I had a doorstep call today from a bright young lady wearing a British Heart Foundation outfit. I was being encouraged to sign up for 'only' £2 per week. Now let me say that I am not totally uncharitable, but alarm bells started ringing since the sales pitch seemed eerily similar to that of high street chuggers (charity muggers).

I asked whether she was a 'chugger', and to her credit she admitted to working for an intermediary fund-raising company, even though she was wearing a BHF outfit. When I asked how many weeks of my possible donation would be taken by the fundraising company before the charity received any money, she was unable to answer, nor able to say how much the Directors of her company were paid.  A little bit of googling gave the answer that the charity wouldn't receive any money until about 18 months donation have been taken (for signing me up for £2 per week, the intermediary company would receive £150 !!). The charity has to pay this, even if I cancelled my direct debit the next day. 

All this makes me even more cynical about the professional charity industry. If I give, it will be to the recipient, not via some fat cat company leeching off the gullible. Far better to give in secret and directly to those who benefit.

You have been warned. 

What an absolute disgrace Edward and thank you for giving us the heads up. I hope the members take note and pass it to as many friends as they can.

Well done Edward!

If I open my door and it's anyone I don't know, with the exception of delivery drivers who normally have a van, before they have their mouth even half open I say "no thanks" and shut the door. I have no time for doorstep sellers, doorstep charities or doorstep religion.

If I want to donate to charity, I will do so directly and then it's only to the deserving causes who might benefit me and mine, Air Ambluance, RNLI etc. I have never and will never give one penny piece to anything in Africa or anywhere where there is a chance the fat cats in charge are creaming off the money. 

There is a BBC Newsnight Report in which Betty McBride of British Heart Foundation gives a defence of doorstep chugging. Our readers can make up their own mind as to whether it is morally acceptable. 

Two chaps been round to-day saying your chimney stack needs pointing isnt it strange they went around to all the houses ---and best of it is one house only had theirs done a year ago.

Hope you reported it to the Police and/or Trading Standards Office James?

They need to know about such scumbags...

Very interesting read Edward. I can't understand why anyone would ever sign a direct debit agreement on their doorstep for anything, let alone a charity that quite is possibly is a scam. But then that's just me with my suspicious untrusting nature of doorstep callers, plus all those smiling irritating idiots that try to stop you crossing town wearing their charity tabards carrying clipboards. Just go away.

No one as ever offered to point our chimney stack, the building is that tall we can't even get a window cleaner  

Another interesting report here from nfpSynergy 

They do research to help charities raise funds. The report says that trust in charities has dropped by 10% in the past year, probably due to the publicity given to the 'fat cat' salaries paid to charity managers. Only 56% of us trust charities now.

The Armed Forces remain top of the trusted table, and charities come in at number seven, below  trust in the Royal Family, Schools, Scouts & Guides,  and small businesses. Political parties and the Government are the least trusted and are at the bottom of the table. (Quelle surprise).