JackTheLad

Following on from a previous thread that all Australians are selfish, Mrs JTL pointed out that they are also really crap at donating to charities.

Now I did a quick google, and I can't find any stats (you get the biggest load of nonsense when you google australia + charity). Doesn't exist apparently

Are australians a load of tight wads? And if they are, god save us as the economy bombs.

Do you feel the need to give, even when you're skint yourself? Or do you just think 'f**k it, look after number one and the family?'

JTL

Mrs Jackaroo

I actually disagree here. My daughter has just dyed her hair for the Be Brave and Shave appeal in aid of the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia and the response was pretty good. There were a few kids in the school doing it too and where my husband works they even bring a barber in ffor all the lads to do it too.

There are plenty of charities being supported throughout Australia:

http://www.shopsinoz.com/charities.html

Eastend Girl

I think maybe they have to spread their money around as there is always some charity on the phone, at your door or hanging around outside woollies and coles - i don't remember it being asked for money all the time like that at home.

Pollyana

I'm sick of people turning up on the doorstep asking for cash for charities. I give my cash to the charities I want to support, and I don't want to spend time justifying myself to doorknockers.
The Bloke and the MIL seem to give to anyone that shakes a tin on the doorstep - but only if they get a tax receipt. That seems more important to them than where their money is actually going.
Very odd.....

moneypenny20

My local branch of BOQ did their hair for Leukemia today and raised stacks. The Australian owner of the branch donated the same amount again. You may not get the street corner flag sellers, but the big events raise stacks from what I've heard. Volunteer Marine Rescue wouldn't exist without charity contributions and neither would Surf Lifesaving.

I think most people have one or two charities that they regularly give to and so may not be able to afford more low key charities.

Poll, if they show how much they've given to charity on their tax returns, the government give the tax paid to the charity as well - I think. Or they get the tax back - one of the two

Nu-Shooz

I get alot of phone calls asking for money. They say $40 a month would be sufficient
Charity ain't cheap is it.

BadgeIsBack

In my experience, no Aussie can ask for a donation without immediately getting in the fact it's tax deductable. Many will carry around the 'book' so they can give you a receipt.

MartinLuther

Nope. I find Aussies very generous when it comes to charity. At the brigade we do collections and I'm always amazed at what people put in. My wife did a collection for a charity raffle and she had too much stuff for one raffle. Butchers seem to be very generous.

I can't remember the stats but about a week after the Boxing Day tsunami the Australian public had donated more than the governments of Germany, France and Spain. Note that I said Australian public the Aussie government was putting in on top of that. (It's funny how that story was viewed from the different ends of the planet. The UK press concentrated on how Germany managed to get a relief plane to Banda Aceh before the Aussies. Given the relatively small donation made by the Germans at that time you've got to wonder whether they spent any time loading it with anything.)

So no the Aussies are not tight arses when it comes to charity. And I've found very few of them to be selfish.

MartinLuther

A quick look on Google came up with this.

http://www.caritas.org.au/AM/Templat...LDisplay.cfm&C

At the end of the article they have this: "Sprouting from this terrible death and destruction, was an outpouring of generosity from around the world on a scale never seen before. Apart from the millions that poured in from governments and multilateral donors, private charitable donations reached 2.5 billion. In Australia, donations reached nearly 400 million, and Cartias Australia raised a record amount of over 23 million".

400 million out of 2.5 billion sounds really crap

BadgeIsBack

Many vol fire brigades and SES units make a fair amount of money out of this. We have thousands of (saved) dollars in the bank from fundraising. Big business almost.

Aussies are good at supporting their local community. If you have one of course(!)

We had a sausage sizzle "for the Tsunami''. As one bloke said at work, 'How much do they cost"?

Pollyana

Yeah I realise they get the tax back, but it just seems odd - they both seem more focused on whether they can get a receipt and get the tax back, than on who they are actually giving the money too. The Bloke actually didn't know who he had donated to, on one occasion that I asked him, "doesn't matter who it was, I got a receipt, thats the important thing." Perhaps its me, but the priorities seem to be wrong?

JackTheLad

What?! Darling Dearest you're in real trouble for putting words in my mouth! I don't think we've had any discussion on the subject lately or ever.

Mrs JTL

Vanessa

They can't be that bad otherwise there wouldn't be so many Op Shops around.

MartinLuther

I don't think it's about priorities. I think you're trying to read to much into what is an automatic response.

BadgeIsBack

I'd rather people just give to be honest, and by some quirk it's quite noble they'd rather give, (AND get a tax deduction) than conduct a full analysis of where their gold coin is going:

It's going to pay for the charity's salaried workers and overheads!.