Which charity?

6ix

I've decided I'd like to set up a monthly direct debit to a charity. I know there are lots of worthy causes out there, but I'd like to donate where I'll know that my money makes a difference, if only a small difference.

I am somewhat wary of donating to a charity that pays "chuggers", as I hate the idea of my money going into the pockets of those who expect payment while collecting for charity.

Can anyone recommend a charity for me, perhaps one you support yourself?

burnedfaceman

st.francis hospice do very good work for the terminally ill i seen the programme the hospice earlier this year and the work they do is amazing. check out their website http://www.stfrancishospice.ie/

they dont charge for their service and having had a relative deal with their homecare team i can vouch that your money truely does make a difference

Anti

I think in most cases some % of the money will line the pockets of someone. The best way to choose is which charity hits home the most for you? Has a relitive or friend died or managed to actually survive cancer? Child abuse. There are so many worthwhile charities. Maybe if you wouldnt like to make someone else richer, why not volunteer your services to one of these charities?

Marksie

6ix wrote:

I've decided I'd like to set up a monthly direct debit to a charity. I know there are lots of worthy causes out there, but I'd like to donate where I'll know that my money makes a difference, if only a small difference.

I am somewhat wary of donating to a charity that pays "chuggers", as I hate the idea of my money going into the pockets of those who expect payment while collecting for charity.

Can anyone recommend a charity for me, perhaps one you support yourself?

I give to three by direct debit:

Goal
Gorta
and
Sightsavers

Goal and gorta tend to look at the slightly longer term

but with sightsavers (so the blurb says) it has a direct and specific effect.

Glowing

I'm sponsoring a child in Mauritania - the money goes into her community and funds education/healthcare etc. I'm sponsoring through World Vision.

Its nice to be able to write to her regularly - i've been getting letters from her about twice a year and I can see her drawings/handwriting improving each time.

Marksie

Glowing wrote:

I'm sponsoring a child in Mauritania - the money goes into her community and funds education/healthcare etc. I'm sponsoring through World Vision.

Its nice to be able to write to her regularly - i've been getting letters from her about twice a year and I can see her drawings/handwriting improving each time.

Must be great to get feedback of such a personal nature

Jimoslimos

Anti wrote:

The best way to choose is which charity hits home the most for you? Has a relitive or friend died or managed to actually survive cancer? Child abuse.

I disagree. This seems to me to be the most selfish (not that donating to charity is actually selfish) way of choosing a charity, i.e., funding something that might be likely to have a positive effect on you/your family's life.

Glowing

Jimoslimos wrote:

I disagree. This seems to me to be the most selfish (not that donating to charity is actually selfish) way of choosing a charity, i.e., funding something that might be likely to have a positive effect on you/your family's life.

Not at all!

Isn't it nice to help an organisation that means something to you? Otherwise, how do you decide who is the most 'deserving' of your hard earned cash? Nobody can judge who's cause is more worthy, so the easiest and most meaningful thing is to support something YOU believe in.

A Random Walk

6ix wrote:

perhaps one you support yourself?

I like GOAL personally, I trust John O'Shea and I don't trust some of the others who seem to be pushing either a left wing or religious ideology.

I first really noticed GOAL back at the time the refugees started pouring out of Kosovo on their battered tractors. GOAL sent out a bunch of mechanics to repair them and pressurised the manufacturers to send spares which meant that people were able to return under their own steam - it struck me as quickthinking and a bit more dignified (for recipients) than throwing food at people.

Mrs_Doyle

Why not sign up for the Rehab Bonanza Draw?

http://www.rehab.ie/foundation/bonanzadraw.aspx

Your donating to a worthy cause, and your also in with a chance to win some fairly nice prizes.

patrickolee

Or do the lotto... lots of good causes. Alternatively how about AIDS research? Don't know of any charities specifically but I'm sure there's some. Anyone know one?

watsgone

Perhaps a local cause or charity!!

Charity begins at home so I am told

Miss Fluff

John O'Shea in GOAL doesn't waste one cent on needless expenditure. The Refugee Trust also do very good work indeed. I like the Red Cross too for donating to Emergency Funds if disasters happen.

Degsy

I find the whole concept of giving to charities sickening.If you want to make a difference go out and do something,not line somebody else's pockets to salve your conscience.

Lpfsox

was in a similar dilema myself a while ago - got promoted at work and had a bit of extra cash that I wanted to donate on an ongoing basis. Couldn't figure out where to give it though until one night when my sister was in my house with her little boy and he was getting ready for bed when an ad for GOAL came on and the contrast between the famine stricken kids on the screen and my pudgy well fed nephew made the decision for me.

humanji

Degsy wrote:

I find the whole concept of giving to charities sickening.If you want to make a difference go out and do something,not line somebody else's pockets to salve your conscience.

Eh, you do realise what a charity is, don't you? You're not just giving money to some rich person who's cheating the system :rolleyes:

I recommend the Human Fund

Degsy

humanji wrote:

Eh, you do realise what a charity is, don't you? You're not just giving money to some rich person who's cheating the system :rolleyes:

No thats not what i meant.I meant charities are a money-spinner for a lot of people.Boards of directors,PR staff,management,area supervisors,accountants all cream cash out of charities so very little of your money is going anywhere near the "needy".

Degsy

humanji wrote:

Eh, you do realise what a charity is, don't you? You're not just giving money to some rich person who's cheating the system :rolleyes:

Sure do know the difference.I also know that most charities have very comfortably-off directors,managers,accountants,supervisors and staff.Quite a few of them have expensive premises in well-to do parts of the world too.Where does your money go?

HelterSkelter

I donate to Goal, I reckon they are a good charity. I also sponsor an orphan in Iraq through this site http://www.alyateem.com/_en/ .

HelterSkelter

Degsy wrote:

I find the whole concept of giving to charities sickening.If you want to make a difference go out and do something,not line somebody else's pockets to salve your conscience.

How are you lining someone else's pockets by donating to a charity such as GOAL who have 5% admin costs and the other 95% goes directly to the people who need it? These charities don't run themselves, they require full time employeed to run them who have to be paid. Who in their right mind will give up their full time job and work for a chairty for free? How the hell would you pay your mortgage then?

goal.ie wrote:

Today GOAL spends millions every year (over €60 million in 2006) implementing relief and development programmes to help the most vulnerable in 12 developing countries. We have managed to do this on an administration cost base of less than 5% per annum

Owen

I do a UNICEF Direct Debit each month, most of what you contribute gets to the kids!

humanji

Geez man, calm down, I get the point, you don't have to keep saying it (I love when Boards goes tits up).

But you're assuming ALL charities are like this. They're not. Most will have people working for free with the only costs being purely administrative. You can't right them all off.

Degsy

HelterSkelter wrote:

Who in their right mind will give up their full time job and work for a chairty for free?

Somebody who was commited perhaps?Whichever way you look at it,people are making money for themselves out of charitable donations intended for others,ergo charities are misrepresenting the public.

Dr. Seuss

Degsy wrote:

Somebody who was commited perhaps?

Are you for real? And they live on what? Air?

Degsy

Dr. Seuss wrote:

Are you for real? And they live on what? Air?

Allah will provide for them!

DadaKopf

A Random Walk wrote:

I like GOAL personally, I trust John O'Shea and I don't trust some of the others who seem to be pushing either a left wing or religious ideology.

I first really noticed GOAL back at the time the refugees started pouring out of Kosovo on their battered tractors. GOAL sent out a bunch of mechanics to repair them and pressurised the manufacturers to send spares which meant that people were able to return under their own steam - it struck me as quickthinking and a bit more dignified (for recipients) than throwing food at people.

And by your inference, all other Irish NGOs don't do things like this? Goal is a humanitarian emergency NGO, not a development NGO, and a lot of what it does is 'throwing food at people'.

marksuttonie wrote:

Goal and gorta tend to look at the slightly longer term

Again, Goal focuses on short term, acute crisis relief. Medecins Sans Frontiers are similar in this respect. It is other NGOs, such as Concern, Trócaire, Oxfam, Plan, WorldVision, Christian Aid, Action Aid, UNICEF who focus on real, long-term development, as does the Irish government. In fact, they often work together. These organisations also engage in emergency humanitarian work.

John O'Shea in GOAL doesn't waste one cent on needless expenditure.

John O'Shea is not Goal, and Goal also doesn't engage in development work. Which means much of the good Goal's workers do (most of them African, actually) is undone when Goal leaves due to its short-term focus.

I'm critical of all NGOs but would, personally, not donate to Goal because, actually, while there are many great people who work for John O'Shea, he is undermining his organisation's own good work. I also strongly disagree with many of his opinions.

My favoured charities to give to would be:

• Concern (for its Africa focus)
• Trócaire (for its Latin America focus)
• UNICEF (for protecting vulnerable children globally)
• Barnardo's (for protecting vulnerable children in Ireland)
• Focus Ireland (for protecting homeless people in Ireland)

I think it's important to give to both a foreign and a domestic cause.

HelterSkelter

Degsy wrote:

Somebody who was commited perhaps?Whichever way you look at it,people are making money for themselves out of charitable donations intended for others,ergo charities are misrepresenting the public.

So what do you think, all charities should disband? Do you not think thaat it it better that those in need get 95% of all money donated rather than nothing at all?

watsgone

Degsy wrote:

Somebody who was commited perhaps?Whichever way you look at it,people are making money for themselves out of charitable donations intended for others,ergo charities are misrepresenting the public.

Not all charities are the same, if you have had a bad experience I am sorry it has clouded your judgement so.

As far as I know the paid staff in many charities are few, with many many unpaid and over worked volunteers.
The salaries are (in some charities) allocated from grants and not charitable donations from the joe soap on the street.

I know of one charity in particular whos few paid staff have other jobs(so their salaries are hardly great).

Though you are right in one regard people should try get out there and donate their time and skills also.

Please tdont tar all with the one brush.

Marksie

DadaKopf wrote:

And by your inference, all other Irish NGOs don't do things like this? Goal is a humanitarian emergency NGO, not a development NGO, and a lot of what it does is 'throwing food at people'.

Again, Goal focuses on short term, acute crisis relief. Medecins Sans Frontiers are similar in this respect. It is other NGOs, such as Concern, Trócaire, Oxfam, Plan, WorldVision, Christian Aid, Action Aid, UNICEF who focus on real, long-term development, as does the Irish government. In fact, they often work together. These organisations also engage in emergency humanitarian work.


John O'Shea is not Goal, and Goal also doesn't engage in development work. Which means much of the good Goal's workers do (most of them African, actually) is undone when Goal leaves due to its short-term focus.

I'm critical of all NGOs but would, personally, not donate to Goal because, actually, while there are many great people who work for John O'Shea, he is undermining his organisation's own good work. I also strongly disagree with many of his opinions.

My favoured charities to give to would be:

• Concern (for its Africa focus)
• Trócaire (for its Latin America focus)
• UNICEF (for protecting vulnerable children globally)
• Barnardo's (for protecting vulnerable children in Ireland)
• Focus Ireland (for protecting homeless people in Ireland)

I think it's important to give to both a foreign and a domestic cause.

Sorry i typed my post incorrectly

its:
Gorta
concern
and
sightsavers

and i don't do it to salve a conscience.

Ag marbh

Degsy wrote:

I find the whole concept of giving to charities sickening.If you want to make a difference go out and do something,not line somebody else's pockets to salve your conscience.

The whole concept of giving to charities is sickening? Your ignorance is sickening. You're a blind man.

Mrs. MacGyver

I support the RNLI lifeboats. The RNLI is a charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service around the UK and Republic of Ireland. Since I live not too far from the sea I can appreciate the hard work and dedication these people endure 365 days a year. I have no hesitation whatsoever supporting them. A week dosent go by on the news when someone/a boat is mentioned of having difficulties at sea.

biko

Biko beer fund.
Other than that GOAL

jrey1981

Oxfam Ireland
Goal

I have volunteered for Oxfam Ireland and met many staff from the Chief Exec down to shop volunteers. Very impressed with their work and their ethos.

Big fan of John O'Shea at Goal - he's a former journalist so I kind of look up to him.

I raised €1100 through my writing earlier this year to support a children's hospital in Basra in Iraq

Make sure you get the tax relief

DadaKopf

jrey1981 wrote:

Big fan of John O'Shea at Goal - he's a former journalist so I kind of look up to him.

Except that John O'Shea (IMO) holds racist views and is just wrong about so much. Particularly the way he carps on about corruption. Added to that is the dim view his own employees have of how he is strangling the organisation.

Oxfam on the other hand would do better work, but genuine concern, in my opinion, were expressed by their cosy relationship with the UK government, and its overemphasis on trade as the solution to global poverty.

I'm not trying to turn people away from giving, quite the opposite. But, as someone working in international development, it's never without its problems.

Donating is not salving one's conscience. It's one, well-motivated, form of action to improve the world. But I also think direct action in one's own community/region is also very, very important. Or direct action of any kind.

CathyMoran

The Irish Cancer Society is a good charity - they do everything from having a phoneline that you can ring for information about cancer (and even a cry about if you have been upset about it), have excellent information books, provide nursing care, have support groups for both those with and affected by cancer...and do many other things. I can not speak of them highly enough.

Most people will be affected either directly or indirectly by cancer at some stage in their lives. Having used (and am continuing to use) some of the services listed above, I know how much of an impact they can make on someone with or recovering from cancer.

Sorry for the long rant, I just feel very strongly about this charity from personal experience.

Tricity Bendix

Have to agree with DadaKopf. Wouldn't give John O'Shea a cent of my money. His views on the role of aid are so out of whack with all the other NGOs, IrishAid, and the government, and all he does is muddy the waters, confuse and mislead people, and make it more difficult for IrishAid to do its job. And the only reason I can think of that would explain his belief that aid should be transmitted solely through NGOs and never bilaterally is an interest in maximising the money flows through his own organisation.

I recommend Concern.

And also there is nothing wrong with using charity to salve your conscience. I'd be worried if people didn't feel a small pang of guilt when they realise how easy they have it compared to others.

Robbo

Mrs. MacGyver wrote:

I support the RNLI lifeboats. The RNLI is a charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service around the UK and Republic of Ireland. Since I live not too far from the sea I can appreciate the hard work and dedication these people endure 365 days a year. I have no hesitation whatsoever supporting them. A week dosent go by on the news when someone/a boat is mentioned of having difficulties at sea.

I support the life boats as well and I may be wrong, but afaik, the RNLI only get money through voluntary donations which is one of the reaons I support them.

Mrs. MacGyver

As far as I know Robbo thats true and thats why I support them too. That and any fundraising for the Irish Cancer Society.

cailinoBAC

I have a dd with trocaire. I specifically chose them over concern cos nobody has ever bothered me on the street asking 'hi, can you spare a moment for trocaire?'