Looking for a charity to support

[samwilliams]

I'm about to undertake a fairly significant charity event, and need to decide on a charity to support. Essentially I want to find one where the money I raise will actually make a significant difference, rather than just be a relatively insignificant contribution to the many millions the larger charities receive. The problem with that is that the smaller charities are less well publicised, and so harder to find out about!

Does anyone have any suggestions as to smaller, less well-known charities?

Thanks

Sam

[aldi]

Go for something local?

[s2k_vixen]

Depends if you want human or animal as well I guess. I would think animal places would be easy to find locally. Not sure how it works if you donate money directly to a hospital say, maybe ring up and find out if you can buy something for them?

[dick dastardly]

None of them. I signed up to PETA and St Johns Ambulance last year thinking it a good thing to do and now every day I receive pleading letters from other charities. One of them obviously sold my details and as such I'll be cancelling the direct debits of them both. They've shot themselves in the foot with that one.

[r5gttgaz]

www.gazs964rsfund.org

[puggit]

I'd say a local animal hostelry would be closest to my heart...

How about something like www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ ?

[pmanson]

Can I suggest - Iain Rennie Hospice at Home

The Director of Nursing is a family friend and Iain Rennie do a lot of sterling work for a great number of people.

[Naughty Magpie]

Air Ambulance

[MrFlibbles]

Make a wish foundation

[samwilliams]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Definitely some things to consider there. I think I'm more inclined to go for something that involves helping people to help themselves, be that in the UK or abroad (such as the last suggestion of Robin Hood Ministries, although I do have reservations of religion-based charities - I've no doubt they do very good work, but they just make me a little uneasy).

Any more recommendations would be wonderful.

Thanks

Sam

[pappa lurve]

What is the event? Perhaps you could mention it on here and get more support.

[Tuna]

Other than the obvious suggestion of the "Charity of Me" (please write cheques payable to cash), the biggest difference can probably be made locally - your council/district counsellor can probably point you at local youth work, children's organisations and so on. You could also ask your local hospital if they have anything specific.

Some of the local charities, that do simple things like providing a place for people to go (whether they're old/ ill/ children whatever) are the least supported, and will always be grateful for help.

I guess it depends on your own situation too - since we've had our kid, it's amazing how much you empathise with other parents who're going through difficult times with ill children. As my mum's got older and has had a few close friends with breast cancer, she's done charity work for that.

Edited by Tuna on Wednesday 2nd August 10:03

[B17NNS]

Air ambulance or RNLI

[nerf]

yeh i'll second the RNLI, especially after that programme on BBC1 last night on the penlee diaster, incredibly brave people.

[percy flage]

I am an animal lover but, as long as there are human charities that need the cash, would never give to animal charities. Unless it was to put them down humanely. If people want to volunteer to do pet rescue (cue footballer jokes) then all well and good, but don't ask me for cash.

[ZR1cliff]

I run for either cancer or childrens charities.

[onomatopoeia]

Another in favour of the RNLI here.

[samwilliams]

Been doing a bit of searching around, and looking at all the suggestions given. It's really difficult to try and choose one to support, because there's a pretty good case for the majority of them. With the RNLI and the Air Ambulance, they're both very well known and well supported (although no doubt could do with more money). Despite having had numerous members of my family die of cancer, I'm quite reluctant to donate money to the cancer charities, particularly the main ones, after having seen how they waste their money on animal research (nothing against animal research - I'm a strong supporter of it - but have first hand experience of where they've undertaken research costing far more than it needed to, simply because they had the money there to spend).

A few of the charities I've picked out while searching through stuff, I'd be interested if anyone has any good (or bad for that matter) comments on them:

Compassion in World Farming Trust
Pets as Therapy
Farm-Africa (although that isn't really in keeping with my 'relatively small' criteria)
Fifteen Foundation (again, has loads of support already, but I just really like the principle of it)
Children with AIDS


As for what the charity event is, I'm going to be rowing across the Atlantic Ocean (by myself). Don't ask me why. It's a silly idea, I know. I just couldn't come up with a decent reason why not. I suppose, based on what the event is, the RNLI could be quite appropriate! Rest assured that, once I get a little bit more stuff organised, I will be badgering everyone on here for sponsorship and whatever I can get off anyone!

Sam

[ali_kat]

B17NNS said:

Air ambulance or RNLI

[ZR1cliff]

onomatopoeia said:

Another in favour of the RNLI here.

Got to admit those RNLI lads and lasses do a sterling 'hands on job' going out in dark rough seas putting their own lives on the line