HDRA/Garden Organic - another begging letter

[TonyF]

I'm sorry but I've got to rant somewhere - another begging letter for money for yet more projects for HDRA/Garden Organic. OK, I know they want to expand the organisation and that they need money to do it but it's becoming so big and so glossy, I really think that it's loosing its way now.

I'm not giving to this appeal. They asked for additional money twice previously this year. I always make a donation when I renew each year - do the renewal via UK bank but always send an additional cheque for �50 - but that's it.

I also spend a considerable amount of time growing, harvesting and organising my HSL stuff and I'll be jiggered if I'm going to pay more money for the priviledge of doing so.

I'm seriously thinking that next year will be my last year with HDRA and I'll join similar French groups now. I was at a bio (organic) foire this morning and a couple of people suggested to me that I register as a bio-agriculteur so I can sell my plants. I think I'd rather do that than continue to make contributions to the slick and increasingly well paid jobs of the people at HDRA.

[SarzWix]

It seems that when they've found someone willing to give, that person is then constantly asked for more. I've found this with a couple of other charities too Unfortunately, I've had to stop supporting all charities for the time being, and my HSL membership is going to have to lapse too. I daresay I'll be inundated with mail from all of them shortly My sister works in 'fundraising' and all big charities now have the equivalent of a 'sales office', and can be just as pushy as your average double glazing company...

[bluemoon]

My mum contributed to the Red Cross for virtually all her working life (ages 16 - 66 without any break except for a few weeks when we were born) and continued after she'd retired as they apparently saved her Dad's life during WWII. She would also give to the 'extra' appeals. But the mail shots for additional funds ceased to be photocopied letters and became glossy, coloured and full of photos of needy kids. As she said to them when she phoned to ask them to stop doing this. 'As a pensioner I'm already giving all I can and every time I receive one of these begging letters you're effectively wasting the money that I am able to give'. The letters continued and she regretfully ceased to support them.

[allotmentlady]

Ask them to take you off the mailing list! I did and now I only get my membership renewal and mags.

[seasprout]

I did re-new my Garden Organic Membership this year, but not the Heritage seed list section, since they have amalgamated the Seed news letter into the Magazine i saw no point.

I live near enough to Ryton to visit and make use of special event days and with that membership I can get into Barnsdale free.

But how can 2 parts of the same charity be allowed to ask for donations separately.?? bonkers..

[NOG]

Bet they have lovely carpet in their posh office....

[jacob marley]

I gave up being a member a long time ago i used to get half a rain forest every month begging letter i got fed up and cancelled my membership just to save a rain forest....jacob

[TEB]

Funny this has came up now because I was talking to my Mum this morning and she was telling me that she was being harrased by the RSPCA, they were phoning her and asking her to raise her monthly direct debit amount, she has a few DD go out each month to different charities, Mum said she couldn't affford to raise it any more (she is 76), but the woman wouldn't not go away until in the end Mum said "if you dont bugger off right now then she would cancel the DD immediately and write to the Charity commision, she would as well, feisty was invented for my mum. Got my blood boiling to hear about this sort of thing going on, especially from the RSPCA as they are one charity that I cannot abide.

[NOG]

Yep...but I bet the woman asking for the increase in the DD is on a %.

Do you get those idoits in tabards that stop you in the street and try to get you to signup for a charity DD get �40 for each person they sign up.

Always ask a charity how much is spent on Admin......some times its 60%...and 40% gets spent on the "Good deeds"

[Glutton4...]

I had cause to visit the regional head office of a Charity a couple of years ago. I was completely 'gobsmacked' when I got to their offices. It was a very tall, glass-fronted tower on a private business 'estate' - ultra posh, and ultra expensive.

[Snadger]

If they are going to get loads of muggins (nothing personal Tony!) to donate, they are hardly likely to go after alternative funding are they?

[TonyF]

Not a problem Snadger. Apart from the last job I had in the Uk I spent 25 years in the voluntary sector as a funder or as CEO of charities and know what it's like to have to raise funds all the time.

But to me HDRA has really lost the ethos now and they expect more and more people to contribute to what is now effectively a business, rather than an environmental group. Sadly, this is what I was employed to get charities to do, become more business like.

I was chatting with a woman with a gardening business at a foire bio yesterday and I realised that here, it's still what many charities in the Uk would call old fashioned.

She wants me to think about becoming registered as a bio plant raiser and to be honest, I think more and more that I'd rather be doing that and supporting French organisations that seem to stick by their principles than HDRA, whose magazine now seems to be a fundraising tool and a lots of advertisments for themselves and their partnership companies than a lot of good practical advice.

The letter from HDRA when I arrived back seemed to be fortuitous after spending a great few hours at the foire, sort of back where it started.