09 Mar 2015

A question about : Charities Board Welcome and The Rules

Welcome to the MoneySavingExpert Charity Board

The aim of this is to do anything and everything to help charities, so that collectively others can benefit too.

Already by using this site charities are being helped as there's a substantial charities fund. Also do read the 'Charity Giving' and 'Feed The Starving At No Cost To You' articles.

I decided to start this board as a place where people looking for sponsorship or posting to help charities can do so. Previously these links were banned, but I understand the popularity. However I dont want this to be open to abuse.

To be on this board posts must obey the following rules:

1. Any links must benefit a UK registered charity. The details of the charity number and link to the website must be given.

2. Any sponsorship links must go via the legitimate online charity sponsorship sources such as Justgiving. Direct soliciting for money or sponsorship by any other method isn't permitted as it would be open to abuse.

3. Absolutely no links for personal gain may be posted..... even if the money will be split with a charity..... or even if you 'promise to give all the cash to charity'. There is no way to prove this so it will be deleted.

4. No soliciting for money for any individual will be permitted.

5. We will err on the side of caution, the last thing we want is someone scamming people here.

Now I don't want to sound draconian. This should work well, but it's to benefit genuine, legitimate, mainstream charities. Anything that deviates won't be permitted, it's simply too open to abuse.

I'm initially (April 2006) opening this board as a trial to see (fingers crossed) how it goes.

Martin

PS for posting about how to organise charities this isn't the board please see the Small Biz and Charity Organisers' Board.

Best answers:

  • Tip-Top idea, Martin, and thanks. I'm always delighted at reading how generous many MSEs are. And even though I've never, AFAIK, met any of you, I always talk about "my MSE friends" when I'm boring DH with snippets of useful info gleaned from the boards.
    Just one query over the rules for this board:
    Quote:
  • Martin
    We give away our fee to charity if we win less than Ј500 for people who use us to complain about their financial institution. This is all on our website with details how to donate the fee to ensure it reaches the charity chosen. How can I tell people about this or provide links without 'scamming'
  • With regards not having a website, yes your solution is very acceptible, the aim of that rule is to make it easier to check the 'legitimacy' if there's no website the other basic details will be fine.
    Defender of the week. I'm sorry yours is a product that is not defined for charity but does it as a by product, thus this isn't the right board for it. Sorry. The right place is within the referrers board.
    martin
  • Thank you for your time in setting up this charity forum - I am well convinced that the use of the web has a great future for charities, especially the smaller lesser known ones. However, as you mention vigilence is needed to prevent scams and misuse. Since setting up my site last year we have received unwelcome Email from some very unscrupulous people.
    I will use the forum for my own charity project.
  • What an excellent addition to the forums.
    I have a question, what about somewhere like a privately run animal sanctuary, where any money received is guaranteed to go to the running of the place? Would that be something I could talk about here or would it be 'scamming'?
    Thanks ever so much for any response.
  • Thanks, I thought that would probably be the case.
    I have nothing to do with the running of the sanctuary, I just ahve a standing order to support it every month. Maybe I should mention to them about becoming a charity.
    I will have to do some research on it beforehand though. Thanks again.
  • Hi
    I definitely wouldn't call it scamming, sounds like its a great thing. However it wouldn't be placed on the boards. The problem is (and i hasten to add i am by no means saying its this case) if a charity isn't registered and doesn't check out and the link the correct one, then someone could try to be conning people. There simply aren't the resources to legit check every link so the rules have been simplified.
    Definitely worth talking to the animal sanctury people about becoming a charity, it isn't too difficult
    martin
  • I do agree with Martin on this one (would I dare disagree? ) - while there are many excellent Not for Profit (NFP) organisations out there it is far harder to check their credentials than it is with ANY registered charity, however small it is. As I said, we don't have a website, but our accounts are available online via the Charity Commission website.
    And while being a registered charity does not completely rule out the possibility of abuse, the necessity for having
    a) a constitution or governing document which sets out the charity's aims, and
    b) a group of trustees who must always act in accordance with those aims and the best interests of the charity
    does make it harder to go 'off the rails'. As long as the trustees do their job, that is!
    There may be reasons why a group decides NOT to go down the registered charity route, and I believe the Charities Commission does encourage you to check whether there's an existing charity whose aims meet your own, BUT there are many advantages, not least the ability to ask for donations to be Gift Aided!
  • Hi
    I'm running the Cancer Research UK 5k Race for Life in Stormont Estate, Belfast on 4th June. Can I post the link here if anyone would like to sponsor me? The link goes directly to the webpage that Cancer Research gave me and any money donated goes directly to Cancer Research through their online secure sponsorship. Nothing comes through me at all. I just want to check it's ok to post the link.
    Ta
  • I'm something of a newbie, but have seen references to the MSE charity fund. Having got a referral for an A&L account, from someone on this forum who kindly offered to pay back most of their end of the deal, I would like to pay some of it towards the MSE charity fund. How can I do so?
  • Quote And while being a registered charity does not completely rule out the possibility of abuse, the necessity for having
    a) a constitution or governing document which sets out the charity's aims, and
    b) a group of trustees who must always act in accordance with those aims and the best interests of the charity
    does make it harder to go 'off the rails'. As long as the trustees do their job, that is!
    unquote
    Tho we are not a registered charity we have been in existance for 10 years and have our own website, as well as all of the above. Yet my post requesting people to ocntact us if they were intersted in doing a parachute jump was removed??
    Its always the big charities who get the most support, when us smaller organisations who have no paid staff (unlike most charities), i think you should reconsider listing voluntary organisations that do have constitutions and comiittees etc, as they are always the ones that need the most help and have the unpaid workers!! Under the freedom of information act you can request information from us about any of our work including accounts etc, so you can also easily check out voluntary orgs, but once again we are discriminated against!!
  • Hi there, as per my pm I have referred this across to the team and will defer to their decision. However Martin was quite clear that this is the charity board and specifically said:
    1. Any links must benefit a UK registered charity. The details of the charity number and link to the website must be given.
    I understand the politics of this having an association with a voluntary group that cannot obtain charitiable status, but the rules seem clear to me.
    Also, the original post asked for direct contact by pm, which is actually against site rules.
    We can only wait for a moderator decision on this as I can't over rule Martin's regulations as I am only a BG.
    Soo
  • Ok, i await their response, but do hope that this registered charity situation can be looked at. If a voluntary org are able to provide a constitution, committee details and any other identifying details, including website etc, they ought to be allowed to post requests, as I say its always us that have to really work so hard for no wages to get funding, whereas the bigger guys get the recognition and funding!!
    You do not have to be a registered charity to apply for all the lottery funding and most other funds, as long as you are not for profit, have a constitution and a committee, you are treated no differently to a registered charity, which is how it should be. We have nothing to benefit from becoming registered, but there are cost implications, not to mention time implications, our time is better spent helping the thousands of families we work with, rather than reams of paperwork.
    i am happy not to request PMs, but to put website details in the posting.
  • novelli, I understand why Martin said what he said as if voluntary groups are allowed then someone has to decide which should be posted and which can't, which makes far too much work for this board.
    Your group may be fine, but what if someone else wants to post a quasi Political group if we allow one we allow them all , what about extremist groups, who will monitor what is allowed and what is not? At least setting a rule where they must be a charity makes it easier for me as a BG to say yes or no, I don't have to make any decisions based on my own personal feelings which would of course be exceeding my remit anyway as I am supposed to merely keep the board tidy and on thread.
    Can I make another suggestion? Repost over in the MSE arms and open up it up for a full discussion.
    Soo
  • Hi
    soolin's said it for us really. Like you novelli it's simply a matter of funds. The site doesn't have the resources to pay for a team that could monitor the increased number of threads and we'd never ask the BGs to take on such a task so Martin had to draw a line.
    Andrea
  • Novelli. Your point is well made. However this board was an attempt to help the many people who want to help out charities. While voluntary organisations do a lot of good - there is no easy and effective way to police it and it could result in people spamming.
    With a charity, the charities commission does the basic policing. Im really sorry not to be able to help, but please remember this boards only just been born.... in the past even charities couldn't post
    martin
  • I do understand what you r saying, but once again its those who need it the most that lose out!!
    If anyone thinks for one second that ALL registered charities play by the rules and are never ever dodgy, then u are very sadley mistaken.
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