Grenfell donations on JustGiving

[nicmitch]

Hope it's ok to post this... Was shocked to discover how much of a cut JustGiving take, so I've started a petition asking that they waive their fees in relation to Grenfell donations. Would be grateful if you could take a look (and sign and share if you're happy to do so)... Hopefully it can make a difference - even if they don't waive in full, then with enough support they may agree to a cap at least... Thanking you :)

https://www.change.org/p/justgiving-justgiving-waive-your-fees-on-donations-to-grenfell-tower-victims?recruiter=79475446&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=762179&utm_content=nafta_share_post_title_en_2%3AFB_share_copy_2

[Sue]

I think the petition obviously comes from a caring place,but waiving fees for one particular case, however emotive and deserving, would create a precedent.

How would JustGiving be able to decide what causes should have their fees waived in the future, if asked?

[rendelharris]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think the petition obviously comes from a caring

> place,but waiving fees for one particular case,

> however emotive and deserving, would create a

> precedent.

>

> How would JustGiving be able to decide what causes

> should have their fees waived in the future, if

> asked?

Absolutely right - it does raise the question though as to why there can't be an official government portal for totally non-commission giving in this and all the other ghastly events we've seen this year, logistically should be quite simple and sure plenty of volunteers would be happy to pitch in to man the phones or whatever was needed.

[nxjen]

I would feel very uneasy if the government, local or central, were to set up sites for donating. It would attract criticism that they were absolving themselves of financial responsibility - and both central and local government seem to have a lot to answer for here - and might be viewed as a voluntary tax. For those who wish to avoid the JustGiving commission, the British Red Cross has set up a London Fire Fund http://www.redcross.org.uk I can't stop thinking about the victims, beyond words.

[Loz]

I think what Just Giving has set up is excellent. Putting together a computer system that can handle unexpected surges in demand is really difficult, even in the cloud computing age. Remember all those ticket sites like Ticketmaster and Glastonbury that fell over just about every time? And they knew it was coming.

OK, JG could consider capping or tapering charges for bigger collections, but collecting 5% on the usual ?500 collections isn't much - they probably rely on the big collections for their income.

And they do a responsible job. Remember when there we question marks over some of the Manchester and London collection, so they stepped in, froze the money and made sure it got to the recipient it was intend for?

Admin takes up a lot of charity funds. If you give ?10 to, say Oxfam or a cancer charity, they probably spend a similar amount on fund raising costs. But they don't spell that out like JG does.

So I think for their 5%, they do a good job. It's not an unfair margin. They have a solid system ready and waiting to be the conduit for people to raise funds for good causes. That 5% will go to maintaining that system, paying salaries and (whisper it quietly) making a profit. Do you really think the government could do a better job for less money?

[Kath243]

BT provide a free service http://www.btplc.com/mydonate/index.aspx and Virgin's platform offers better value than Just Giving for larger fundraising efforts http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/about-us/best-deal-for-charities.jsp.

Perhaps this survey can highlight the relatively poor value that Just Giving offer and encourage people to shop around.

[Sue]

I am about to donate, but I'm worried about what I have read about the donated money not getting through to the people who need it.

Can anybody tell me if that has been sorted out now? I don't know where the problem lay.

And was it money via a particular website, or all of it?

[Loz]

Sue,

A friend of mine has been volunteering and she posted a link to this group as a reliable place to send your money. I only have her word for it, but she's pretty reliable.

https://thekandcfoundation.com/donate/

[Sue]

Thanks Loz, but that link says they are having problems with their donation page at the moment.

It's not that I don't think JustGiving is reliable, it's that I don't know where the blockage is which is preventing money getting to the people who need it.

It may well be the council people who have now been taken off the job (to the best of my knowledge) so the problem may have been resolved.

I think I'll just go for it anyway.

[mary123]

I am having some afternoon teas at home with friends in a couple of weeks and donations going to grenfell..I am not sure which charity/organisation to donate to..was thinking one of the local groups or counselling groups that are directly working and based in..near the area..

[Sue]

I gave via the Red Cross in the end.