Charity Collections

[DaleCooper]

I was in a large shopping centre today and saw a man collecting for a veterans charity. As he had a collecting tin and wasn't asking for a direct debit I gave him some money and started chatting. I was gobsmacked to learn that they were being charged something like £150 per day to stand in the shopping centre. Am I being naive, is this standard practice at shopping centres? If so I think it's outrageous, they were only taking up about 2 sq.m. of floor space and I got to wondering whether the company which operates the centre claims to make generous donations to charities in their annual report to shareholders.

 

[telstarbox]

Presumably someone at the charity has decided that it's cost effective (or they're no good at maths?)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Maybe it's a tax deductible business expense for the charity?

 

[ooo]

If they are just getting money from a collecting tin then I would've thought that they wouldn't even be getting this amount in donations.

 

[DaleCooper]

Presumably someone at the charity has decided that it's cost effective (or they're no good at maths?)

It would be even more cost effective without these dharges.

Maybe it's a tax deductible business expense for the charity?

Even if this is true only a percentage could be reclaimed and effectively it would mean the taxpayer bolstering the profits of the company.

 

[Antman]

I was in a large shopping centre today and saw a man collecting for a veterans charity. As he had a collecting tin and wasn't asking for a direct debit I gave him some money and started chatting. I was gobsmacked to learn that they were being charged something like £150 per day to stand in the shopping centre. Am I being naive, is this standard practice at shopping centres? If so I think it's outrageous, they were only taking up about 2 sq.m. of floor space and I got to wondering whether the company which operates the centre claims to make generous donations to charities in their annual report to shareholders.

Good grief, I've seen them in shopping centres before, by all means charge commercial businesses but a charity?

 

[Jonny]

I've also seen collectors (or were they chuggers?) at railway stations - on railway land. Judging by their stall, they most likely had permission.

 

[skyhigh]

I was gobsmacked to learn that they were being charged something like £150 per day to stand in the shopping centre. Am I being naive, is this standard practice at shopping centres?

From my experience, it isn't standard practice. I've been involved with collecting money for a community radio station charity in shopping centres several times and we've never been asked to pay for the privilege. In some cases, they've actually paid us to come and bring our music with us and we do a live broadcast there for them!

One time we were fundraising it poured with rain on the day meaning we didn't even make £150, other times it's not much higher, so it would be almost pointless doing it if there was a charge. A charity couldn't survive long if it was actually losing money through fundraising!