Be careful bagging it!

Some charities that link up with commercial collectors to pick up donations from households get as little as 4.5 per cent of the profits from the sale of donated items.

According to a survey carried out by British Heart Foundation (BHF) Northern Ireland more than a third (36 per cent) of householders surveyed do not realise there is an issue with bogus and commercial firms undertaking ‘charity’ collections.

When BHF Northern Ireland put this fact to householders, one third (33 per cent) said they felt cheated.

A BHF campaign is urging householders across Cookstown to reconsider how they make donations of unwanted items to their chosen charity as they could be lining the pockets of commercial collectors who may keep for themselves as much as 60 per cent of the income from such collections.

At a time when charity shop stock donations are at an all time low and the international price for second hand textiles is at an all-time high, BHF Northern Ireland is keen to give householders clearer information about where exactly the proceeds of their goods are going.

Michelle McIlwrath, Area Manager for BHF Northern Ireland shops said their research shows that householders are not aware of where the money really goes and that many feel conned by the charity bags that drop through their letterboxes every week.

“We are urging donors to be more aware of the fact that all the proceeds from their donations may not go directly to their chosen charity,” he said.

“BHF Northern Ireland shops carry out doorstep collections, using clearly identified vans and drivers, and 100 per cent of the proceeds stay with the charity. We urgently need your donations of good quality clothes, shoes, handbags, bric-a-brac, CDs, DVDs and books to help us continue the fight against heart disease in Northern Ireland,” he added.

BHF Northern Ireland is continuing to make donors aware of this issue by displaying posters in its shops and by posting flyers through letterboxes with collection bags.

Their advice to householders is to donate to a charity that organises its own collections, ask the collector for identification (sometimes donations are stolen from doorsteps before official collectors get there) and check bags and leaflets for clear information about how much of the proceeds from your goods go to that charity.

Cookstown Ulster Unionist Councillor Trevor Wilson also urged people to exercise caution in relation to the charity bags. He pointed out that genuine bags will contain bone fide charity numbers.

“My advice to those who are thinking of donating is to ring the number on the bag to check what percentage of the money is going to the charity, and also to make sure it is benefiting locally,” he added.