Choosing a charity - Spring Marathon

Capricorn

09/10/2006 at 20:26

I've got a GFA place for next year and want to run for a charity on my terms - i.e. raise what I can, without commiting to £1500+ sponsership.
The company I work for has 2 nominated charities which they support so I approached the fund raising committee to say I interested in running for one of these charities. I was told that I would still need to raise £1000 to run for them although I wouldn't have to pay the £100 registration as I had my own place !!!

Isn't that a bit of a cheek ? Aren't I doing them the favour by raising money for them - and then they still demand a minimum amount ! I'm not looking for a free mountain bike or a pasta party, I simply want to raise money for a good cause, without the pressure of a minimum amount.
Or is this just the way charities work ?

I've run for Unicef before and they were just happy to get what I had raised.

Plodding Hippo

09/10/2006 at 20:29

Capricorn

just do your own sponsorship then, and give them the monety after
they wont say no

running blade

09/10/2006 at 20:38

I think you should pick a different charity

this is one of the reasons I stopped raising funds for charities at races

it seemed the more you gave the more they wanted

so just run for myself know

evening PH

Plodding Hippo

09/10/2006 at 20:40

hello TC

i do see your point

Capricorn

09/10/2006 at 20:59

I'm going to try Scope (because my baby niece has severe cerebral palsy so I have a personal interest there) and if they're also like that I'll take up TC's point of view and forget about charities.

Leighton Williams.

09/10/2006 at 20:59

Capricorn,

choose a different charity. If you go ahead and run for this charity, and raise their minimum amount then all you are doing is supporting their system.

Plodding Hippo

09/10/2006 at 21:01

I still dont see why you canyt just riase what money you can-without charity support, then just give the dosh to the charity you want

youve said you dont need anything else

dont do it officially

Ultracat

09/10/2006 at 21:22

Interesting, I had thought of trying to raise some money for charity if I got in through the ballot for next year, its my 5th attempt (I think) not sure I will now.

cougie

pirate

09/10/2006 at 22:28

I think someone at the charity has got their wires crossed. There can't be a minimum if you have your own place.

Speak to someone else there - maybe its run by volunteers and not professionals.

--amadeus--

09/10/2006 at 23:12

I raised money for Cancer Research, not for FLM but another marathon with no minimum amount. They were ok before hand - fundraising pack but no goodies (which is fine - I want money raised to go to Cancer Research not a fancy goodie bag for runners). But after the race I heard literally nothing for a couple of weeks and then I got a vaguely threatening letter demanding that I send in all teh money I had raised (which I had already done, through JustGiving). After that - nothing at all. Apart from occasional e-mails asking me to run again.

The next time I ran for a really small local charity. I could see the difference the money made with my own eyes and there was genuine gratitude for the effort that went in.

Now I don't expect a parade and a brass band but raising a couple of grand is bloody hard work and a thank you would be nice. Trouble is that the big charities are big business now, raising millions from hundreds of thousands of people and we're all just cogs in a big machine. I personaly won't raise money for a "corporate" charity again.

Cinders

09/10/2006 at 23:34

Whenever I've raised money its gone to a local and personal charity, either cancer or the hospice where my dad was cared for and I just sent the money after the run, usually getting a lovely reply and thanks. Prefer to do smaller ones than the big boys.

Eternal Plodder (aka IBM)

10/10/2006 at 00:01

After I sent the money off for the RFL last year I had phonecalls asking me to to donate a minimum amount of £25 a month, when I said no they got really stroppy and asked me to donate a one off sum. When I said no to that they asked for friends names who might be interested in donating.

Duck Girl

pirate

10/10/2006 at 00:31

Big charities are run like big buisnesses 'cos they have to be - that's how they raise the most funds. If employing 'chuggers', or phoning people from call centres, or whatever, proves effective, then that's what they'll do.
unfortunately then that means that there's a bit less money to go round for small, local, or volunteer-run charities, and when you do do something voluntary then people tend to assume you are getting paid for it so give less - i'm a trustee of a small volunteer-run charity & when i do things like standing around in the street with buckets then more & more people will ask 'are you being paid for this' first, or just won't give at all.

<commercial break>
if you're interested in running to finish off a badly-needed children's outpatent's department for a psychatric hospital in Calcutta (the only one accessible to most of West Bengal), please drop me an email - 100% volunteer-run, no freebies, but lots of encouragement from an enthusiastic committee with both very serious & 'fun' runners.
</commercial break>

Roobarb

10/10/2006 at 08:23

IDG - I fundraise for the hospice that looked after my dad and do street collections too. We have badges which actually state we are volunteers which helps.

Capricorn

10/10/2006 at 08:51

Thanks for the responses - seems the answer is definitely to go for a small, local charity and avoid the big "corporates", which I will do.
Does anyone know how justgiving works - do you set it up yourself or does the charity do it up for you, and if so would smaller, non-corporate charities be able to ?

Plodding Hippo

10/10/2006 at 08:52

you can quite happily set it up yourself capricorn

but
the site does charge the charity for its services-so not all the little charities use it

10/10/2006 at 08:58

I prefer to give to charities of my choice by standing order. There are two that mean a lot to me and that's how I support them. It leaves me free of the stress of Raising Money, and leaves my friends, colleagues and neighbours free of the stress of either forking out repeatedly or saying no. If people wonder why my name rarely appears on their Just Giving pages - well, that's why. I can't afford to give to everyone that asks. So when I do, I do it anonymously. I hate the whole guilt/bullying thing that surrounds charity giving - as Meldy said earlier, it feels like you're being held to ransom.

Plodding Hippo

10/10/2006 at 09:03

I have a lot of sympathy with that viewpoint Jj
I will only fundraise once a year(and get sick of ppeole asking me with every mara who i am raisng money for)
and yes, most of my regular stuff is via standing order

Slugsta

10/10/2006 at 09:24

The smaller, local charities don't tend to get GB places so will be very glad of your support.

Jj, I too have a lot of sympathy with your attitude. I tend to keep a small 'kitty' (not a leopard!) for ad hoc donations but also have some on standing order.

Although I had a GB place for FLM this year, I did promise my friends and family that this would be a 'one off' event.

Susie-sarus

10/10/2006 at 11:04

I had my own place in 2005 and ran for Wateraid. They didn't ask for a mimimum amount and were really nice. I was treated the same as the 'bond' runners and I got a running vest and a congratulations card for finishing in the post a few days after the race. I was invited to a post race massage/meal or something similar - but I just wanted to get home.
Since '05 Wateraid have invited me to be in their FLM team and I'm sure a minimum amount would apply. I would love to run FLM again but know I would struggle to raise much above £500 so for the benefit of the charity I have decided to let other people haver their places.
FLM is a really big fundraising event for charities, and they have to make the most of it. I know during mile 1 of the race I realised that's what it's all about really - the crowds that support you all the way along feel good because of the good causes - not my PB!