How to Donate Anonymously to Small Charities
Most small charities don’t bombard you, they are grateful for every penny. It’s the big charities (which often test on animals) that often plague you with big donation requests, and free unnecessary plastic pens.
One of the best ways to keep your giving private is to use the Charities Aid Foundation (where individuals or businesses can tick a box or set up an account) to donate anonymously. Your details are not passed on, although this only works for UK-registered charities.
In the UK, use Gift Aid if you pay tax. For every £1 given, charities can claim an extra 25p.
You could also invest with Charity Bank, a savings account where funds are used to help community projects.
One thing that annoys many people these days is when you use a self-checkout at a supermarket (or even at the kiosk) and you are asked to donate to charity (Tesco and Booths both do this). For a start, you should take time before deciding who to donate to (both groceries often ask you to donate to animal-testing charities).
And secondly, you should do this privately. These supermarkets make huge profits, and should be donating themselves, not asking you to donate more than you likely already do in your personal life. One reader asks ‘I’m not the one making billions in profits, you are. If you feel the need to do good, how about you donate on my behalf? ‘
Research charities (before you start giving)
Know your values, and stick to them. Don’t donate to animal-testing charities if you believe in humane medical research to find cures for disease. Find small charities that run on a shoestring, rather than donate to big charity that spends money on marketing, company cars and huge salaries.
Enter your charity focus and area at Find That Charity. It will bring up big charities first, but also smaller registered ones. Then look each one up at the government’s Register of Charities. This will tell you what their income/expenditure is, and if anyone earns over £60,000.
Then look up Animal Aid to see which charities test on animals.
