Should donors pay for charities’ data fines?

THE fines imposed on the RSPCA and British Heart Foundation shouldn’t be taken from the money contributed by donors. They should be paid directly by the respective CEOs of the charities involved from their sixfigure salaries. They can well afford the cost, much more than the charities themselves. I would hope this would put a stop to bad practices carried out by various charities. The two charities’ statement that they were ‘disappointed with the ICO’s ruling’ must be the understatement of the year.

E. D. WILLIAMS, Sandbach, Cheshire. soMe years ago, i started to contribute a small monthly sum to the RsPCA, but it kept asking me for more money, so i cancelled my standing order. since then, the number of scam emails i receive has gone up from three or four a month to three or four a day. Coincidence?

THERESA POPLE, address supplied. I’M HAPPY to give money to the RSPCA (Mail) because I know it’s there to help whenever animals are being mistreated or need to be rescued. What would we do without it — try to tackle the situation single-handed? No doubt those who support the British Heart Foundation feel the same way — so it’s disappointing when charities’ fundraising efforts are criticised on legalistic grounds of ‘data protection’. CHRISTOPHER CLAYTON,

Waverton, Cheshire. i WAs appalled to learn that the RsPCA and the British Heart Foundation had been using donations to pry into donors’ wealth. i won’t be donating to either charity in the future. i’ve also decided to stop donating to charities that send unsolicited gifts that i neither need nor want. this is nothing short of blackmail — and these gifts are being paid for from donations. i don’t mind receiving a Christmas card as an annual thankyou, but i don’t want anything else.

ROBERT MOSSE, Birmingham.