Donating money to charity, and raising money for charity are both activities that require rather more thought, consideration and assessment than they seem to get. Activities associated with the raising of money vary considerably - some take effort, some are linked to entertainment, and some are simply lazy begging efforts. When something is supposedly "for charity", it is somehow automatically given a status that means everyone should blindly go with the flow, whether that's via contribution of general commendation. In the name of charity, we are exposed to:
Bucket rattling - fine if you don't give via other avenues and you want to deal in cash
Numerous TV adverts pleading for a text to donate £2, £3, £5, or in the case of the Salvation Army at Christmas, £19 !
Chuggers [charity muggers, seeking a DD mandate] who are basically sales people on commission
People running for life - in their thousands - all wanting sponsorship
Begging adverts on television, to sponsor children, 3rd World schooling, animals, water supply and a fair few other things
Sponsored silliness - and request to help "Trudie in Accounts raise money for Veruka Awareness"
Poor television quiz shows where 'celebrities' try to win money "for charity"
Anything that plays on emotions to deal with Cancer.
The incessant drive for getting donations is ubiquitous. With relentless cajoling, we are all expected to say 'yes' and donate, whatever the cause, because it's "for charity". There are of course, as well as the national and regional efforts of big charities, the non-stop money-raising efforts at local level, via fun runs, walks, swimming - you name it. These are for Cubs, Scouts, Schools, Sports Clubs, Churches, Conservation, and a thousand other things. Then, there's the percentage taken from lottery tickets.
Charities themselves are strange entities, with many seemingly oblivious to public perception, and exposed as rather more concerned with maintaining their own existence than in the causes they are supposed to champion. Hardly surprising, then, to find that the Red Nose mob takes £97,000,000 per year in running costs. Then we hear that Children in need has £90,000,000 in its reserves. The RSPB spends just a quarter of its money on actually helping birds. There are so many examples it is embarrassing.
The latest fiasco has highlighted further problems that we really ought to know about, at Barnados. This is a company (charity, yes, but in effect, a company) which has just sanctioned its new HQ at a cost of £12million. If this is not a complete abuse of those who donate to this 'good cause', then I am a cunting Dutchman (and I am British). There can be NO justification at all for this scale of outrageous spending on nothing to do with kids at all!
This was announced/confirmed, just after the story that allowed us all to learn of the £20,000 given to Binky Felstead, to "promote" the charity. Fucking disgraceful. The fact that Binky (and you are allowed a snigger at this ludicrous tag) was giving her fee to charity (another one) was proof that she was rather less of a problem than the trustees of Barnardos, who sanctioned this level os spending to "promote the charity".
If there is any more proof needed that giving to charity is fraught with problems, dilemmas and hazards, then you are deluded indeed.
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