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Giving some money to charity each month

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baz962

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So , before my journey to become a train driver , I made a promise to myself that as someone that has become much better off financially I would give some money to charity each month. I'm looking for idea's as there are so many . Any help would be kindly appreciated now I am qualified and able to fulfill my promise to myself.
 
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The_Train

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I would always suggest any charities close to your heart first. Maybe any that have supported you, your family or friends with anything or do lots of good in your local community.
 

Bertie the bus

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I would always suggest any charities close to your heart first.
I agree completely. Probably the main reason for giving money to charities is to help make a difference, no matter how small, to a cause you care about. If you like cats give some to Cats Protection. If someone you care about suffers from heart disease give some to the British Heart Foundation. If you are concerned about homelessness give some to Shelter or similar. Etc, etc.

There are some charities that many would question why they are charities at all but in general they all do some good and are worthy of donations.
 

30907

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This is a very personal thing and I wouldn't dare suggest names.
Just a couple of thoughts:
- there is an administration cost in dealing with donations (and "supporter relations" generally) so I would say don't spread yourself too thinly
- make your donations regularly, as it helps them plan, and obviously Gift Aid them.
An alternative is to set up an account with (eg) Charities Aid Foundation which you can then use to make regular or one off donations, and the GA is taken care of. They charge a small fee.
 

507021

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I would always suggest any charities close to your heart first. Maybe any that have supported you, your family or friends with anything or do lots of good in your local community.

Agree with this.
 

IanXC

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Also check if your employer allows charity donations by salary sacrifice/payroll giving.

My understanding is that you can get Tax and NI benefits from a payroll giving scheme to an employer chosen charity, or just NI benefits if you want to choose your own charity. That said it's very complicated - if such a scheme exists at your employer it will be much easier to check what their rules say.
 

Bevan Price

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Choice of charities is a personal matter. If it was my choice, I would try to find out which charities had "high administration expenses" and paid "excessive salaries / fees" to senior management - and avoid them. You want most of your money to be put to useful purposes, not to line the pockets of a few managers.
And don't forget that a few heritage railways have charity status.
 

Muttley

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Choice of charities is a personal matter. If it was my choice, I would try to find out which charities had "high administration expenses" and paid "excessive salaries / fees" to senior management - and avoid them. You want most of your money to be put to useful purposes, not to line the pockets of a few managers.
And don't forget that a few heritage railways have charity status.
Too true.
FIFA is a charity, the Prem League is a charity, you wouldn't want to contribute to millionaires while the cats/dogs/dolphins/etc went without (i hope).
 

baz962

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Too true.
FIFA is a charity, the Prem League is a charity, you wouldn't want to contribute to millionaires while the cats/dogs/dolphins/etc went without (i hope).

Quite , which is why I started the thread. I'm lucky enough that my family , so far as I am aware , have never needed any. Most my older relatives passed of old age , so no cancer's or heart disease. There are so many charity's out there , especially on tv asking for £3 a month etc. I'm so torn as to which one's , although I did think nspcc should be one , but was hoping for advice on the rest , as there must be some fellow forumites that hold a specific charity to heart.
 

ComUtoR

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Why a National Charity ? Have you considered local causes and local event to raise funds ?
 

big all

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to me a charity is when more than 95% goes to the front line
very few iff any reach that level most are between say 50--80% mark some better some worse
remember you see somone in the street or at your door they are paid they are employees the way to tell is say "can i give you a cash donation" they will always say no if they are paid
if you want to get rid off them just say "i dont have a bank account" as they are after a direct debit you are off no use to them
some charities work on the principle you spend £1 and get say £1.20 back its good value
also remember tv adverts are seldom iff ever free
random link here but theres many so choose your own
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/how-much-charities-spend-good-causes
 
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muz379

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Choice of charities is going to be a largely personal thing , although I currently give to one which has personally never supported anyone I know but I think the work they do is amazing and essential . If you sat down and thought about it there would probably be several that you could give to and many charities do very good work .

What I personally do is give a regular donation to a charity for 12 months then change it to another one .
 

DarloRich

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If you need help disposing of money my bank account details are as follows................. ;)

It isnt for me to tell you what to do. It has to be a personal choice. I do some charity giving out of salary to charities that are important to me. It is mainly a way to give them something back for support they offered family members at difficult times.

May I suggest looking for charities in areas close to your heart and giving to them? Perhaps a spread of charities one of the national ones, one industry one and a couple of local ones that do good in your community. Perhaps a local food bank or homeless or domestic abuse charity?
 
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Howardh

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If you need help disposing of money my bank account details are as follows................. ;)
I've just discovered that I'm a heir to £435m but I need a bank account to....
Oh, that's been done before. Ah, well.
My local Alzhiemer's group runs sessions (memory cafe's) and AFAIK everyone volunteers and the rooms/food/drink/entertainment needs paying for; so I contribute as and when + give them stuff they can raffle off (bottles of wine etc).
 

PeterY

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Although I'm semi retired, I save up my shrapnel (1, 2 and 5p's) and give them, to a hospice based in Luton. I also give my free time in the winter months, 12 + hours a week to work in their shop, as a volunteer. On the whole I enjoy doing it.

There are so many charities to choose from and like everyone has said, it's a personal choice.
 

baz962

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Although I'm semi retired, I save up my shrapnel (1, 2 and 5p's) and give them, to a hospice based in Luton. I also give my free time in the winter months, 12 + hours a week to work in their shop, as a volunteer. On the whole I enjoy doing it.

There are so many charities to choose from and like everyone has said, it's a personal choice.

Wouldn't be Marie Curie .
 

Kite159

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to me a charity is when more than 95% goes to the front line
very few iff any reach that level most are between say 50--80% mark some better some worse
remember you see somone in the street or at your door they are paid they are employees the way to tell is say "can i give you a cash donation" they will always say no if they are paid
if you want to get rid off them just say "i dont have a bank account" as they are after a direct debit you are off no use to them
some charities work on the principle you spend £1 and get say £1.20 back its good value
also remember tv adverts are seldom iff ever free
random link here but theres many so choose your own
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/how-much-charities-spend-good-causes

I seem to recall a few years ago, one of the national charities were paying £150 to chuggers for each successful sign-up. Hence why they always went for £5+ a month DD (or when you have signed up you end up getting phone calls asking for more money, just so the charity can break even).
 

Bevan Price

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I seem to recall a few years ago, one of the national charities were paying £150 to chuggers for each successful sign-up. Hence why they always went for £5+ a month DD (or when you have signed up you end up getting phone calls asking for more money, just so the charity can break even).
I never provide personal data if/when I donate to charity - and no way I would give bank account details to them, especially via a total stranger. It also puts me off when they tell us how much we ought to donate.
In my opinion, lifeboats (RNLI) are one of the more worthy causes.
 

Intermodal

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Choice of charities is a personal matter. If it was my choice, I would try to find out which charities had "high administration expenses" and paid "excessive salaries / fees" to senior management - and avoid them. You want most of your money to be put to useful purposes, not to line the pockets of a few managers.
And don't forget that a few heritage railways have charity status.
I cannot emphasise this point enough. Whilst all charities will do something beneficial in some way, not all charities are created equal. As Bevan Price says some are very inefficient with donations (some big name charities can put as little as 20% of income to the actual 'work'!). If you are going to be donating regularly it is very worthwhile to ensure the charities are getting bang for your buck. This information can be obtained with a little bit of research on Google.
 

Ken H

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the only one I support are mountain/cave rescue. i always bung coppers in their tin when in the Lakes/Dales. (Save em up specially!)

The National ones seem to get shedloads of taxpayers cash anyway, and they feel the need to pay silly salaries to senior staff.
 

NorthernSpirit

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In some aspects community radio could be seen as a charity, most community radio stations are owned by CICs and are staffed by volunteers but do rely on donations and grants alongside advertising revenue to keep on air.

Some stations are also struggling to keep on air through lack of donations, advertising and grants with some being lost completely.
 

Puffing Devil

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I have a charity giving account on my employers payroll which I use to fund friends and colleagues sponsorship requests: sometimes they get lucky and get 6 months worth of contributions, or more.

I also have two standing orders for charities I personally want to support.

I walk past chuggers and tin rattles quite happily.
 

GusB

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In my opinion, lifeboats (RNLI) are one of the more worthy causes.

Try the RNLI, they are self supporting.
Absolutely. There's always an RNLI collection tin on the bar in my local, and I usually drop a few coins in when I'm out for a pint or five. I grew up in a fishing villlage, and although my family have no fishing connections, there are a few of my classmates from school who have lost loved ones over the years. The RNLI is a vital servicing supporting this industry, as well as the assisting the general public in what can be awful conditions.
 

Basher

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Please remember to do a tax deed, so the charity will get an extra 20% off HMRC (you have to be a tax payer). An individual can claim the tax element back if they want to.
 

PeterY

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Wouldn't be Marie Curie .

It's Keech Hospice care. The actual hospice is in Luton. I work in their Hemel Hempstead shop. I've had loads of spare time, this week, so I've done 15 hours. I enjoy it.
 
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