Monday 30 June 2014

Is your Charity reaching the right people - be extra careful this Ramadan!

According to reports Muslims in the UK donated over 100 million to charities last Ramadan. This was a conservative estimate that did not include donations to local mosques, private charity and donations to non-Muslim charities.

Unfortunately, not every penny given for charity reaches the deserving. Whilst most of the charities are legitimate and work hard to make your charitable pennies work harder, there are those who do not hesitate to exploit the generosity of others even in this holy month.

Charity Commission in the UK have listed the following top ten tips to help you make the right choice when donating your money for the good causes.
Presence of a Registered Charity number on a website/brochure/letter from a charity is not evidence that a charity is legitimate. Please check the charity's name and registration number against the online charity search tool.
  1. Before giving, check the charity's name and registration number against the online charity search tool: Find a charity - register of charities
  2. Fundraisers require a licence from the local authority (or the Police in London) to collect in a public place. Check that they have this. If the collection is in a privately owned place, check that they have the owner's permission.
  3. When approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed.
  4. If in doubt, ask the collector for more information - a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity.
  5. Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity's name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.
  6. Make sure when you give to radio and television appeals that the process is secure. Ofcom lists the rules for radio and television charity appeals on its website: Licensing - Ofcom website
  7. Take care when responding to emails or clicking links to a charity's website to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, search online for your chosen charity to check you have the right web address. For further guidance see: Guidance for donors - Get Safe Online
  8. Carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to ascertain whether they are from a genuine charity.
  9. After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and inform the Charity Commission: Action Fraud - Police
  10. Don't be pressurised to give to a collection immediately. If in any doubt, donate directly to charity.
Charity's Commission has also produced this very useful video to help avoid giving your charity to wrong people and charities.


More information and advice is available from Charities Commission http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/