I've worked in charities and every one that I know of is scrupulous about compliance with the data protection laws. None of the big charities will risk it. The lists that charities use are exclusively opt-in. They cannot and will not add you to a list without your permission. But if you give that permission once it is very difficult to get off of the lists.
Indeed.
The ICO rarely has to get involved.
I gave a £3 donation by text to one major charity appeal. Then got them persistently ringing up wanting to tell me about the great work they're doing (and ask for more). Which probably cost more than £3 for the time and mobile calls.
OTOH there are plenty of smaller charities that have £0 publicity budget and work by word of mouth only... who find themselves being squeezed by the big players having these kind of tactics.
Theo
The databases that charities use are all checked against the Telephone Preference Service. Registering will stop most organisations from contacting you. It doesn't stop organisations that already have some sort of business relationship with you. It doesn't stop people calling from outside the UK either.
well, there isn't much point in saving it. It's worttn less every day.
You wanna work 9-5 M-F for free? No? So why expect others to?
Yes, I'm biased. SWMBO has worked for charities for years. She's a publisher and copy-editor, collating and producing information packs and web content. Her last job, she had a team of 8 working for her. All full- timers. And all over-worked and under-paid.
On Thursday 29 August 2013 10:08 charles wrote in uk.d-i-y:
And this is Britain. Who are these Professional Managers of whom the PP speaks?
I probably do more than that.
A naive view. You cannot run a multi-million pound charity entirely with volunteers. The RNLI has 1,624 full and part-time employees. The place for the unpaid professionals is as Trustees, who oversee their work and review their wages.
Colin Bignell
Ah... I didn't know that. That might explain why I once saw a car full of p eople park up at the end of our road and get out and put on Cancer Research t-shirts. Not before all taking their last puffs on their cigarettes befor e chucking them down the drain though.
It really bothered me as I felt it gave the wrong message and certainly put me off donating anything to the cause. I did raise my concerns to one of t hem who subsequently knocked on my door and they very embarassed. I also se nt some feedback to the charity and they were very apologetic; whether they did anything about it I don't know.
I once purchased some raffle tickets and am now on the British Legion Poppy Appeal mailing list. Over the past 4 years the amount of begging junk mail shots that I've been on the receiving end of must have cost £100s. The net result is that I no longer support this charity.
And most of the large national charities just sell your name and address on!
I have recounted a similar experience on here before, the perfect end to it was when the doorstepping bint forgot the name of the charity she was chugging for despite having the name and logo writ large across her chest (T-shirt that is, not bare chest for the easily excited).
You missed off the Bilbe Bashers....
And the real question is "did you give Shelter or the RSPCA any donations before they started to employ students"? If you never gave to them than what does it matter? If you did give to them then give direct and ignore the students.
I usually only donate to small local charities. And small local charities are the only ones I work for for free.
I certainly feel that our efforts in the direction of a small (but theoretically national) charity are worth more to that charity than we could afford as money donated to any other. Things like web site design and maintenance, tech support, etc. As well as contributing time and effort to directly supporting those use their forum.
I'd far rather do that because of the short and direct link to the tiny number of people who run it and, far more, because of that link to those the charity attempts to help.
However, we do recognise that at least some big charities have very important roles.
You are smart enough to choose your charity, not be sold/pressured into supporting one.
The charity I used to give the biggest help to did similar work to the RSPCA, and I will never give the RSPCA a penny.
The Age Concern Head Office car park in Lancashire is similar to a BMW showroom. There are bimbo staff doing sweet sod all in that office. In winter they are "working" in short sleeved shirts due to the heating being on full warp. Our first dog came from the RSPCA. Eight years after she died we went back there looking for another dog and were treated like shit. I had left them some money in my Will. My Will has been changed.
To be honest, the charity was there, with at least its existence and some information, when we needed it. So it was entirely natural to gravitate towards it when we became able to do something for them.
Only if you've given them permission.
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