to donate to me.

bettythrelfo

It has got to the stage in our life, where we seem to constantly be getting phone calls from one charity or another asking for money, so in the end we decided on only two fred hollows to whom we know all money does go where it is sup posed to,and the disabled, that we also believe goes where it says... it is just getting impossible and if it is not on the phone i notice junk mail coming in as well.... enough is enough as they say.....

MrsPohara

It has got to the stage in our life, where we seem to constantly be getting phone calls from one charity or another asking for money, so in the end we decided on only two fred hollows to whom we...

Whenever I have a big house hold sort out especially clothes, I take them all down to my local charity shop, which just so happens to be Vinnies Du Pauls. I am now having second thoughts as I recently read in a magazine that this charity was behind forced adoptions. As a woman who can only have children through IVF and can not afford to have IVF, I now avoid this charity at all costs.

My husband is deaf. He wears cochlear implants. All bought by us. He recieves no benefits, no disability allowance, and whenever we hear from the charity which is supporting him, its for money.

I'm tired of walking past "charity" organisation in the shopping centre begging for money. How much did their advertising cost them? It's like giving to beggars on a street with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth.

I'm with bettythrelfo: "Enough is enough".

margecd

I agree, we are certainly being approached by mail, phone, doorknocking so much more regularly than previous years, it does get a bit hard to support everyone ! margecd :-)

thedude000

I agree, we are certainly being approached by mail, phone, doorknocking so much more regularly than previous years, it does get a bit hard to support everyone ! margecd :-)

Hi Marged my name is alex I definetly agree with you and if you are getting these pests bothering you tell me and I can have it stopped.

I agree with you I have two charities I donate to The salvation army and an organization called unbound.

thedude000

I agree, we are certainly being approached by mail, phone, doorknocking so much more regularly than previous years, it does get a bit hard to support everyone ! margecd :-)

Hi Marged my name is alex I definetly agree with you and if you are getting these pests bothering you tell me and I can have it stopped.

I agree with you I have two charities I donate to The salvation army and an organization called unbound.

annezane

I went thru a really tough time when my partner died leaving a 9 year old behind however i am still paying his debts 3 years on and not ony that but raising a child on pension and not asking for sympathy but knowledge it begins at home where its most raw. I do give to friends that are raising awareness for charities eg icebucket challenge, dry july. Maybe they should give one organisation control and they divide it out or it goes to where you stipulate. That may be the solution. Media helps it be in our faces now so it doesn't seem so shocking anymore

al_kitten

It makes it hard when you think anyone could set up a charity. Maybe a charity should be set up to donate to people to donate to charities so they don't feel so bad saying no. I support 5 charity's that are very close to my heart and I donate every few months when I can but when I get asked in a shopping centre or the like it feels like I'm giving them a line when I say I have already donated.

margcafe

I agree the number of charities out there just to much. l have a couple of charities l write a cheque out each year and l draw the line thinking on when enough is enough also. My house phone goes off once a week with charities ringing.

Helly68

We regularly support multiple charities too. I agree that there are too many and it's hard to work out who has the resources to really make an impact.

Anonymous

you can just pick the one most important to you and support that. it's ok to not to donate to multiple charities.

Brayden

I support charities such as Diabetes New Zealand and the ones within regions. This is because I have Type 1 diabetes myself, as does my brother.

you

I agree with you. I have recently retired from work and now finding my donations to many charities will have to be reduced. However, there are so many needing help and it seems very easy to register as a charity. Maybe guidelines need to be reviewed.

Ann818

I agree with you. I have recently retired from work and now finding my donations to many charities will have to be reduced. However, there are so many needing help and it seems very easy to...

After receiving countless letters asking for donations, I decided to make a list of 6 charities I would support, and only give them money once or twice a year. I asked each one to save the mailing fee and not send requests except at Christmas time. This has mostly worked. However I also don't like how they suggest how much I should give them - usually it's way too much and I think it's quite rude.

Anonymous

I too subscribe to a number of charities every month and now have limited to the more common ones like Heart Foundation, Cancer Council, Children's Hospital, RSPCA Animal Rescue and Canteen. Any other's now that ring for my contribution I decline.
I do agree with you that there are numerous charities out there but as long as we have so much destruction happening there will always be another fund to start.

scoulj

I know what you mean. I was doing a survey for a competition and it asked what charities I would consider supporting. I foolishly thought it was just a question and selected all the ones that I thought were worthy causes. I have had a call from every single one asking for money. I can't afford to support anymore than I am and one lady got very upset and said I had selected that I was interested in supporting them. I said I thought it was something I would like to support. I never said I could or would. They are relentless in their fundraising and it puts me off supporting them.

angmac

I know what you mean. I was doing a survey for a competition and it asked what charities I would consider supporting. I foolishly thought it was just a question and selected all the ones that I...

When doing surveys that's a no no. never put who you would like to donate to. The result being endless calls from all charities asking for donations. I use to donate but now have cut it all out as I can't really afford it. But they are relentless in pursuit of that dollar and will make you feel so lousy because you refuse to donate. At times I really want to ask them if they can donate to me as I really need the funds too lol.

Anonymous

I know what you mean. I was doing a survey for a competition and it asked what charities I would consider supporting. I foolishly thought it was just a question and selected all the ones that I...

I also did the same thing, I only have a certain amount that I can donate and I try to donate to things that are local first for eg. local rural fire brigade. When contacted by the organization on the phone the lady was quite put out when I said I donated locally and she kept on asking "Was I sure I couldn't afford a few more raffle tickets as well" It does make you think twice when you go to donate again.

Robie

I know what you mean. I was doing a survey for a competition and it asked what charities I would consider supporting. I foolishly thought it was just a question and selected all the ones that I...

good on you for saying no. almost got caught in the same situation. the woman had no right to be upset with you. she should be ashamed of herself. we Australians ar far too generous.

Nellyy

I support WSPA as I believe animals should be free to live on this planet without being tortured or deprived of their habitat. But there are so many other charities that bombard me with requests of support. I can't afford to help everyone in the country and believe that old adage that charity begins at home. We should all support our friends and families to an extent.

ascot7

I support WSPA as I believe animals should be free to live on this planet without being tortured or deprived of their habitat. But there are so many other charities that bombard me with requests...

Nelly,
Animal's should be treated with respect, and home pets. But we have to have in our gut, vb12,from meat. Government should do more to limit torture of beast's.

Pippa Rich

I support UNHCR and WWF

nick93

I support UNHCR and WWF

Say them i donate one of the charity and i dont wana donate more. they cant force you.