Minor moral dilemma

Emp_Fab

I donate to SPANA, the animal charity for working animals abroad, and I'm happy to give what little I can each month, as long as it's actually being spent on animals.  Lately however, they have taken to sending me what I term junk mail every month.  August it was a catalogue of gifts I could buy, last month it was a book of raffle tickets, and this week they sent me their 'News Magazine' and an 8 page survey they want me to complete.  I appreciate it's all aimed at increasing their income, but I won't be upping my direct debit and I object to my money being spent on shovelling this crap through my letterbox each month.

If I cancel my DD, I'll feel bad that I'm withdrawing help for the animals, if I tell them to remove me from their mailing list I'll still know that some of my money is going to print and post this crap, though I do understand they need to push to get money out of people.

I had to do the same with one of the dog charities I used to give to - tell them to jack it in and just take the bloody money.  Eventually I dropped them as money was too tight.

I don't mind the occasional mailing as long as it's not obviously expensive (glossy mag etc) but producing this stuff every month is a bit much.  I've just checked their accounts for 2012/13 and they spent £2.5M on treating sick and injured animals and an almost identical amount on 'generating voluntary income'.

What should I do ?

Drew_TNBD

Fuck the animals.

mike_l

I don't think that was an option Drew. Or legal. Well maybe legal in Wales.

Sambostar

Agreed, Give your money to Cancer Research instead.

Phil_aka_Pip

For every charity that has got big enough to print glossy mags and other crap, there has got to be a startup that spends a higher %age of their income on what the charity was set up for. Its the natural order: they start small with few overheads then they get bigger. So look out for the little guys, donate to them till they get big enough to print glossy crap, then find another little one.

Emp_Fab

That sounds like a plan.

holnrew

It's a dilemma with all charities I find.

How about looking for a local animal shelter and do some volunteering? Or find an independent group and donate directly to them?

holnrew

I watch these guys' videos on YouTube, it's a good cause.

http://www.vetclinicgambia.com/

digitalscream

I've given up with all the major animal charities. Since my experience with them when we were utterly screwed and two of our dogs urgently needed medical attention, every single one of the majors responded with, "Sorry, we can't help you if you're not on benefits". Apparently most of the money goes on advertising and "raising awareness", contrary to what they're happy to have you believe.

I now donate to local low-kill animal shelters and rescues instead. That way, I know that all of the money is going directly to helping the animals.

mike_l

holnrew said:

It's a dilemma with all charities I find.

How about looking for a local animal shelter and do some volunteering?

Not too easy to do.

My friends wife tried, but there was a bunch of hurdles to get over, CRB check (which you pay for), previous history of working with animals (if not you have to pay for training), work history, medical history etc, stopped her helping at the local Wood Green.

holnrew

mike_l said:

holnrew said:

It's a dilemma with all charities I find.

How about looking for a local animal shelter and do some volunteering?

Not too easy to do.

My friends wife tried, but there was a bunch of hurdles to get over, CRB check (which you pay for), previous history of working with animals (if not you have to pay for training), work history, medical history etc, stopped her helping at the local Wood Green.

Weird. There's a couple of local ones where you can walk dogs or pet the cats. I did it once in the summer, I keep meaning to again.

Drew_TNBD

I don't see animals handing out fivers on the high street to me!

mike_l

Needless to say she was disappointed there was so many hurdles put in the way. Especially when she's be cleaning the housing, feeding and watering, and not really handling/working with the animals. Seems a bit harsh.

Maybe if she'd tried a local shelter she'd have been welcomed with open arms?

thumpingrug

I work for a charity, with a big national presence, you will all have heard of it, but at a local level where i am employed we are constantly trying to raise funds for day to day essentials. We also work alongside other big charities that work for people with very specific health issues and who advertise widely on the telly and in newspapers/interweb etc.  Because of the health issue they support they get lots of sympathy and therefore lots of money.  So much so that they can't spend it all.  There staff are on salaries and pension plans that I could only dream of, all staff also have a private health plan, as whilst they work alongside the NHS its not considered good enough for their staff.  

They have an income of approx £150 million per year and their accounts show they spend only £90million per year.  There reserves would keep them running for years even if nothing more came in.  But they keep advertising about how they are a charity and how every penny matters.  It makes me a tad cheesed off.

Once a charity is big enough to advertise on national telly, they don't need ordinary people money.

Find a small local charity close to where you live and give directly to them.

Evilmags

I just adopted another dog that got abandoned outside my holiday gaff. I've had about 7 so far, most were old so died after a couple of years, but this one is a pup.

ICBM

Cancel your donation and tell them exactly why. There's no other way to get through to the sort of consultants who persuade charities to adopt promotional methods like this - and no doubt get paid for it.

Find a local independent animal shelter and donate the money to them instead.

Exactly what I have done for similar reasons, because the charity I used to donate to sent one of those wankers round to my door to get a Direct Debit, even though I was already signed up.

holnrew

Drew_fx said:

I don't see animals handing out fivers on the high street to me!

Don't see humans doing it either.

spark240

We had exactly this with RSPCA , kept calling us to increase our payment. Cancelled in the end , then the started calling asking why, so we told them and they said oh..ok.

underdog

spark240;377115" said:

We had exactly this with RSPCA , kept calling us to increase our payment.



Cancelled in the end , then the started calling asking why, so we told them and they said oh..ok.

RSPCA are effing hideous as a charity anyway, they build new facilities with more offices and less accommodation for animals, as a result pay salaries for people to fill those offices while killing healthy animals due to lack of space to keep them.

chillidoggy

It seems to me that you're happy to donate, but don't wnat the junk mail, so can you not tell them that? Maybe a phone call could get you off the mailing list?

richardhomer

I must admit, I hate charities spending money on direct marketing - that is not what I want to finance when I make a donation. In the last two weeks, I've had two lots of REALLY sh1te Christmas cards (with an equally crap pen) from the Red Cross which they want me to send them money for.

I buy charity Christmas cards of my choice, from a charity of my choice every year - I don't need coercing into doing this.

I then sign them with my Montblanc fountain pen and feel I've done my bit....