Charities wasting money...

Quick mini rant, last year I donated £10 to someone's charity event, it was a one-off particular to that event and I thought no more about it.
Since then, every 2-3 months or so I've had mail through my letterbox from the charity, 'updating' me and of course asking for more money.

They are small packages, not letters, with glossy brochure etc, so today I took the latest to the post office asking how much it would cost to send it.
I was shocked, £1.27, which means that the 7 they've sent me so far comes to £8.89. Take into account the cost of brochure production/paper etc it appears I donated £10 just to pay for them to write to me.

I've just emailed the charity to take me off their snail mail list for the reasons above, they already had my email address so they could have contacted me for free using that method.
Waste of money, they won't get my cash in future, pity, the charitable work they actually do is outstanding.

a reply to: grainofsand

Completely appreciate your post. I'm unsure if the UK is similar to the USA, but here charities are only required to use 10% of monies received for the actual charity, 90% goes to "administration " etc...

It probably costs them much less to send out that mail than you have quoted due to their charitable status but it's still a huge waste of cash

a reply to: grainofsand


I agree with your motivations but take into account there are different prices for sending bulk.

a reply to: BlueJacket

It appears from my brief searching that there is no legal limit in the UK, but I found a site which gives me more faith in some of the bigger charities, it seems the average on administration costs is around 15-20%.
That is definitely better than 90%

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

a reply to: Dumbass
True, I hadn't considered bulk discounts etc, still though, I feel I just paid £10 for a pen-friend.

The sad thing is it makes a person not want to give to charity at all
They are the worst enemy's for those they want to help

After the tsunamis some years ago
I donated some goods, physical items that were useful, I don't like to give cash

I just got 4 sleeping bags for the next charity drive for the homeless, I won't give cash anymore

a reply to: Raggedyman

Good point.
I gave clothes and a couple of sleeping bags to my local homeless shelter last week. I also drop a few tinned food items in the box at the supermarket collecting for the foodbank, whenever I do my shopping.
My experience in the OP has kind of put me off donating cash again though.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: BlueJacket

It appears from my brief searching that there is no legal limit in the UK, but I found a site which gives me more faith in some of the bigger charities, it seems the average on administration costs is around 15-20%.
That is definitely better than 90%

That 15-20% is deceptive. They accomplish that figure by not counting certain costs as administrative(Such as the snailmail they sent you). So the actual monies that go to charity is MUCH less than what it appears. All charities are a scam, imo. I never give to them. I give to individuals. That way, even if they waste it, I know they actually received all of it.

a reply to: Klassified

I worked for a short time some years ago for a leading UK charity offering services for old people. The waste I saw shocked me and I left on principle after a big argument with the regional director.
The charity concerned will never get any money from me.

a reply to: grainofsand

You have be extra careful with charity, 90% of the time you're paying for admin cost. Big scandals here in the US all the time over this. Most recent one was the Hair Charity Org... They apparently only donated 10% of their wigs and sold the rest... #ing bastards!

originally posted by: grainofsand
Quick mini rant, last year I donated £10 to someone's charity event, it was a one-off particular to that event and I thought no more about it.
Since then, every 2-3 months or so I've had mail through my letterbox from the charity, 'updating' me and of course asking for more money.

They are small packages, not letters, with glossy brochure etc, so today I took the latest to the post office asking how much it would cost to send it.
I was shocked, £1.27, which means that the 7 they've sent me so far comes to £8.89. Take into account the cost of brochure production/paper etc it appears I donated £10 just to pay for them to write to me.

I've just emailed the charity to take me off their snail mail list for the reasons above, they already had my email address so they could have contacted me for free using that method.
Waste of money, they won't get my cash in future, pity, the charitable work they actually do is outstanding.

I have the same issue with the people collecting in the street.

Thay are asking for £2 per month via direct debit and I asked once and they said they were on £12 per hour.

I pointed out that all my contribution would do would pay there wages for £3 hours and bode the good day.

Dude, non profits (charities) are huge money-makers. I know, they're "non-profit" -- which only means they pay themselves and their staff, and put the rest back into the charity.

Still, they pay good salaries to their employees. They throw awesome parties. They get tax benefits, discounts on things.

If I had a good enough idea, I'd totally open one.

a reply to: nonspecific

They are a massive scandal, funnily enough I ignored one soliciting for money outside the post office today.
Last time I actually engaged with one the chap admitted he was being paid to do it so I replied if you are not prepared to assist the charity for free then take your guilt-trip lines and shove them up your arse.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: Raggedyman

Good point.
I gave clothes and a couple of sleeping bags to my local homeless shelter last week. I also drop a few tinned food items in the box at the supermarket collecting for the foodbank, whenever I do my shopping.
My experience in the OP has kind of put me off donating cash again though.

You should never give clothes to those "charities" that put bags through your door either.

Read the small print on the bag and you will discover that it is just a limited company and they "donate" £50 per tonne of clothing to the charity advertised on the bag.

Bear in mind that rags are worth around £400 a tonne and any resaleabe items are sold on ebay and you realise there are some really nasty people out there making money in the guise of charity.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: nonspecific

They are a massive scandal, funnily enough I ignored one soliciting for money outside the post office today.
Last time I actually engaged with one the chap admitted he was being paid to do it so I replied if you are not prepared to assist the charity for free then take your guilt-trip lines and shove them up your arse.

They have banned them in Swindon now.

I feel for the people doing the job as they are lied to about the true nature of the job and think that they are doing a good thing.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
Dude, non profits (charities) are huge money-makers. I know, they're "non-profit" -- which only means they pay themselves and their staff, and put the rest back into the charity.

Still, they pay good salaries to their employees. They throw awesome parties. They get tax benefits, discounts on things.

If I had a good enough idea, I'd totally open one.

Count me in.

How much do you think I can earn as an employee?

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
If I had a good enough idea, I'd totally open one.

I just couldn't do it myself.
The charity I worked for paid well but even I thought my position was a complete waste of money after a few months so effectively imposed my own redundancy. My hands felt dirty after closing the door on my way out.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: Klassified

I worked for a short time some years ago for a leading UK charity offering services for old people. The waste I saw shocked me and I left on principle after a big argument with the regional director.
The charity concerned will never get any money from me.

I would encourage everyone to type "911 charity scandal" into google, but be prepared for what you'll find. It's truly disgusting human behavior. One small example...

Arizona resident Kevin Held reportedly raised $713,000 to create a 9/11 memorial quilt "big enough to cover 25 football fields." He gave himself a a $175,000 salary, a $200 weekly car allowance, "rent reimbursement," and unreported "loans." He paid his family members "consulting fees." He apparently said a Catholic priest was the chairman of his charity's board, but the Catholic priest wasn't even aware of it. He told lies about the origin of his charity. He will soon move into a $660,000 five-bedroom home overlooking a lake, the AP reports. Total memorial quilt output: "several hundred decorated sheets packed in boxes at a storage unit."

The 911 charity fraud shame list
Note that the list has now been removed. Of course, we shant mention the Red Cross shenanigans.

Thanks to everyone for your contributions so far, the conversation has developed interestingly.

I'm wondering now if anyone knows of a charity they know of personally which is not effectively a self serving corporate beast?
I know of a couple locally, completely run by volunteers, I'll give them my money, but the big players I'm not so sure.
It seems a massive con to me, and as for that guy with the 911 quilt, just wow, if he was a mate of mine we'd have ended up fighting for sure when I inevitably would call him out as a robbing bastard.