Charities & Worthy Causes

[Karl]

I'm setting off on a (for me) a big adventure in March and want to raise money and awareness for a charity or worthy cause. I have raised money in the past for Cancer Research and Mountain Rescue. I'm looking for suggestions which people in our community are passionate about, feel they need the exposure or simply more funds.

It would be good to hear your suggestions.

I'll post about the adventure soon.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Mountain Rescue?

https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/

[Bard]

Not sure where you're based but I've raised money for Sheffield Hospitals in the past & always had positive feedback from them & updates on projects the funds have gone towards. I'm sure there are similar charities all over the country.

http://www.sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk/

Otherwise, having rehoused 2 ex-racing dogs I love the work the Retired Greyhound Trust do.

https://retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/

[Ian]

I've tended to contribute to charities in other countries where money and resources are low, mainly in Africa, such as Tear Fund, Water Aid, Tree Aid, Christian Aid and so on.

My feeling is in our modern and western society these charities have difficulty attracting interest over the core charities in the UK that are focused on us maintaining our current health/ well being standards. Not that the work of these UK charities is in any way bad, but £1 goes further in third world countries than it does in the UK.

[Karl]

Bard I'm based SE Manchester. Good idea for hospitals.

Ian, I think you make a very good point and some very good suggestions.

I want to make sure my journey helps more than just me.

[mountainbaker]

Something to consider when choosing a charity. How much do they pay their staff. More info at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-pa ... le/1335060

[JohnClimber]

That above is shocking.
Makes you think why they need to pay so much

[ScotRoutes]

To get the best people?

[slarge]

Yes, if you pay someone £200k, and they bring in £2m more sponsorship than someone paid £100k, it would be good value for money.

It is a lot of money though!

[Trail-rat]

I'll always fundraise an donate to the various mountain rescue squads round the country .

Have been on the calling them out end (for people found along the way ) and have had them mount full scale rescue and body recovery for good friends .

I and many others owe mrt nation wide a debt that can never be repaid.

Based on what i do One day I'll probably need their services and for that I'll be glad they are still there.

[HaYWiRe]

Diabetes UK and JRDF

The former has funded a huge amount of my aftercare and support and the latter does some amazing research into trying to cure the less common and more complicated of the types.

I'm obviously biased but after the work they've done to help me the least I can do is give back. I regularly make donations and buy branded gifts, and hope to start volunteering with collections soon.

I used to do alot for local veterans and military charities too given my occupation and generally being surrounded by the forces. Some vets still don't get the help and credit they deserve.

Either way you'll often find me cycling in my DiabetesUK jersey with "F**k Diabetes" vinyls on my bike. No points for guessing why I suppose its easy to be opinionated when I'm on the other end, being the one receiving their help

[mountainbaker]

Yes, if you pay someone £200k, and they bring in £2m more sponsorship than someone paid £100k, it would be good value for money.

It is a lot of money though!

Sort of, but who's money? an extra 100k of donations going into the pocket of some Charity Exec is not really right, IMO. If I donate, I'd like to see my money make a difference to the charity's aim, not it CEO's pay.

[ianfitz]

Don't forget that some charities are raising money to pay staff. Macmillan nurses for example - that's where the money goes.

[HaYWiRe]

Paying an exec more money to help raise more isn't exactly charitable on the executive's part, but I suppose that's how the world works.

More understandable for medical charities as doctors and specialists tend to be expensive and get very little to no publicity on their part.

I guess I just support what's close to heart, dont we all? Can hardly complain about their work when ive been given so much monies worth of equipment. (biggest surprise was finding out how much of it was paid for by the charities, not the NHS)
Its the NHS that treats me and keeps me ticking, its the charities that support me and get me pushing for better
And I owe a dept of gratitude to all of them

[Cheeky Monkey]

Something to consider when choosing a charity. How much do they pay their staff. More info at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-pa ... le/1335060

Well that makes me feel reet better about supporting Dogs Trust recently (12 over £60k and £77M income).

The table's pretty crude though as it's not measuring impact / what's achieved by the charity which would be a better yardstick rather than just their income.

[cyclingtiger]

Yes, if you pay someone £200k, and they bring in £2m more sponsorship than someone paid £100k, it would be good value for money.

It is a lot of money though!

Sort of, but who's money? an extra 100k of donations going into the pocket of some Charity Exec is not really right, IMO. If I donate, I'd like to see my money make a difference to the charity's aim, not it CEO's pay.

I think there needs to be some kind of consideration for what the CEO does. It isn't just about the fundraising but also about the business of the charity.

Take Cancer Research UK for instance. They're focusing on advancing scientific research into the treatment of a complex and diverse medical condition that is either life changing or life threatening. Success in fundraising and success in that research are fundamentally linked and, at the bottom line, the responsibility of the CEO. Therefore it's pretty important that the CEO isn't just a glad-hander and a competent business manager but also have a high functioning understanding of medicine and scientific medical research. It would be great if someone with all of that were interested in filling that position for what we might perceive as an appropriate salary for a charity. However, CRUK can't take the chance on that person just turning up when needed. They need to offer a salary that is at least vaguely competitive in the industry and, given their objectives, the right person who can lead the organisation in the right direction and make the best decisions based on highly specialised information around how to do that is worth paying for.

[Chew]

Just do it for something you feel passionate about.


FWIW I work for one of the above 'Charities'
Most of those on that list are not Charities in the traditional sense. Most of its just a structure to avoid tax and apply for special funding/grants.

[mountainbaker]

They need to offer a salary that is at least vaguely competitive in the industry and, given their objectives, the right person who can lead the organisation in the right direction and make the best decisions based on highly specialised information around how to do that is worth paying for.

Competitive in the cancer industry, so you're competing with Pharmaceuticals and Medicine, two industries that make a huge amount of money out of people being sick, as does CRUK. Do yourself a favour, read up on The China Study. Watch "Forks over Knives" on Netflix too, pretty telling stuff.