Are some charities a scam?

LighterGuy

Are some charities a scam? ... Now, i'm not a pig headed person or a jerk. Lets just sit back and look at the world we live in...

Say you give 1 euro. How much of that euro actually goes to the 'cause' you were giving for? ... So many have administration costs (advertising, wages, rent etc etc) so how much of that euro would actually goto your chosen charity?

While some random indivdual just trying to help others is his/her spare time can be seen as genuine and totally decent. what about big charities? which are companies when you think about it. Employing staff to 'collect' and also the founders obviously collecting a higher salary than the joe-blow and the lowest end of the ladder...

my question to my fellow boards.ie members is .... are charities for the good of others? ... or to help those involved?

I'm skeptical.. When the Madoff scandel broke and 65 billion got wiped out, billions of it was charity money being invested.
Why that money wasn't out helping the world, I don't understand.

Sticky_Fingers

Are charities a scam, can't say, are many completely inefficient and bloated with more money going on the salaries than towards the causes they were initially set up for, can't say.

Would I personally rather give money to a homeless person on the street then toss it in bucket been held by some right-on middle class do-gooder, you bet your arse I would.

Check out this thread over in politics to get a flavour of where all those coins donated to help the poor are going and how they treat those who question the ethicacy of their actions:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056016355&highlight=irish+cross+sacked

LighterGuy

To be perfectly honest.
I think alot of so called charities that get started are nothing more than a way for a person to line his pockets.

Topper Harley01

You know, if you had asked me this 5 years ago I would have been appalled at the notion. Now that I am a little older, a little wiser, and have experienced a few things.....I'm very careful now with my money.

There is indeed a charity industry out there. Very few people stop to check who they are giving money to; they simply donate on impulse. Charities depend on the ability to manipulate your emotions. This can be good, but it can also be a get rich quick scheme for chancers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8623970.stm

If I were a particularly unscrupulous individual who wanted to make money fast, without the fear of breaking the law, I would set up my own charity and pay myself a handsome fee as a director. I would then throw a few crumbs towards whatever charity I was claiming to support.

I think if you look closely at some of the big names in Irish 'charidee', you will see that some have done quite nicely from it. More than one house and overseas holiday has been earned from the work of unpaid volunteers who think the money is going to the right place.

Bear in mind that charities are not regulated in this Country, unlike the UK. Any number provided is usually a tax code.

So think before you part with your cash, and don't be swayed by someone tugging on your heartstrings.

Senna

Yes, not all of your €1 will reach the intended person, group etc.
The only ways that's possible is to post your €1 to;
Thin Black Child
Mud Hut
Drought Road
Ethiopia

Nothingbetter2d

as far as i know the Lion's Club Charity members are not paid

my Dad is a member and he often creates adverts for events they plan at his own expense (he having his own engineering consultancy means he has his own large format printers/photocopiers etc).
Most of his fellow Lion's Club members are all business owners or people in very high up positions within their jobs.

none get paid.

all the money they raise gets spent locally helping those in need.

Doc

My dad worked for a charity for a while and was getting paid to do so. It was a charity that worked in Africa and he had to go out there at one point. They built wells and gave people training in managing livestock and farming as well as how to run a business. Although volunteers who work for nothing are wonderful realistically not everyone can be working for nothing in large charities. My dad didn’t earn a huge wage doing it and isn’t doing it any longer but the charity did help people. I don’t think they are scams at all.

macquarie

Yes they are a scam.

http://fabulousbuzz.com/2010/10/03/u2s-bono-in-charity-scandal/

Bono has come under scrutiny for news reports that his anti-poverty foundation, the ONE Campaign only gives 1% of its earnings to charity.

Bono had established the foundation back in 2002. The New York Daily News reported that only $184,732 of its total $14,993,873 in public donations was given to charities. Apparently, more than $8 million was distributed as salaries for ONE Campaign employees

Doc

macquarie wrote: »

Yes they are a scam.

http://fabulousbuzz.com/2010/10/03/u2s-bono-in-charity-scandal/

Some not all.

Potential-Monke

I don't donate, i have €1 a week going directly out of my wages for Cancer Research i think. Other than that, i never give money to collectors, i never ring the helpline to donate "just €7 a month" to some child in Godknowswhere, or any other places. The ads make me not want to donate. I hate them with a passion. And i'm begining to get rude to street collectors, especially the fookin Trocaire ones (I think), who all look like hippies and would nearly walk 10 blocks with you to get a donation. Hate them.

It's not because i don't have a heart, it's because if i want to donate i'll do it myself, i don't need no self-righteous twat telling me why i should. Pish off and leave me alone.

As for those fookin clothes collection leaflets that fill half my bin... If i ever catch someone putting them in the letter box, i'll puck the head off 'em. I don't care if they have no grasp of the English language, or even know what they're distributing, not my problem. Majority of them are definitely scams.

Also heard from a very good source, that St. Vincent de Paul supplies all our lovely travelling families with a full xmas dinner every xmas (possible hearsay), and supplies cigarettes to prisoners (fact)... Pricks.

nisior

I think they are for sure. My Dad told a charity back in the 80s that'd he'd try to give them x amount of £s (not sure how much now but it wasn't alot, he was skint) every month and one month he didn't have any money left over so he couldn't afford it and the charity gave him a call saying they were forwarding his 'case' to the legal department. My Dad used some colourful language and they never called again.

Also, one mate of my brother was at my houseparty a few weeks ago and he was telling me how he works for this charity and every year he gets a new jeep to drive around in and all these expenses paid for him. I asked him if he cared about the charity, he just said 'ah no, it's all about the money'. So if they're spending so much on workers who aren't high up on the pecking order how could they possibly give 'Emma who's mother walked barefoot for 6 hours to get plumpy-nut' any help?

Buceph

Some are scams. Some are a bit less serious about what they do. Others are brilliant.

There was a website that did investigations into how much of your donation actually went on direct help. There can be a huge range from the Bono type case, all the way down to sub 10% (which is pretty respectable.)


And I've heard of a few of the bigger charities spending money on audits by the likes of PWC and Deloitte so they can show how much goes on administration and things like that.


Another interesting question is would you be happy for some of your donated money to be used as bribe money? Some charities outline that they refuse to play bribe money, as they see it as a bigger detriment than simply not getting access to areas or being left get aid through. So inferring from that, some charities probably do use some of your money to bribe people.

msg11

I hope not, we will be needing them in a few years. Maybe months ...

Sticky_Fingers

Senna wrote: »

Yes, not all of your €1 will reach the intended person, group etc.
The only ways that's possible is to post your €1 to;
Thin Black Child
Mud Hut
Drought Road
Ethiopia

It's not a question of all the €1 reaching its destination, it's a question of how much soakage there is present in the institutions charged with getting the money there and their willingness to eliminate it. Some of the money management strategies used by some charities needs to be questioned and as for those who use chuggers, their hectoring and cajoling should be met with nothing but disdain.

Many people give money to charity in the belief that it is been put to good use, therefore it is our duty as patrons to question the practices used to disemminate said money. It doesn't belong to the charity, it belongs to the poor people it was intended for and they should be held to account for every last cent of it.

Einhard

macquarie wrote: »

Yes they are a scam.

http://fabulousbuzz.com/2010/10/03/u2s-bono-in-charity-scandal/

Joe Biden is white and male and American.

Therefore, all Americans are white and male.

Great logic...

LighterGuy

There seem to be many forms of charities.


We all know the big ones. We all question just how much of 1 euro goes to the actual charity.

But ... I have come across some small time 'charities' in my time.
To give 1 example, a little over 2 years ago I was going into a spar in blanchardstown. Two 100% skangers claiming to "fight the war on drugs" stands by the entrance collecting - me being nice (or foolish, depending on how you look at it) gave them 5 euro. I go in, only 20 secs in the place, walk out and they are gone. Me being naive think they must of left for some other reason. Obviously not being wise to the fact the were dressed in tracksuits and the only 'legit' looking thing they had was a clipboard :rolleyes:

1 Year later two other 100% skangers are doing the same 'war on drugs charity' outside lidl in blanchardstown. same deal outside the entrance. They do the usual. I decline. Just walk in. When I walk out start to give me loads like im some tight arse ...

All i have learned is small scale charity is 100% a scam.
heck, lets be honest, are the big ones not too? just they are more 'legit' :rolleyes:

Potential-Monke

If you think you have the urge to give to these "collectors" ask them for their identification card issued by the charity, the charity registration number, and the collection permit. If they do not have any of these, don't donate.

Also, check the permit because they are issued on a place by place basis, ie: one permit won't cover all of Cork City. It's street and date specific.

Einhard

LighterGuy wrote: »

heck, lets be honest, are the big ones not too? just they are more 'legit' :rolleyes:

Eh no, generally they're not. You can't infer from the specific to the general, and claim that, because you got ripped off by two skangers, all charities are involved in fraud. There are rules in place regarding what a charity can, and cannot do, and if a charity breaches said rules, it loses its status. On top of that, many charities have their books independently audited to reassure people about the monies they donate. Furthermore, the damage done to the reputation of any charity found to be involved in fraud or scam-like behaviour would be massive, and certainly not worth the risk.

Of course, there'll always be excpetions to the rule, but they very much prove that rule. And to claim that the wrongdoing of one charity shows that all charities are corrupt, is as unfair and inaccurate as claiming that all Dubliners are druggie scum because of the antics of a few people on the boardwalk.

LighterGuy

Einhard wrote: »

Eh no, generally they're not......

the words 'some' / 'small' / 'certain' mean a minority. I used the word some. Please take your 'go against everything' opinion to another thread. The vast majority of your replies are you broadcasting your opinion rather than inputing or discussing your disagreement.

anyways people,
this thread i guess was inspired by the "charities collect at 11pm sat night thread" .... it got me thinking. We live in a world where certain things are availble to us. with ease. lets take a look of what would be needed to pull of validation:

- clipboard
- printed up t-shirt
- printed up cap
- printer for logo, stickers etc.
- passport photo + laminating machine (for fake id badge)
- plastic bucket with logo slapped on for "donations"
- hard neck and "flexible conscience"

what ... 80-100 euro total? if that?

Money wise there really is nothing stopping a person from either creating a fake but legit looking charity or just cloning another

Einhard

LighterGuy wrote: »

the words 'some' / 'small' / 'certain' mean a minority. I used the word some. Please take your 'go against everything' opinion to another thread. The vast majority of your replies are you broadcasting your opinion rather than inputing or discussing your disagreement.

Are you for real? You asked are all charities a scam, inferred in your own response that all charities are somehow fraudulent-

small scale charity is 100% a scam...heck, lets be honest, are the big ones not too? just they are more 'legit'

- and then take issue when I disagree in a polite and reasoned manner? If you don't like people having a difference of opinion with you, then I'd advise you not to post!!

Money wise there really is nothing stopping a person from either creating a fake but legit looking charity or just cloning another

And there's nothing to stop people who might donate to such fake chaities from asking for identification and certification. And calling the police if they are not forthcoming.

LighterGuy

Einhard wrote: »

.....And there's nothing to stop people who might donate to such fake chaities from asking for identification certification. And calling the police if they are not forthcoming.

Ok einhard. lets play role play. me and you.
I do the above i posted .... i print out fake tshirts and print out fake id badges and the like. it doesnt cost much right.


heres my bucket.
heres my (fake) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

.... or better yet!!!!!!!
I create a legit charity. but only give 40% of the money to the actual charity.

heres my bucket.
heres my (legit) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

Einhard

LighterGuy wrote: »

heres my bucket.
heres my (fake) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

i. "You know, I've never heard of your charity before. I'm a tad suspicious about your legitimacy. I won't therefore give you money today, but I'll find out about your credentials, and if they are legit, I'll pop some change in your bucket the next day"

ii. "Sorry, I don't give to charities I've never heard of."

iii. "Hold on a mo while I ring the guards and verify whether you are a legitimate collector. Hey, why are you running away?!"

Any one of the above would suffice.

.... or better yet!!!!!!!
I create a legit charity. but only give 40% of the money to the actual charity.

heres my bucket.
heres my (legit) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

i. "I know nothing about your orgainisation so, until I know more about you, I won't be giving you any money, Sorry."


There are risks in any venture, from getting your car fixed, to getting your roof re-tiled. So too, there's a risk in giving to charities. The key though, is not to stop giving because of fear, but to educate yourself on some of the charities around. As I said, most of the bigger ones regularly subject themselves to indpendent audits, and publish their details in order to increase transparency. As I also said, the risk to the larger charities of defrauding the public would be so immense as to make any such attempt suicidal.

There are moves afoot to introduce a charity regulator like they do in the UK, which should help. Until then, you can find reassurance perhaps in the fact that the larger UK charities operating here are subject to regulation.

Buceph

LighterGuy wrote: »

Ok einhard. lets play role play. me and you.
I do the above i posted .... i print out fake tshirts and print out fake id badges and the like. it doesnt cost much right.


heres my bucket.
heres my (fake) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

.... or better yet!!!!!!!
I create a legit charity. but only give 40% of the money to the actual charity.

heres my bucket.
heres my (legit) id.
I say 'spare change please?"

That's why you don't donate to charities you've never heard of? I don't know why anyone would give money to some random dude on the street. Even if they are a real charity how do you know they don't operate in some way that goes against your beliefs?

The good charities go out of their way to show they're being responsible with your donations. They are extremely transparent. And they bend over backwards to make sure you're donation isn't wasted. And if they don't do that, you shouldn't donate to them, but that's why you need to make an informed decision.

LighterGuy

LighterGuy wrote: »

.... or better yet!!!!!!!
I create a legit charity. but only give 40% of the money to the actual charity.

QUOTE]


Id imagine thats actually quite high..to be a registered charity only 8-10% of the money collected has to be donated to the actual cause..

Azureus

In fundraising for a cause close to my heart I've come across this a lot in the last few years. An independant, small charity is viewed with an enormous amount of suspicion from what Ive noticed, and to be honest I dont blame people! I'd much rather they check out the credentials and give a few pennies than throw a fiver in and walk away feeling scammed. If a charity is legit, they wont mind sceptisim, they will do their best to ease it and meet it with understanding especially in a recession. Charitys have no 'right' to money, and I think this is why chuggers etc pish everyone off-the sense of entitlement to your money / guilt-tripping coupled with the fact only a small pecentage id even getting to the charity and they are makin a good wage off it really goes against the grain.

I worked as a volunteer for Oxfam for years in their shops and also give to Cancer research when I see them collect. In my opinion these are relatively legit charities and the money is traceable (morso cancer research tbh). Pretty much anything else I dont give to for various reasons. 1) you cant give to everything and 2) dont trust a lot of them. Charity begins at home and all that...

enda1

Yes.

Charities are a way to take money from old people, women and the gullible to give it to dictators and genocidal maniacs in Africa for them to buy guns.

Or else a way to send rich kids who have no construction experience to developing countries to build shabby housing and thus undercutting the local builders through their cheap (free) labour and meanwhile most of the money goes into being completely ripped off for building supplies and airlines tickets.

Or, the money goes into the celebrity research. This is the research which is fashionable at the time. whether it be breast cancer, CP, MS, or the celebrity #1 disease AIDS. Instead of money getting the most bang for the book by tackling the large casualty easily curable diseases, it goes into expensive research for low benefit/cost ratio causes. I hate this shit.

I've yet to meet a good charity. I wonder if they can exist.

--Kaiser--

Legally only about 5% of money collected actually goes to worthy causes. The rest goes to fund the badly run, uncompetitive business that most charities are, inflated wages, corporate cars, asshole chuggers, fraud....etc etc....

And that's before you realise how much foreign aid goes to dictators who promptly spend it on shiny new tanks.

So yes, charity is a load of me hoop

ToniTuddle

I'd rather organise a whole group of folks to raise money together then head out to feicin Africa and buy whatever supplies/food/stuff a wee town/couple of families needed. Than give to charity anymore.

What I hate is those ones out on the street(feicin concern etc) trying to get bank account details of some wee 15yr old who knows no better or some old granny into donating!

I had one lad cheeky enough to say to me "Well we had an old woman who already gives to 14 charities sign up with us today".....aye probably cause the poor old mare is too feicin soft to tell ye to feic off.
Or the farts try to flirt with you/whore themselves out! Duuuuurty :eek::pac:

Meh. I'm all for animal charities/shelters these days.
Least you can buy alot of the things they need (food,bedding etc) and drop them at the door and see them being feicin used. Happy days.

Wanna give a tenner to a homeless charity? How about ye pop into pennys and buy a bloody jumper and get a sandwich somewhere for that tenner and hand them to the homeless person instead. Would be far better -.-

Canis Lupus

Word of mouth but a friend has a friend who has audited the guys behind Red Nose day in the UK said it's so badly mismanaged that it came close to being forced to stop.

You never know what goes on behind the scenes of any charity and moreover in places like Africa they can do more harm than good imo.

alejandro1977

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0124/Tax-breaks-for-wealthy-donors-Schools-struggle-while-the-rich-fund-golf-tourneys

Tax breaks for wealthy donors: Schools struggle, while the rich fund golf tourneys
Tax deductions for charitable giving mean the rich can fund their pet causes while the government loses vital tax revenue. This loophole effectively takes the public good out of the hands of voter-elected representatives and subjects it to the whims of wealthy donors.

In the US it's often just a way for rich people to subsidise their social life - organising 'events' and getting the eduction. Similar happens here too

kingtut

I hate the "but it's only €2 a month thing"...umm why should I give to you and not to all the other charities? If I was to give to every charity it would be more like €100 a month! :mad:

I prefer to volunteer my time than to give cash. At least I know then that what I am doing actually helps.

Duke Leonal Felmet

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm skeptical.. When the Madoff scandel broke and 65 billion got wiped out, billions of it was charity money being invested.
Why that money wasn't out helping the world, I don't understand.

Because funds may have been set up by private individuals to ensure that a cause receives funding over many years. Such as the Bill Gates Trust, etc.

Duke Leonal Felmet

My girlfriend is very sceptical of the PAWS collectors.

squeakyduck

I don't like giving to the people on the streets, they are always so pushy. I also had a girl from Bernardos swear at me because I walked past her and wouldn't hear her speel.

My brother used to work abroad and in Dublin with a charity with one of these places and the stories he would tell were in someways deadly (fancy hotels etc) but awful in other ways (if they are paying for nice hotels in these places where is the money really going?)

All the big wigs lived like millionares, children in boarding schools making massive money out of these places. Now with the advertising they do and this speaks for all the charaties wouldn't they have ended world hunger etc by now?

Duke Leonal Felmet

As far as I know, Concern are audited and can claim that 11% of money collected goes on advertising, future collecting, and 1% goes on admin.

silverspoon

I don't know whether some charities are a scam. I could see the attraction for disreputable people to (ab)use the charity structure to do scammy things, like...well, not be an actual charity and be, in fact, a scam.

I'm not crazy about most organised charities, in that I don't really believe there are that many bleeding hearts setting up charities for no reason other than to benefit chosen cause. I don't think there would be so many charities if it wasn't in some way a moneymaking business.

I'm not saying all people who get involved in all charities are ultimately self-interested, but neither do I think that all charities work ultimately in the interest of their cause. These charities are, when it comes down to it, a business. And I'm beginning to know enough of people to have the idea where money is, there are people who will follow.

I'm sure there are lots of charities that do alot of good work, and I'm sure most charities are set up with good intentions. I think the real question would be, does charity work? Has it worked in Africa? Is the charity structure intrinsically flawed, or is it down to the fact that charities can be mismanaged and inefficiently run?

Like someone said, I'd prefer to give a homeless person money than donate to charity, because the opacity of where the money goes re: charities makes me somewhat uncomfortable.

Buceph

For all the people bashing charities, go to the RTE website and see if you can find any of their interviews with Goal's John O'Shea. I defy you to have such a terrible view of all charities then. The guy fights tooth and nail for the absolutely worst off in the world, and expects nothing for himself in the return. If he was to run for office in this country, I'd vote for him without a second's doubt.

Orando Broom

All charities are businesses first and foremost.

Canis Lupus

Buceph wrote: »

For all the people bashing charities, go to the RTE website and see if you can find any of their interviews with Goal's John O'Shea. I defy you to have such a terrible view of all charities then. The guy fights tooth and nail for the absolutely worst off in the world, and expects nothing for himself in the return. If he was to run for office in this country, I'd vote for him without a second's doubt.

So giving money to the poor makes him a good candidate to run the country?

walshb

Some charities do fantastic work, and are actual charities. People giving their time for very little, and sometimes nothing. SVDP, Simon, etc.

Then there are the BIG boys, the businesses as I call them, trekking all over the globe saving the people....Many of these people have done next to nothing in their own communities, yet they are looking for their own people to donate money to a "causes" thousands of miles away...:rolleyes:

Every few weeks you have some Paddy seting up a NEW charity based in Africa.

And, the heads of these businesses are earning a pretty packet. Charity? My backside. Lot of people making a lot of money from destitution and poverty, always painting the bleakest picture to try and fool the people into parting with their cash

Trocaire out on the streets last week looking for peoples bank details...
I mean, this has been going for for decades. Nothing has changed.
We had it for years with the "penny for the black baby." Taking money from Irish children in schools to give to the "poor black baby." Then it was the communion money and confirmation money they were looking for. Organisations that for years were battering and raping
Irish children, and I am meant to believe that these people give a damn about some black baby in Africa? You
couldn't make it up.

These businesses must have dozens of people simply paid to come up with wild ideas and scams to get people to part with their money. How many people fell for the "buy a cow, buy a goat, buy a hive of bees?" This is farcical...But, people fall for it

Then there was the celebs (employed by charities) and the whole, sponsor a child in Africa, El Salvador etc." Wacky and absurd scams to get money...

walshb

Canis Lupus wrote: »

So giving money to the poor makes him a good candidate to run the country?

Eh, who says he's giving HIS money? All I ever hear from him and GOAL, is "give us your ****ing money."

Fighting tooth and nail? My arse...Ego tripper.

Buceph

Canis Lupus wrote: »

So giving money to the poor makes him a good candidate to run the country?

No, that he is someone with convictions and passion who is running one of the most efficient charities, working with the poorest and worst off of people. while maintaining a high profile and not compromising on ethics makes him a good candidate to run the country.


And the amount of bitter people in this thread is ****ing disgusting. You'd swear a charity pissed in your cornflakes. Just because you can't comprehend doing something altruistic with your mangy little lives doesn't mean there aren't thousands of people doing good, ranging from Irish issues like homelessness (Simon) and poverty (SvdP), to looking after people on the sea (RNLI) to international issues like Amnesty International, Oxfam and Goal.

This thread actually makes me sick. What started out as something questioning the morality of scammers turned into the biggest swarm of pettiness I've seen on boards.

Orando Broom

walshb wrote: »

Eh, who says he's giving HIS money? All I ever hear from him and GOAL, is "give us your ****ing money."

Fighting tooth and nail? My arse...Ego tripper.

Goal is a profitable family business.

walshb

Orando Broom wrote: »

Goal is a profitable family business.

Indeed, has been for years.

I remember hearing John on the Late Late I think it was. He was talking about how he started. Dealing with homeless and drug addicted people in Dublin. He didn't ave the time or patience for them is what he said. That to me isn't someone that I would think as a charity worker. He got fed up, so went and set up his own charity for the poor people thousands of miles away. And got massive grants for this too....

mikemac

Niall Mellon Township Trust

Sending people abroad to build houses. It's something different to many others

We've had these collections in the office and I'm skeptical what the slim lady in the office can actually do on a site. Not hauling bricks anyway.

A quick look at the website confirms donations will be partially used to pay for flights. I'm not sure about accommodation

Paying to send Irish people there when the money should be used to employ local workers. Give employment to the local tradesmen and not send someone in a GAA jersey off to swan around a site.

Niall Mellon may be a decent man with a great generosity. But for now maybe he should concentrate on his issues with NAMA which taxpayers are paying for before asking for money for his charity.

enda1

Buceph wrote: »

No, that he is someone with convictions and passion who is running one of the most efficient charities, working with the poorest and worst off of people. while maintaining a high profile and not compromising on ethics makes him a good candidate to run the country.


And the amount of bitter people in this thread is ****ing disgusting. You'd swear a charity pissed in your cornflakes. Just because you can't comprehend doing something altruistic with your mangy little lives doesn't mean there aren't thousands of people doing good, ranging from Irish issues like homelessness (Simon) and poverty (SvdP), to looking after people on the sea (RNLI) to international issues like Amnesty International, Oxfam and Goal.

This thread actually makes me sick. What started out as something questioning the morality of scammers turned into the biggest swarm of pettiness I've seen on boards.

We clearly don't all have the same definition of being ethical. I don't find the emotional blackmail, and preying on the weak willled and old as ethical business practice.

This is highly evidenced in you response to those who don't trust charities - you immediately try to belittle the people and attack their integrity. Luckily the people on boards are not as easily pushed over as you usual prey as these tactics are so clearly at play in every enterprise you worm your way into.

I suggest that you rethink your attitude before trying to be a spokesperson for your so beloved "charity" as you are doing more harm than good for them (but managing to prove my point quite nicely).

walshb

feelingstressed wrote: »

Niall Mellon Township Trust

Sending people abroad to build houses. It's something different to many others

We've had these collections in the office and I'm skeptical what the slim lady in the office can actually do on a site. Not hauling bricks anyway.

A quick look at the website confirms donations will be partially used to pay for flights. I'm not sure about accommodation

Paying to send Irish people there when the money should be used to employ local workers. Give employment to the local tradesmen and not send someone in a GAA jersey off to swan around a site.

Niall Mellon may be a decent man with a great generosity. But for now maybe he should concentrate on his issues with NAMA which taxpayers are paying for before asking for money for his charity.

Another sham. Houses being built for the "poor people," and then those houses are being rented out by the "poor people."
These people were doing perfectly ok for years before he stuck his beak in. Was it the people who
begged Niall to go there and HELP them? No, it was not. They never even asked for Paddy's help...

Volunteers going abroad, begging for money from their neighbours. How much of the money is coming from their pockets? Holiday trips is all they are.
I mean, is SA so bad that it hasn't got people capable of laying bricks?
It's relying on some Paddy for this? You try and get some plumber, carpenter, lecky here to
fit a washer on a tap, hang a door or fit a socket, and see how ****ing charitable
and decent they are? I tell you, you will pay for it....But, stick them in Africa, and they're like god damn
Santa Claus?

Niall Mellon? How many houses has Niall built here and gave to Irish people for nothing? Isn't he in trouble with NAMA over cash? So, maybe he should sorth that out before sticking his beak into SA affairs. Also, he and his crew are causing a lot of hostility over there with a lot of people.

Who's the other guy saving Haiti, yet he owes millions here to the banks? Some phone entrepreneur dude?

All these do gooders, great at throwing other peoples money around....

Canis Lupus

Buceph wrote: »

No, that he is someone with convictions and passion who is running one of the most efficient charities, working with the poorest and worst off of people. while maintaining a high profile and not compromising on ethics makes him a good candidate to run the country.


And the amount of bitter people in this thread is ****ing disgusting. You'd swear a charity pissed in your cornflakes. Just because you can't comprehend doing something altruistic with your mangy little lives doesn't mean there aren't thousands of people doing good, ranging from Irish issues like homelessness (Simon) and poverty (SvdP), to looking after people on the sea (RNLI) to international issues like Amnesty International, Oxfam and Goal.

This thread actually makes me sick. What started out as something questioning the morality of scammers turned into the biggest swarm of pettiness I've seen on boards.

Please continue

Buceph

enda1 wrote: »

We clearly don't all have the same definition of being ethical. I don't find the emotional blackmail, and preying on the weak willled and old as ethical business practice.

This is highly evidenced in you response to those who don't trust charities - you immediately try to belittle the people and attack their integrity. Luckily the people on boards are not as easily pushed over as you usual prey as these tactics are so clearly at play in every enterprise you worm your way into.

I suggest that you rethink your attitude before trying to be a spokesperson for your so beloved "charity" as you are doing more harm than good for them (but managing to prove my point quite nicely).

You are literally making things up at this point. I'm attacking ignorance. That people say "Ah sure it all goes into the employees pockets" is ignorance. When all the respectable charities get audited by well respected business consultancies and publish annual reports detailing their expenditures. It's sheer, blatant, willful ignorance.

enda1

Buceph wrote: »

You are literally making things up at this point. I'm attacking ignorance. That people say "Ah sure it all goes into the employees pockets" is ignorance. When all the respectable charities get audited by well respected business consultancies and publish annual reports detailing their expenditures. It's sheer, blatant, willful ignorance.

Thanks for completely ignoring everything I said. Maybe you would make a good politician instead of the Goal guy after all!