We should ‘play safe’ with the reputable causes that we support

THERE’S an awful lot of demands on our money from charities and deserving causes these days. Seems the pandemic has ripped through our society and some poor folks have suffered badly.

Most people have been generous when they can. But it’s despicable that there have been some cheats in this pandemic – there has been significant abuse of the furlough scheme, which is fraud.

There are probably some dodgy causes out there asking for money and you don’t know if they are real or not. Who has time to check? Fraud and deception could be going on with nobody properly checking.

“If in any doubt, I don’t give” – that’s what a friend in the charity sector told me recently.

Giving without checking is an open invitation to fraudsters and deceitful people. Sad to say, there are some around, even some who hide behind being a good cause and tugging at the heartstrings.

People are rightly reluctant to give and support causes they do not know or understand. There was a scandal over a donor who gave a lot of money to Kids Company and who was then appalled at how the organisation used her gift, not as promised it seems. That charity collapsed.

This is why it also pays to think long and hard about giving to “distributing bodies” which promise to take in your cash and then give it out to needy causes for you. You don’t know where it will end up.

We have seen many scandals in the corporate world over money, and scandals too in the “ethical sector” which proved in fact to be very “unethical” at times.

This is also relevant for public money from local authorities and the NHS, and grants from local grant-making bodies.

The safest bet is to give to a larger charity or cause, and right now the NHS charities are all doing great work helping our valiant NHS heroes. These do have proper “quality control” and are a worthwhile cause to support.

Many things will need sorting in the post-pandemic world. not least the whole issue of truthfulness and honesty and which small local causes are reliable and honest, and do good work, and which are not.

At least you know where you stand with NHS charities, unlike some smaller ones which can be questionable. Look before you give, and if in doubt, be careful. We should “play safe” with the virus and “play safe” in the reputable causes we support.

Alex Gordon

Bristol