Charity Begins At Home...

[Culchi]

Every Saturday, it's the same - someone shakes a plastic tin in your face, or rattles a half bucketful of coppers within earshot. Next time, put something in, if you can; you may need it back some day yourself. Give to charities if you can afford to, folks, not only is it tax-deductable, it has a range of other benefits too, including getting rid of all that heavy shrapnel in your pocket. It may not be much, but every little helps and is always greatly appreciated.

Think good things. Say good things. Do good things. Karma.

e2a: Until something better comes along, charities are often all some people have. Until the government admit that if they want total control, they must deal with all social problems and iniquities without bias and to the full satisfaction of its people.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Nettle-Grower

[tange]

it's ok giving money to charities when u got money ) but i dont see them coming to my house or even coming up to me when i got none asking if i'd like some i dont mind giving when i got but dont like to be asked for it on the street as to many now adays only want it for them selfs and nothing to do with any charities

[Culchi]

Only if you can afford it mate is all - sure there's scammers out there, but if you don't get a sticker, ask for your money back - if they're genuine, they won't mind causing a scene in the middle of the street.

[Boojum]

I give to folks worse off than me. I give to RSPCA. I WON'T give to charities that have wankers coming up to you in the street with clipboards (and there's a lot of them in Brighton) - I say to them "How much do they pay you to hassle me ? well fuck off, give them your weekly wage you parasite." Paying folks to morally blackmail people, fuck that. You work for free as a volunteer or you can fuck off.

[tange]

very true m8 and u give to same charity as me i also give to the down syndrome charity (kids) as i know that they really do need help in always apart from money

Edited September 15, 2007 by tange

[Boojum]

Sorry, I sound horrid. I do my bit, I just hate when some fucker comes up to me with a clipboard, cos I know he/she is getting paid. If I give to charity I want my money to go to the charity, not to pay some chancer's wage, that's all I mean.

[Culchi]

Yes - with you on that one Boojum - never give your bank details to strangers in the streets - next thing you know you get begging letters. :wink:

I ended up saving the planet for a couple of minutes by giving Greenpeace a tanner a month and the wife's still waiting on that AK47 from some wee lad in Africa that Amnesty International promised us. I never have much, God help me, but there's no shame in being poor. Charity is an old word that has taken new meaning. These days it means door to door ex-students, but it is also means "mercy". Some people, myself included perhaps, need to be more merciful in their approach. I mean no disrespect to the wonderful work that charities do and admire people who are committed to worthwhile causes, rather than committee-ed. The world is falling apart at the seams, everywhere is chaos, and the bureaucrats want to keep a copy? Anyway, I've diversing, sorry. Worthwhile charities, I suppose are what one would deem a "good cause". The "Home for Wayward Ladies" is usually a good starting point, but they done away with those in favour of council flats. If it is one to end or at least appease suffering, human or otherwise, I don't mind dipping me hand in me pocket and seeing what treasures I can find. Try to hold onto the gold ones though - paper? bloody luxury.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Nettle-Grower

[Boojum]

One way I help is purely selfish, but I hope it helps. I buy all my clothes from charity shops. I buy most of my books from charity shops. I buy about 10 books a fortnight from charity shops, widens my horizons too cos a lot of the books I wouldn't buy if I was in a bookshop looking for books. I take a bag full of books to the charity shop about once a month. May not be much, but I hope my quid a book & my bags full of books I've read do summat. That's really the best I can do, being on benefit. Makes me feel better, I hope it helps.

Edited to add charity shops are brilliant for books. Not necessarily the books you want, but you'll always find something in there. I spend hours trawling through the charity shops in Brighton, there's loads of them. Not cos I'm a good person, just cos you can find loads of books for a quid or less.

Edited again to say shop in your local charity shop, it makes sense. That's not being good. DONATE to your local charity shop, that's good. Owt you got you don't use, take it to the charity shop,they can use it. All I got is books, but if it's read, it's in a bag to take to the charity shop, with a few exceptions (my sandman comics are my prize posessions), owt else gets bagged & taken to the charity shop. Do it

Edited September 15, 2007 by Boojum

[Culchi]

Charity Shops? - they're real treasure troves - I know a lot of the antiques dealers and other scammers scan the places - some old dear's rubies, in a box, for 25p? Better than mugging her for them...

[Boojum]

I just go in there for books. I've got some treasures too. A Spike Milligan autobiography with full page photos (a4 size book) for £1.50. And my treasure, an autobiography of Oliver Postgate (my childhood hero, he's the guy who made Noggin The Nog, Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor The Engine etc, totally my hero) for 50p, never seen it anywhere else. Lovely book.

But you give what you get, I've given my whole Terry Pratchett collection. Gotta give back. That's what it's about.

Edited to add looking at my shelf now, got a bag full. Only things I won't give are my fabulous Furry Freak Bros & my Sandman.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Boojum

[Culchi]

I liked Spike Milligan - a very funny man. My cousin used to read his books, but I wasn't old or bright enough to understand them, so didn't inherit them the same way I did his other stuff he'd outgrew, or broke. I still remember the Jack Nicholas Golf Set, with no clubs and feel uneasy when someone mentions cordoroy. Bagpuss? Bagpuss was just a saggy old cloth cat, but Emily loved him.

[Boojum]

Spike is probably my ultimate hero. Proper manic depressive, poor bugger got taken into mental hospitals before they got a clue and stopped torturing people. I can really relate to his comedy cos I know where it comes from. Had a hellish life Makes it all the more incredible that he could laugh, would have broken most people.

[Culchi]

Maybe the line between genius and insanity does not truly exist. RIP Spike.

[powerband]

Sorry, I sound horrid. I do my bit, I just hate when some fucker comes up to me with a clipboard, cos I know he/she is getting paid. If I give to charity I want my money to go to the charity, not to pay some chancer's wage, that's all I mean.

God aint that so true! Hate to give to a charity knowing that what you give wont get there.....

We had a leaflet thru the door the other day for clothing... normally you get a collection bag etc.

After reading the leaflet carefully I seen in small print that this clothing would be " affordable" clothing for eastern european countries AFFORDABLE! What does that mean? Are they gonna sell them on to peeps who are down on their luck? Tosh!!

My charity consists of collecting all the neighbours old sox and newspapers etc and taking them to the dogs home. Then at least you know that what you give gets used!

Ms Powerband

[Baba Ku]

Do , repeat, do not, sign up for a direct debit or give any money to those people in the street with the tabards and clipboards. A mate of mine used to work for a company that ran 'teams' of people who did that job, and what he told me was a real eye opener.

While these people are genuine, the fact is that it takes around 18 months of tenner a month direct debits till any of your dosh acutally gets to the charity concerned. The person with the clipboard gets forty quid for every person they sign up. their team leader then gets 40 quid. The company organising the teams charges the charity a hundered quid in 'admin charges'. So the the first hundered and eighty quid, or eighteen months direct debits go to the company the charity has to pay to sign you up.

I have to say I was gobsmacked when my mate explained this. He started out with a clipboard himself, but got promoted to team leader after a year, and was encouraged to use any tactic he needed to get as many people as possible to take the job. they have a huge drop out rate, becasue it's commision only, and it's hard work parting people from thier dosh. He used to run about three different teams of around ten people at a time, and made very good money most weeks. His boss apparently ran around in a Porsche Boxter and consumed large amounts of Columbian Marching Powder. A lot of people cancel the direct debit after a year, so the charities can actually lose money.

So don't sign up to a direct debit scheme unless it's on the charities website and you feel sure they are getting all or your money.