19/07/2010
Beware of ‘commercial’ doorstep collections
Nation’s heart charity loses £3 million a
year to these ‘middlemen’
We are launching a new campaign, warning households to be
vigilant when making doorstep donations of
second-hand goods to their chosen charity, as they could be lining
the pockets of third party organisations working for
commercial gain, not the
charity.
We hope to raise awareness of the effect these ‘middlemen’
are having. In some cases, as little as 5
percent of the income is paid to the
charity1.
The BHF has not formed a partnership with these ‘middlemen’
meaning their activity is costing us an estimated £3
million in stock donations.
Although this is a legal way to raise money, too often charities
who form partnerships with these companies are being
short-changed2. Householders need
clear information on collection
bags detailing how much profit the charity will actually make from
the collection. Currently this is not clear and some information is
very misleading.
We are encouraging people to 'check before you give'.
Help us raise awareness of the problem in your area by writing
to your local newspaper.
Mike Lucas, Retail Director for the BHF says:
“Companies working for commercial gain are a huge
problem for charities. At the BHF, we have seen a
25 percent drop in our household collections
due to this commercial activity and we believe it will cost us £3
million in the next year - money which could be spent in the
fight against heart disease. 100 percent of
the profits made from donations to the BHF stay with the charity
and help us continue our lifesaving
work, whereas as little as 5 percent can go
to the charity via a third party collection.
“The BHF believes it’s only right householders are given clear
information from collectors about where the proceeds of their goods
are going so they can make an informed choice.”
The BHF carries out doorstep collections using
clearly identified
vans and drivers. Our advice to householders is
to:
- Take your donations directly into your local charity
shop or 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
- Check collection bags and leaflets for clear
information about how much of the proceeds from your goods
go to that charity
We urgently need donations of good quality clothes, shoes,
handbags, bric-a-brac, CDs, DVDs and books to help us continue the
fight against heart disease. To find out more or
to locate your nearest BHF Shop please call 0844 412
5000 or visit bhf.org.uk/shops.
1Association of Charity Shops, based on published
data for prices of sorted textiles on international markets, for
collection and sorting and on the actually amount some charities
are being offered.
2Some charities form partnerships with commercial
companies, who collect door-to-door. The company keeps all the
donated goods and then re-sells them for profit, mostly to overseas
markets. They then make a royalty payment to the charity. In some
cases, charities are getting £50 to £100 per tonne of goods
collected when, in fact, the goods can sell abroad for an average
of around £500 per tonne but can reach up to £1,800 for
top-quality, sorted textiles.
