Charitable public misled by commercial collection companies

31 August 2011

New research by our shops shows that as little as a third (30 per cent) of items donated to charity via letterbox charity bags stand a chance of ending up in charity shops - much to the surprise of UK householders.

Our research reveals that over two thirds of charity bags an average householder receives are from commercial companies working with charities by selling the donated items overseas for profit.

Worryingly, over six out of ten people (65%) aren't aware these commercial companies exist and think 100% of the profits made from their charity bag donations go to the charity involved. The reality is that in some cases as little as 5% is paid to a charity who is working with a commercial company. 85% of people who are now aware of this activity say it makes them feel shocked, cheated and disheartened.

It is vital commercial companies act responsibly and be transparent
BHF Shops are releasing these findings in advance of their BIG Donation stock appeal this September because they think its vital people understand where their charity bag donations are going so they can make an informed choice when choosing which charity to support.

As well as causing confusion, the escalation in commercial activity has had a negative impact on charity bag donations. Our Shops alone have seen a 36% drop in household collections meaning a loss of £4.6 million over the last two years (2009-2011).

Retail Director, Mike Lucas, says: “It is vital commercial companies act responsibly and be transparent on their charity bags – particularly around how much profit the named charity will actually make from a collection. Householders have the right to know what happens to their donations and currently this information is not clear.

“Although this is a legal way to raise money, companies working for commercial gain are a huge problem for charities with high street shops. BHF Shops do not work with these companies and because of this 100% of the profits made from charity bag donations stay with us – helping us continue our lifesaving work”.

Advice to householders

Take your donations directly into your local BHF Shop this September and support our biggest stock appeal – The Big Donation. Aiming to bring in over 600,000 bags of stock throughout the month, everyone can help by donating good quality clothing, shoes, accessories, CDs, DVDs, books, toys and bric-a-brac to their local BHF Shop.
•Check charity bags and leaflets for information about how much of the proceeds from your items go to the charity.
•Our shops carry out doorstep collections using clearly identified vans and drivers. Ask the collector for identification if you're not sure.
•The BHF also offers a free collection service for those larger items.

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