Are Charities Getting Out Of Order?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4006614/RSPCA-British-Heart-Foundation-fined-secret-wealth-screening-donors.html
I don't give anything to "big charity" any more, they are no better than the banks.

[weecalf]

They do a good job but what rankles with me is that on runs walks such things They have a minimum donation usually 10 quid .As I often say 10 fivers are a lot better than no tenners

[agchristie]

Both charities deny any wrongdoing yet the IC found three different breaches of the DPA. This bad publicity and betrayal of trust will not help either cause in the future. Self defeating really..

[Mamyalynne]

Once they breach the trust of donors they will suffer in the long run and of course so will those they purport to help.

[sinderella]

My donations now go to the local hospice

[Prudie]

My 'heart' sank when I heard this news. The RSPCA didn't surprise me but thought the British Heart Foundation was one of the really do good ones. They ought to be ashamed and if people switch to smaller local charities rather than the big names it serves them right.

[mazie]

Local Charities for me and has been for a while.

[youngmafbog]

I support only small local charities myself these days, but even then you need to investigate as some are sitting on mountains of cash.

Most of the big charities soak up millions in 'running costs' AKA Fat cat directors salaries/fees.

[TWR]

I'd just read that this morn TTT It's disgusting, & to say they were fined, who's money will that come out of, someone should be sacked over this, & yes, these charities are getting out of hand Eg/ Sal Army asking for a donation of £19, I know they do right for people but I think that's taking the Izzzz

[TWR]

To add, this has made my mind up who to give to.

[Gromit]

Data protection breaches happen all the time, and fines by the ico are common. They usually go unreported, but the hunting lobby have the RSPCA in their sights, and so this breach will be all over the right wing press.

Previous fines include Kent Police, A4e, Sony and many local councils and NHS trusts. They have collected over £5million in fines.

http://breachwatch.com/ico-fines/

[Prudie]

Yes these breaches do go on all the time but the previously fined you have listed are all companies not charities. People don't give their hard earned cash to them expecting nothing in return.
For a charity to do it is unfrogivable and in the long term counter productive. Do you not realise how many people hearing that on the news yesterday will now think twice before giving to either of these two?

[Gromit]

I suppose i do not regard the crime as too major. They merged their data with data they had purchased, and pooled it with other charities. While that is a breach of the Act, no one was actually harmed by it. Big Business do that all the time, Google's entire business is built on pooling all the data you give them and matching it to people you will give money to.

[hereIam]

I will still support the RSPCA.

[jno]

I'm crossing the BHF off my list; there are other charities who could do with the money and who aren't going to have to use it to pay a fine.

[sunny-dave]

I lost all faith in 'big' charities at the point where the (previously wonderful) charity I worked for (minimum wage, free overtime) started paying its Chief Exec more than the Prime Minister.

The excuse is always "it's a huge business - we have to pay the going rate to attract the right person" - that's just a pile of fetid dingo's kidneys.

It's a Charity - all employees, from top to bottom, should be there beacuse they want to do some good - not to line their pockets.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven - watching a bunch of overpaid 'top people' explaining to unpaid volunteers why they can't even pay them decent car expenses because of 'financial stringency' was the point at which I moved on.

These days I support "small, targeted, local" - where no-one is taking a big cut and everyone really is pulling their weight.