Just Giving and H4H

[8x57]

I am just in the process of putting together all the information for shooters at this years H4H running deer/boar shoot. The intention being to start taking entries fairly soon. However I have just seen this in today's Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4197628/JustGiving-website-takes-20m-year.html

I have therefore just emailed H4H for their take on the situation. This is what I said;

For the past six years I have organised a small annual charity event in aid of H4H and in that time we have raised around £14,000 for the charity. In previous years all entry fees and other donations made have either been paid directly into the H4H account or via the online donation system that H4H utilised which was far more convenient for all concerned. Last year due to changes made by H4H we were instructed to use the “Just Giving”website.

I am currently in the process of setting up this year’sevent which will be held on the 24[SUP]th[/SUP] June but in light of an articlein today’s Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4197628/JustGiving-website-takes-20m-year.html I am very reluctant to use the just giving company to process donations that will be raised. I have very strong objections as I am sure will most of the other participants in this event to a company taking a percentage of the funds raised which were intended for the H4H charity. Please can you advise what the actual situation is and the alternatives to using the just giving process.

P.S. I nor none of the participants in the previous events have ever taken any expenses or fees from the amounts raised or donated. Wehave always covered any costs of running the event ourselves.


Mike


Can I have your views on the situation and possible solutions or alternative payment systems that don't involve me constantly running back and fore to the bank or entrants having to rely upon Royal Snail Mail in this electronic age.

 

[NoIDeer]

https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/helpforheroes

Looks a lot cheaper than just giving.

Got this information from http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/charity-fundraising-sites

 

[8x57]

Thanks NoIDeer that looks like the way to go but just waiting on a reply from H4H. Just giving was the company that H4H recommended last year when they closed down the system that they previously used and which they were partners in.

 

[enfieldspares]

I have always been reserved about the need for H4H and indeed have never donated to it but have always supported the Royal British Legion. For in peace, as in war, the bigger battalions prevail and the RBL has the real, in Parliament, political clout.

Indeed I remember them successfully campaigning to restore the War Widow's Pension to my late mother, and others, despite attempts to block it by Mrs Thatcher when she was PM.

As I see the RBL is for ALL veterans of whatever conflict whereas H4H isn't. And is a distraction to the work of the RBL and the former St Dunstan's (now re-named as Blind Veterans UK) that greatly aided my grandfather after he was war blinded. And like the RBL assists all veterans of all conflicts.

The Daily Mail article does nothing to improve my confidence in the reason for H4H. Anyone can send a cheque direct to the RBL or BV UK and indeed the collection from my mother's funeral in 2014 was split 50/50 between the two with no middleman. There's a downloadable, printable form on the RBL website or just stuff the cheque or cheques in an envelope with a simple letter.

I hope my post is taken as constructive, it is meant as such, and if you are unhappy with the Just Giving route advise that both the RBL and BV UK assist current service veterans also and, as said, takes cheques directly...so all we did was send all the cheques collected marked RBL to them and those marked BV UK to them in two envelopes by post.

So my constructive suggestion is just get entrants to send you a cheque made out to the benefitting charity and when all is done and the dust settled put the lot in one envelope and send it by post to the charity with a covering letter. And if H4H aren't happy with it I know, from the experience of my mother's funeral, that RBL or BV UK will be.

 

[8x57]

Enfield nobody is knocking the Royal British Legion or St Dunstans as the work that they have done and continue to do is nothing short of heroic, to use modern parlance and a much over used word. However there was and very much continues to be a place for the new kid on the block i.e. H4H.

The use of Royal Mail and cheques is the system that we used when we first started running the H4H shoots six years ago. It was a complete pain in the arse to be honest and caused me a great deal of work, the world has moved on no end since then and taking entries electronically is most certainly the way to go. My wife wrote a cheque to my daughter's school on Monday and it was only the second cheque that we have written in the last three years. Indeed many people don't even have a cheque book these days, and most companies conduct all business including invoicing and payments electronically whenever possible.

Also dropping a wad of individual cheques in Royal Snail Mail is simply asking for them to get lost, then I would have all the bother of trying to obtain replacement cheques from 30 odd individual entrants. The alternative being me having to run back and fore to the nearest town to access a bank as we no longer have a bank in the village, or for that matter a post office other than a small counter in the local Spa shop.

P.S. H4H contacted me yesterday and it looks like NoIDeer's suggestion of using BT is the way that we will go this year.

 

[stratts]

Any more news on this and when you are starting to collect the money mate? Mine and Dale's digs are booked again for the weekend,

Stratts

 

[8x57]

Stratts I was just about to put up a new post inviting entries to this year's event but was distracted by the phone give me ten minutes and I post it.

It will be the usual procedure of dropping me a private message with your email address and I will send you all the details. I know that I should have the regular attenders email addresses but I am asking for them again as I misplaced some information when I recently replaced the computer (it's there somewhere in the new operating system, it's just that I can't find it ) also some people may have changed their email addresses in the last 12 months.

 

[paul o']

Cant wait Mike , H4H do such good work shame others seem to have to treat this and many others it like a take away ?? , RBL also do very good work but i'll feel the H4H is a better option .