Millions of householders are being conned when donating clothing to door-to-door charity bag collectors, it was claimed yesterday.
Only 30 per cent of items handed over actually stand a chance of ending up in high street charity shops, said the British Heart Foundation.The rest?
Instead, most of the clothes are sold abroad for private profit, the BHF warned.Yup, they get sold off to (usually) overseas companies, and the charity gets a tiny percentage of the value.
I’ve often wondered if the Africans who descend on our local boot sales like locusts buying up second-hand clothes by the binbag-full are doing the same…
The trade had led to an estimated loss of donations direct to BHF shops worth £4.6million in the past two years, it said.That’s why, whenever we get a leaflet through the door ostensibly from a charity and begging for donations of clothes and other items, I check it out.
Nine times out of ten, it’s dodgy. So I drop a bagful off at our local BHF shop when I’m doing the shopping instead. And I never use those clothes donation points in supermarket car parks.
Mike Lucas, retail director for the BHF, said: ‘…Although this is a legal way to raise money, companies working for commercial gain are a huge problem for charities with high street shops.
'BHF shops do not work with these companies and because of this 100 per cent of the profits made from charity bag donations stay with the charity - helping us continue our lifesaving work.'And it’s why you – and the PDSA, who also has an easily-accessible shop – are the only ones I’ll countenance giving donations of clothes to, directly.
17 comments:
Whilst the BHF continue to campaign for an opt-out policy with regards to organ donation I will refuse to give them any donations of any type.
Me too. And they can stop giving money to Ash.
A point well worth raising. This one's had me annoyed for some time too.
Leaving aside the problematical nature of donations to known charities, locally we've seen a proliferation of bags with attached leaflets exhorting us to 'Support our Kiddies Charity' or 'Help Sick Kids', liberally sprinkled with phrases like 'God will reward you for your goodness' but with no Registered Charity Commission number; as you say, 'dodgy'.
BTW, in case anyone out there doesn't know, BHF has a gift-aid system (as do many charity shops; you fill in a form that enables them to claim back tax on the purchase price of items if you put your reference number on the bag.
There is a huge market for second-hand clothing in Africa. In Zambia, where I am from, this trade is called salaula (pronounced sala ula) The vendors make fortunes, and they buy their stock from the dodgy UK companies who do door-step collections!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaula
This doesn't apply if your preference is for your charitable donations to go to the BHF. However, one of the problems with donation of clothes to charities which distribute them in the Third World is that this kills off the local market. It might well be economically better for the Third World that donated clothes are sold there, stimulating trade rather than removing customers for locally produced garments. Generating a string of private profits from here to Ouagadougou might be the best thing you could do if you want to help people in the Third World longer term.
Oh I don't know. I find those collection bags really useful for emptying the cat litter tray.
With the welfare of my fellow man in mind, front entrance doors at the homes of politicians and public servants should bear a red cross, painted in the particular residents' blood, so genuine charities can avoid collecting heavily infested vestments.
Any free offers from such sources ought to be made a criminal offence.
After giving further thought to the welfare of my fellow man, the aforementioned properties should be painted in their entirety with residents' blood....just to be sure.
It's pretty obvious round our way that every local 'merchant' will sooner or later shove a tatty leaflet through your door to raise money for a wide variety of supposed charities, but the clothes you donate will often end up in the local market.
But I do feel extra pissed at the leaflets with that strange foreign writing on, imploring the locals who can't be arsed with English to make their donation too.
All such collection bags which come through my door are immediately "recycled" as liners in my kitchen bin ..
And fuck the Africans & all the rest of 'em ..
I do donate some items to the RNLI but deliver them directly & in person ..
BHF sends chuggers round the houses to harrass them on their doorstep, trying to make a mint begging (whilst probably checking out your home for burgleabilty)
As all the other 'charity' PR companies that use misery porn to get hold of folks' wallets, BHF are not a charity but a gang of well-paid professional thieves who are dipping their fingers in the till.
If it's paying 'wages', it's a company, not a charity...
Either flog it on Ebay or bin it, don't feed the beasts...!
Free bin bags and leaflets to shred for cat litter ? Yes please.
Really? And I thought those nice brown easter european types were working for charideee. God, the naivety in this bloody country is staggering.
I donate animal food. It's the only way I can feel sure the bastards aren't using donations to pay members of the parasite class.
"Whilst the BHF continue to campaign for an opt-out policy with regards to organ donation I will refuse to give them any donations of any type."
It's a tricky one, agreed. But they are closest to the car park! :)
"...but with no Registered Charity Commission number.."
First thing I look for! Sadly, no guarantee of 'non-dodginess' any more...
"There is a huge market for second-hand clothing in Africa. "
At first, I thought they were buying them for family back home, but then realised they never, EVER looked at sizes.
"...one of the problems with donation of clothes to charities which distribute them in the Third World is that this kills off the local market."
Good point.
"Either flog it on Ebay or bin it, don't feed the beasts...!"
I can't bear to throw anything usable out, thought. And I can't abide the hassle of eBay!
"I donate animal food."
Me too! When they've got a good offer on in a supermarket, I buy extra and take it round my local shelter-cum-foster place. They are always gratefully received.
Of course BHF have managed to piss off loads of other charities who use collection agencies rather than their own staff. Indeed, smaller charities who can't afford to run their own system would be forced out of the market were BHF to get the new rules they want.
Give clothes to a charity or to a commercial company? Difficult.
One takes the clothes and sells them making a profit, keeps some of it for itself and passes on the rest to a third party to do some good with.
The other does the same.
Basically one organisation is finding some problems running it's charity and make a big hoo-ha about it as if it's eeeeevil for commercial companies to make a profit in selling second hand clothes.
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