Want to ask a voluntary organisation something?

bugler

Ello. I'll be interviewing a nice person from Oxfam at the end of this week. The interview will be fairly wide ranging, some quite simple and basic questions about the organisation and so forth. However, and this is where the politics comes in I suppose, have a look at this: www.maketradefair.com . Read a bit about it, and if you have any queries or if there's anything bothering you about it, then you can ask via me. Go on, I know some of you will have some problems with it Let that bee out of your bonnet!

Questions on anything else are welcome too. I don't know if I'll get round to everything, but I thought asking you guys could give me some fresh angles of attack. Post em here I spose, though you can email them to me if you want...

P.S Mods please leave this here, as it's busy and does belong here. Really.

gandalf

OK bugler I'm sticking this because I think it is a worthy cause and because I think it will stimulate an interesting debate here and widen the topics been discussed at the moment.

Gandalf.

DadaKopf

Deadly, what's this interview for exactly? Here's some Q's:

What's your favourite colour?

What's the velocity of the male African Swallow?

What is their view on the Tobin Tax? Do they work closely with organisations like ATTAC? What difficulties to they see in implementing it, or other fair trade/human rights solutions?

How can organisations like Oxfam really change people's attitudes when it comes to awareness of unfair trade and exploitation and what hope is there, then, to turn that into effective political change?

Where does he see Oxfam's role within this wider scheme?

bugler

Thanks Gandalf. And thanks for getting the ball rolling Dada. I feel like a mong though, I should have posted this earlier. The interview is tommorrow afternoon, but I spose I was caught up pretending I was studying.

The interview is dual purpose Dada, it forms part of a Sociology and Politics asssignment for myself, and will also be offered to the college paper, if the skanks want it.

DadaKopf

Great! Send me a copy, will ya? I'd love to read it.

bugler

Sure, no problem....though it doesn't look like many boards members' questions will feature. Oh well. Anyway, I'll check back here at around 2pm tommorow for last additions if anyone has asked anything. Interview is at 3.

Victor

Are Oxfams efforts effective? Short / long term.

Are voluntary donations the way forward in financing Oxfam? What other funding models have been studied.

Likewise for similar organisations.

Beruthiel

what percentage of actual monies donated gets to where it's supposed to go after you pay your bills, administrators etc....

where does the money go exactly?
what are the proofs/statistics of improvement for these people?

sorry, that sounds more like an interrogation than an interview!

Chaos-Engine

I have one for you.... You know all those annoying Triads with the umbrellas and english accents "Would You like to help Oxfam"... Well I was talking to one in a pub once. He siad its a laugh that he gets a HUGE commission approaching the region of 50%. Most of these Salesmen use the line that if you directly donate to Oxfam/concern etc that the government will tax your donation.... That is true but as far as i know it is within the 20% region. That is segnificatly less than there commission and anyway if the tax goes to the government(I should) get it back in better social welfare etc...


Please find out the truth

Victor

Originally posted by Chaos-Engine
I have one for you.... You know all those annoying Triads with the umbrellas and english accents "Would You like to help Oxfam"... Well I was talking to one in a pub once. He siad its a laugh that he gets a HUGE commission approaching the region of 50%. Most of these Salesmen use the line that if you directly donate to Oxfam/concern etc that the government will tax your donation.... That is true but as far as i know it is within the 20% region. That is segnificatly less than there commission and anyway if the tax goes to the government(I should) get it back in better social welfare etc...

If you contribute more than about €200 per year to one third-world charity, the government 'tops-up' the donation with a tax credit (equal to the 20% standard rate you paid in income tax). My policy is to never contribute to collectors on the street.

bugler

Sorry folks but as you'll note some of you are a touch late with the questions

I'm in the middle of exams now, once I get a bit of time I'll get the interview laid out and you can see it if you so wish.

Chaos-Engine: I'm not sure what the situation is with those who stand in the street with buckets and so on, but I'd be surprised if they get such a high commission. I once signed up for a regular donation to a charity when approached on the street by some Norwegian bird, and as it said on the forms, she is paid by a third party firm employed by the charity. /me shrugs.

gandalf

bugler can you post up that interview in a new thread. I'll unticky this thread tomorrow.

Gandalf.