asking for money

[geoff1057]

last week a young man knocked at my door and said he was collecting for RSPCA (legit with all credentials etc)i said i would give a donation of a couple of pounds, he then said no can it be a direct monthly debit, so i said ok , a couple of pounds a month wouldnt harm ,as i regularly take dog food to the local dogs home, he said no the minimum amount is �8.50, a month, i said arnt i allowed to donate what i want , he said sorry minimum �8.50, i showed him the door, since found out this company also collects for WWF, and another charity, IS this legal

[daffy654]

I don't know whether it is legal or not but I have a policy of not giving to door to door collectors for anything.If I want to donate to a particular charity I do it either direct to their offices or via the internet.We have had a few con artists in our village over the years who clam to be collecting for charity but are actually keeping the money,they even had official looking ID cards and clipboards etc.

[geoff1057]

iam asking ,is it legal for someone to knock on your door and ask for donations

[pauln90]

This is from the Charities Commission:-

Door to door collections
Previous legislation referred to �house to house� collections. The Act refers instead to �door to door� collections, to make clear that this includes business premises.

A charity with a public collections certificate will be able to conduct door to door collections without permission from a local authority, but it must inform the local authority that the collection is taking place.

So yes if they are a legitimate charity it is legal

[loonytunes]

pauln90 is, I think, referring to comments on a new Act which has been passed but is not yet in effect. The House to House Collections Act is still in force which requires a permit from the Council, or Home Office Exemption Certificate, to be in force for a House to House Collection. This affects direct debit collections as well as cash. If it is a company and they earn money from what they do, you may wish to ask the charity commission why a "solicitation statement" (Charities Act 1992) was not made to you at the time telling you how much the person was being paid.

[Eve]

Yes, it's legal.

It's like running the gauntlet with the ones out on the street in Manchester at the moment, them, Big Issue sellers, free paper people, survey people, beggars etc...

[joggerjayne]

I give a chunk of money each month to a selection of charities.

You can't get to my door from the street, cos I live in an apartment, but if people ask me for danations, I'd generally say that if it's a good cause, give me some details, and I would maybe add them to the monthly payment.

Sadly, with the best will in the world, you can't give money to every good cause. There are too many.

[CheekyChops]

Crikey they knock on my door about once every six months - always for a different cause. They give a real sob story and always very good reason to give to that particular charity but as JJ says, you can't give to them all.

[pinkbunny]

Yeah they knock on my door every few months get you chatting and make you feel bad but I have chosen a charity that I give to every month and stick to that like you have already said Jayne you just cant give to everyone.
I donate to Bliss as it means something personal to me but I wish I could give to more charilties and they dont specify a minimum they are greatful for whatever they recieve.