from lisa

Post all topics on our furry 4 legged friends here.

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tia
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from lisa

Post by tia »

hi there , if there is anybody on here who is friends on facebook with the association sos niches du coeur or is a member of the association please do not send any money to this association , if anybody wants to know why they can pm me as obviously I cannot give the reasons on the forum. thank you
ps; kate ; hope it's ok to put this.
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Post by Admin »

Hi Lise,
No prob!
Merisin
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Post by Merisin »

We've had a few nasty shocks recently. Giving to what we thought were worthwhile charities only to find out later that we were paying for people to enjoy very comfortable lifestyles at our expense.

Mary
Robert Ferrieux
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

from Helen

I prefer to help animals directly. That's to say I buy food for the stray cats in my village (I've been feeding them every evening for over 26 years) & have had them all neutered.
Robert on the other hand sends a small monthly cheque to another charity (for humans) but who knows if this money isn't helping to pay for a new carpet in their Headquarters??
tia
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Post by tia »

I honestly thought a small association would be more honest than a bigger one who has to pay directors etc, but got that completely wrong. Will no longer be giving money to any association, will be doing like helen from now on.
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Post by Phipplebert »

The bigger associations (in the UK anyway) normally have to be transparent and show what % goes to help the cause and what % goes on admin and other issues. A charity will need to spend some money on admin etc otherwise it wouldn't be effective and at the end of the day I suppose you can say you are also helping with employment but I agree there is a huge difference in a small % I.e. 30% being on admin and 70% going to the cause than the other way around or worse.
Sorry to hear it sounds like this charity may hav enjoy been 100% great (I don't know the full story I'm working it out from the above posts) but there are lots and lots and lots of good ones out there.
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Post by blackduff »

Lisa
I have been supporting and helping moneywise with Les Fermes du Bonheur in Argeles. To some extent, this foundation is supported by the state of France but the help and money was needed to develop the "place".

People from Argeles have given land where the animals are living. Daily the owner goes into Argeles and gets stale breads and veggies which are over the top. Yearly they have a vide grenier to give some income.

Over the years I have been involved, the "place" has change a lot. The animals are better housed and more animals are increased.

I know that you know Marco Lorenzo and the others at the Ferme du Bonheur and this isn't should be mixed with some group which is lining their pockets. I just want others on the forum know that some smaller groups are doing super jobs, with small amount of money.

Blackduff
FACEBOOK THOUGHTS: Remember that old phrase: if you're not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.
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Post by Pearsonb »

About 20 years ago, there was a huge scandal about a very large cancer charity where over 70% of the income was spent on administration. You can read details here:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Crozemarie


Like many other people, I had given regularly to this charity.

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tia
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Post by tia »

blackduff; completely agree about the ferme de bonheur in argeles, Lorenzo does a lot to help animals and my brother goes there every year and makes a donation. Unfortunately it is the associatoins like sos niches du coeur who give others a bad reputation. I know it's not all associations that are like this one ( and at first it started out ok but when money is involved things changed). pity really and after receiving some not very nice emails from certain members of the association after not agreeing about certain things that had taken place, I thought it best to warn people on here ( especially as it was me who advertised their association on this forum). . I also support the refuge near ile sur tet and the spa carcassonne which is run by an english lady and they do wonders at helping animals.
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Post by Merisin »

We've got friends who seem to know quite a bit about the charity scene and have had a couple of interesting chats over a few glasses.

They reckon all charities should be treated with caution. If you can't see where your cash or goods are going then don't give. The Guardian newspaper regards Charities and Not for Profits as a major employment sector after commerce, industry and the state. It's mostly safe from prying eyes. No shareholders, deregulated and far fewer performance pressures. Our friends actually quote an article headed “How to find a well paid job in the voluntary sector”. A paradox if ever there was one.

Only a couple of days back BBC radio ran a feature which was a damning report on the RSPCA. Back in 2008 the SPA in France was accused of corruption, and this is bizarre, ill treatment of animals in their care! It got so bad that the French government had to step in and take charge.

And so it goes on. Foreign aid is a nightmare. And it comes out of our taxes too. But that's another story

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charity giving

Post by homemaker »

My understanding is that charities based in the UK are regulated, and monitored by the Charities Commission which includes the publishing of accounts. I have no idea what the situation in France is.

Personally, I accept that a proportion of the money I give will be spent on salaries, overheads etc. and I can not see why it is a paradox for someone with particular skills/experience to be relatively well paid within this sector. As employers they are competing with all other employers. I don't have the time or inclination to check the performance of each charity I give to but do so in the belief that at least some of the money I give will have some benefit.

As for foreign aid I am pleased that the UK government hasn't pulled up the rug as soon as times have become tough. Surely the approach to take is to ensure that aid is effective and to direct it to those areas that use it responsibly rather than to stop it altogether because of some allegedly bad practices?
Merisin
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Post by Merisin »

By all accounts the UK Charities Commission is a toothless tiger which lacks the power and resources to regulate the sector.

In my simple mind giving to charity implies that you give freely of your own time and/or cash. There are large numbers of recently retired, even early retired, people well qualified to fill the management posts in the majority of UK charities. Oxfam, to give them their due, now advertise for executives on an expenses only basis.

When I spend my own dosh I make sure I get value for money. Ditto with donations to charities. No way am I going to pay for some fat cat to live a lifestyle I can only dream about.


Mary
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Post by homemaker »

If for example an accountant is working as financial director in the private sector and is earning say £100k and then makes a move to a large charity where he/she is paid perhaps £80k is that person an overpaid fat cat? He/she is still an experienced, professional and performing a demanding and very worthwhile job in ensuring the charity has proper financial discipline. If every executive post could be reliably filled on the basis Mary suggests that would be ideal, but I suspect this is not the case and with increasing retirement ages perhaps this will become even more difficult. When I reach retirement age I may be inclined to freely give my time to do some voluntary work for a charity at the service delivery level, rather than in a managerial role, on a part time basis, but to do it unpaid on a regular contractual basis doesn't sound attractive - at least not to me.
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