BHF loses £3 million a year to 'commercial' doorstep collectors
Howard Lake | 21 July 2010 | News
The British Heart Foundation is warning households to make sure that their doorstep donations of second-hand goods are raising as much as possible for charity. It is hoping to raise awareness of the effect that third party commercial collection organisations are having on the charity and other charities. The BHF claims that “in some cases, as little as 5% of the income is paid to the charity”, quoting the Association of Charity Shops.
The BHF accepts that commercial collection organisations operate legally, it feels that “too often charities who form partnerships with these companies are being short-changed”. For example, it explains that “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”.
The BHF has not formed a partnership with any of these commercial ‘middlemen’. It carries out doorstep collections using clearly identified vans and drivers.
It is therefore encouraging people to ‘check before you give’. It is asking supporters to help it raise awareness of the problem in their area by writing to their local newspaper.
Mike Lucas, Retail Director for the BHF said: “Companies working for commercial gain are a huge problem for charities. At the BHF, we have seen a 25% 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”.
He added: “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 charity’s 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
www.bhf.org.uk/shops
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.