How to Donate to Charities without Handing over Personal Details and Contact Info?

eggboi on 23/06/2021 - 12:00

I would like to donate more money to charity, however I find that I stop myself every time I'm about to do it, simply because one of the following is very likely:

  • all my money will be wasted simply harassing me for more money via every contact method under the sun
  • my info will be shared with other charities and they will harass me for money
  • my details will be exposed in a database hack (as happened to Oxfam recently)

I just want to give money to various charities occasionally, without receiving a mountain of scam calls and demands for more money / regular donation plans etc.

How do you guys do it?

Financial

Comments

  • Xistn on 23/06/2021 - 12:03
    +6

    You can donate to me, I won't ask for your details.

  • contrafibularities on 23/06/2021 - 12:05
    +3

    I do it through my work payroll, it comes out of pre tax dollars which is handy and I never receive any spam from the charity in question. Mind you I don’t get any thank yous either.

  • spal on 23/06/2021 - 12:14
    +1

    Donate in cash to at their stores/locations. They will issue you tax deductible receipt. There will be some not for profit who do not capture donor information, like CFA and SES. I am connected with Vic SES, so I know we don't.

    • kerfuffle on 23/06/2021 - 12:48

      Not the ones that have those NFC tapping ones, but pretty sure your bank statement will suffice in lieu of a tax deductible receipt

  • MS Paint on 23/06/2021 - 12:39
    +7

    Next food shop buy extra tin food. On the way home drop off extra food to your local food bank / neighbourhood house.

    You will be personally thanked by a volunteer, feel rewarded and know 100% of your donation is going where it is needed.

    Source: do this once a month (and they don't care if it's Aldi branded)

    • dmbminaret on 23/06/2021 - 16:17
      +1

      Or you could send a prime order of grocery items to them I guess.

    • Autonomic on 24/06/2021 - 10:22
      +2

      It's a good idea but foodbanks can do significantly more with cash than they can with food directly. According to my local one they can turn $1 into approx. $6 of food.

      • MS Paint on 24/06/2021 - 10:27

        My local neighbourhood house allows walk-ins for those struggling to buy food (regional town). Whatever is dropped off is usually packaged up and given away within a few days. Unfortunately demand is typically higher than supply.

        I imagine with services that provide prepared / cooked meals that cash would be better.

        • Autonomic on 24/06/2021 - 11:46

          Your best bet is to ask them directly. I'm sure they have connections and sources to get food cheaper. I know some foodbanks can get access to free food as long as they pay transport costs, for example.

  • RoosterBooster on 23/06/2021 - 13:22
    +2

    Interested to know other peoples solutions too. My mum used to give regular donations to a particular charity. Despite it being a reasonably generous amount, they would call, email and send letters in the mail asking for more. She stated that that was the most she could give and kindly asked they stopped hounding her for more. In the end she had to withdraw from donating to them as they continued to ask for more.

    On the other hand, dad gave a one off donation to a charity a while back and they continually ring to ask for more. They should be grateful and accept the generosity that was donated to them. These points you have raised are a valid reason why my parents are reluctant to continue donating to more charities. I hope to be in a position myself to do the same one day but would also not want to be harassed for more than I am willing or able to give.

    • eggboi on 23/06/2021 - 14:51
      +2

      Unfortunately they do this because those who already give are far more likely to give more than those who don’t give anything. But I agree, it’s very annoying and not very ethical.

      • MS Paint on 23/06/2021 - 16:21
        +1

        And those people ringing (in most cases) are taking a percentage of the donation for themselves. That's why they hound you. There is no ethics just a car repayment due shortly.

  • tsunamisurfer on 23/06/2021 - 13:27
    +5

    Do not ever give to charity drives done through Appco and such companies.

    The amount of commissions given to these companies is astounding.

    • eggboi on 23/06/2021 - 14:52

      And the only way they recoup their marketing expenses is to then harass those donors for more money now that they have their details.

  • rektrading on 23/06/2021 - 14:57

    Find charities that accept digital assets.

    https://donate-a-bit.org/country/australia/

  • tonka on 23/06/2021 - 15:08
    +2

    Use it as an opportunity, make the donation but don't give 'your' phone number. Maybe you got burnt someone you dated or an ex-manager, the charity will kindly provide a service of ringing regularly to remind them of your name.

  • Traveller107 on 23/06/2021 - 15:15
    +4

    We've been making substantial donations to rspca and awlq online for a decade now. They have been very appreciative and respectful all along.
    We never recieved unwanted or spam calls or emails. However, we have recieved handwritten thank you cards once every year and their annual calender in post for free every year(You can opt out of it by just informing them).
    Cheers

  • Smiley82 on 23/06/2021 - 15:51

    Aside from just being a nice person and donating - what are you wanting to get out of the donation process. These would be my questions for you:

    Do you just want acknowledgment? A nice thank you card? Or are you wanting to be anonymous but feel like your donation made a difference? Just want the tax deduction?

    What size of donation are we talking about, $50? $500? $1000 - More?

    Do you want something achieved with your donation, or are you happy for it to be utilised however the organisation sees fit?

    Do you have a particular type of charity or purpose you're trying to benefit (i.e. homelessness, animals, domestic violence, children, literacy etc).

    Even a small donation given well can make a huge benefit on the front line of a charity, but will be swallowed by a head office and may not achieve what you'd hoped for. But ultimately all charities have administration costs and these also need to be covered. Work out what you're trying to achieve, and then try and target it. I guarantee a front line recipient also won't harrass you like a back office corporate fundraising team.

    Examples of targeted donations I've seen:

    $1000 for booklet printing for domestic violence workshops
    $500-$1000 for facilitation/art supplies to run an art therapy workshop
    Donation of tools/bicycles/parts for a bike mechanics course

    You could contact your local school breakfast club and donate supplies or cash for groceries. Contact your local school chaplain and ask them what they need.

    So many ways of giving, that will have a real impact. You just have to have a think about it.

    • Smiley82 on 23/06/2021 - 16:06
      +1

      Also, while end of financial year might be a great time for you to donate - it is not a great time for charities.

      The funds have to be recognised when they are received, and without any conditions attached to the donation, they can't be rolled forward and used in a future financial period. So they form part of the current year financial result.

      Each charity will have a different way these are handled, some may have a fund to draw down from in future periods, others will simply include that number in the current year donations and that's the end of it.

      The simplest way around this is to work with your front line recipient to attach small conditions to your donation so that they can continue to access it in the future. An email is all it takes, you can even ask them what they need it to say.

      It can be as simple as: 'The donation of $1000 is to run art courses in 2021'. If the art courses haven't been run, the donation can be rolled forward into the next financial year and utilised as intended.

      • Autonomic on 24/06/2021 - 10:25

        Does this apply to big charities such as MSF and Red Cross as well? I do my donating at EOFY.

    • eggboi on 23/06/2021 - 22:39
      +1

      All great questions and a refreshing approach. Thanks for the food for thought!

      • Smiley82 on 24/06/2021 - 07:55

        No worries. I've worked in the not for profit industry for nearly a decade, so I've seen a lot - both good and bad unfortunately.

  • miwahni on 23/06/2021 - 21:58

    Maybe look for a smaller charity? I have a regular donation to a couple of smallish volunteer-run organisations and while I receive regular newsletters from both, I never get the calls or requests for more.

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