[Closed] Help For Heroes

its run by the Sun i think.

I don't want to be negative about HFH but I was told by someone that worked in elderly care that the British Legion were brilliant when it came to helping out former service people who were struggling in later life.

Having said that she didn't give to either the British Legion (other than the poppy appeal) or HFH but regualrly gave to [url= https://www.blindveterans.org.uk ]Blind Veterans UK[/url] as she thought that was where her contribution would make the most difference.

I know of a rather high profile chap who after coming back from Afghanistan in a very bad way, with multiple injuries. Had 56k raised in his name for hfh - they took it but didn't offer him any support beyond a nursing home bed.

He is now doing really well with help and support from the Pilgrim bandits - worth having a Google.

They offer a different approach to helping injured veterans.

I'm always happy to donate to RBL. I was very much in favour of H4H until I had a conversation with a squaddie that had a friend that who had a poor experience with them. They were good at big projects but not so good at one to one. That said my money goes to Combat Stress or BLESMA.

Or how about Medicines Sans Frontiers.

H4H are not the most forthcoming about their charity workings. They are not the saints that they're made out to be. Only a percentage of what you donate reaches those who need it, whereas with the RBL if it's part of the poppy appeal, then 100% of what is donated goes to projects/people.

After having a good friend badly injured in Afghanistan, then seeing how the charity behaved and treated him, I'd not give them the steam off my shit. RBL, ABF, BLESMA, Combat Stress, all bloody good places where your money will do good.

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Thanks all. I'd not even heard of some of those. I shall keep looking.

Moose- Are/were you a blue suit? I used to know a mountain biker called Moose when I was in the RAF.

The complete opposite of what you think, can't and won't say exactly why but I would not give HFH a penny and donate to RBL instead. Based on informal chats with those high up in the forces charity world I have met through working on ad campaigns (for forces charities)
Great at raising money, lacking in experience of infrastructure to do anything with it.

OP I am awae of one major donor to HfH, he is very supportive of their work. He is ex-military and well enough connected to be aware of any potential issues.

Or how about Medicines Sans Frontiers.

It's not a charity which supports British servicemen, past and present. MSF is of course very worthy but it's not the same at all.

@moose pretty much all charities have running expenses, those have to be paid for somehow. The worst are some of the celebrity fronted charities where some horror stories have almost 100% of the money raised NOT going to the supposed causes.

@adjustable and @beaker I have not heard those stories but admit I have not dug too deeply. I donate to both RBL amd HfH.

My mate who's ex Royal Marines & VERY patriotic refuses point blank to support HFH. He's in the know & reckons the people who kicked it off have made loads for themselves.

Hum 😐

I've felt very dubious about H4H for a long while ..... I'd certainly choose Royal legion over them

Based on what has been posted here I have looked through HfH published accounts. I suppose some of the negativity here is that people don't realise that big charities are run as a not-for-profit business. HfH has 163 employees and they don't work for free. The vast majority cost wise (as far as I can see) are employed to deliver rehab services to the servicemen, now and in the future. Cost of raising money is 20%, not bad. Yes some employees earn more than £60k (probably a lot more than that inc the founders) and I can see that some people may find that offensive.

H4H has come in for quite a bit of criticism, some of which is undeserved - Newsnight had to withdraw a report they did on them. The people who run it are paid well, but this is not uncommon in big charities, the people at the Legion are paid more and don't start on the salaries at Oxfam etc. They are however a modern brand aware charity that uses modern - often expensive techniques to raise funds - that said much of their funding would not have found it way to service personnel without them. Initially most of the money raised actually went to other military charities as they had the infrastructure to redistribute funds - not sure where they are now with this. In addition, the fact that Gen Richard Dannatt is involved with them, who is probably the most morally correct Chief of the General Staff in recent years, offers a lot of comfort.

That said, having been brought up raising money for military charities, I see H4H as a vehicle for raising funds from people who would not otherwise give to military charities (outside the poppy appeal). Therefore if I was in your position I would look to the "old fashioned" military charities (or smaller ones if you find them) such as SSAFA, ABF and BLESMA - all of which are exceedingly well run. (BLESMA is a particular favourite as my grandfather lost his arm in WW1).

EDIT: The Legion does a lot of good work but it is more complex than just a charity for care and I prefer the more focussed ones.

Yes some employees earn more than £60k (probably a lot more than that inc the founders) and I can see that some people may find that offensive.

Your'e not wrong there.

I've always thought that there should be a charity like an investment fund.
You put in X amount and it is distributed to various other charities. You can choose the kinds of charities you want - cancer, old age, homelessness etc

YGH - Look at the CAF, not sure quite what you are looking for but allows you to make regular tax efficient donations and then distribute when you see fit.

There is some great work done as always by the individual services associations.

I for one think that the work the RAFA do, especially with its homes and support is amazing and has helped out many friends and family members over the years.

Think too about SSAFA and the RAFBF.

The British Legion are amazing by the way.

HfH cost of raising money is about 20%, every £1 donated they get 80p. Many charities pay more. This is one reason I rarely give to street collectors.

@essel as @medty says large charities pay "market rate" salaries, ceo can easily be on £150k plus plus I'd rather pay a charity ceo that than the head of the local government authority who can't arrange to collect the rubbish more than twice a month.

Must of the infrastructure funded by H4H sadly lies under-utilised based on over-optimistic ideals and the fact that most wounded, injured and sick want to be rehabilitated in their local communities, not at a regional centre miles from home. Community care and helping people get into employment yields the best return on investment.

"Your'e not wrong there."

When you think about people need to be paid the going rate.

Very few people are in a position to work full time unpaid.

When you think about people need to be paid the going rate.
Very few people are in a position to work full time unpaid.

So 60,000 people give £1 each & that pays someone's salary even before anyone who needs it gets the benefit?
Cos that's how it sounds doesn't it? I know that in effect it's not, but you see what I mean? I wouldn't expect anyone to work for nothing but 60-150K??
Same in my job I suppose & your'e right about local council CEO's too.

If that CEO is really good at his job and increases the level of donation by £1m per year is he not worth it?

I've done some work with SSAFA and in the past, I can't say I've looked at accounts or similiar but they felt very grounded and practical in what they wanted to do and a bit less fussed about that corporate gloss and visibility than h4h are. That's not a criticism of h4h, it's a legitimate way for a charity to attract funding, but I liked how SSAFA worked and they felt better perceived in the sector. (if you asked h4h what they wanted to achieve from a piece of work, they'd say "upgrade the fundraiser's toolkit to maximise key deliverables" or some such corporate pish, SSAFA would say "help people")

(both charities have helped friends of mine btw so maybe it's a wee bit personal)

It's that old thing, some charities direct a larger proportion of their funding to end users, but raise a relatively small amount... But do you believe there's a finite charity pound? ie to what extent does a more succesful fundraiser create extra charity funding across the sector, as opposed to outcompeting other fundraisers. Professional fundraising might well be making people a salary and [i]also[/i] helping more people, but it's really hard to know what the net result is. It's not a zero sum game but it's not simple gain either

I have a friend who works for a variety of charities helping ex service personnel. She doesn't decry HFH but but the problem they had was they raised a huge amount of money very quickly without the infrastructure and understanding to make it really work long term. The example she gave was of HFH building a great facility but then had no long term plan for it's upkeep and maintenance so after a few years it now lies unused. She tells me they are getting better but are still a long way off Poppy Scotland, Scottish War Blind, RBL etc in terms of reach and results.

The company that I work for have decided that H4H would be their charity for this year which means we're not allowed to raise funds for anyone else unless we're also doing the same for H4H.

This means that money that would have gone to smaller (and I would argue more worthy) charities is now filling H4H giant coffers.

I'll probably get flamed for this but I'm not even sure why H4H should exist.
If you decide to be a soldier you know the risks, you know you might get shot, you might get blown up. You also get paid.
Also, when sending troops in the government also know the risks, they should take care of them.

Why is a charity needed to pick up the pieces?

In my mind a charity is for when people fall on hard times through no fault of their own.

:awaits flaming:

Also, when sending troops in the government also know the risks, they should take care of them.

Agree with this.

Also a bit unsure of referring to all of these guys as heroes, but hey, they need a name I suppose...

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we got angry that people in the private sector got paid nearly as much as people who worked for charities?

We've already got angry about that, quite a few times tbh.... 😆

@Bill that's your choice. I think the Government should be doing more but as they are not I am happy to step in. Ditto Cancer Research etc. As donations are tax deductable effectively the Government is giving a bit more as I donate.

I'll probably get flamed for this but I'm not even sure why H4H should exist.
If you decide to be a soldier you know the risks, you know you might get shot, you might get blown up. You also get paid.
Also, when sending troops in the government also know the risks, they should take care of them.

Why is a charity needed to pick up the pieces?

In my mind a charity is for when people fall on hard times through no fault of their own.

:awaits flaming:

I've sometimes pondered a similar question, but may I respectfully request that we keep that to another thread?

It would be great to keep the nuances of H4H fundraising to be kept separate from this open ended and very emotive subject.

BillOddie

You raise a valid point, but certainly not one that is unique to military charities. Why is RNLI not government funded? Why is decent cancer support and research not fully funded?

At the end of the day, funding from government may not equate your own priorities and that'd where everyone as an individual can make the different by donating to those charities that match their "interests".

Jeff

Whilst by no means perfect, the government will support you in your choices by adding 25% to your donation by way of Gift Aid, if you are eligible.

Plenty of charities receive substantial income from government. In 2003 something like 30% of charity income came from government.

Why is RNLI not government funded?

The volunteers I know would be very reluctant to get involved with if it where so. They do it for love of the work and a sense of duty. Chapeau to them for that. I have been towed in during a gale after being dismasted and a good friend was evacuated after suffering a major heart attack. You only need to look at the cuts to Air Sea rescue and the Coast Guard to be glad the RNLI is self sustaining.

Why is RNLI not government funded?

Because we want to keep it effective.

Having worked on a few projects for well known charities it always upsets me to see the amount of money wasted, but I think we have to accept that none of us or them are perfect and just make sure we aren't donating anything to any bogus organisations

Military charity scandal on BBC Scotland tonight and iplayer after looks like it will point out where not to donate your charity pound 😯

Military charity scandal on BBC Scotland tonight and iplayer after looks like it will point out where not to donate your charity pound

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37895831

Classy outfit - 1st Knight Military Charity.

So 60,000 people give £1 each & that pays someone's salary even before anyone who needs it gets the benefit?

if 20% goes to HfH and 80% to its causes then 300,000GBP has to be raised to pay the 60K wage.... i think.

Why is a charity needed to pick up the pieces?

also think this should be the job of the forces/gov. technically by giving you are subsidising the military a second time round.

off topic, but...

the GF works for a charity.... it looks after, houses and provides job for people with downs, learning difficulties and severe autism. they hve several workshops and "businesses" (wood & metal workshops, a weaving mill, a farm, plant nursery, gardening, mini supermarket to name but a few...)

she is head of a sister firm that designs products to be made in their workshops. she has taken a bit of a hit financially to work there, but is very alturistic and idealistic, bless her.

the stories she tells of the inefficiencies and incompetence of the people working there and running it are mind-boggling. doubt many of them would last very long in the private sector. the amount of time and money that is wasted on simple tasks and operations is sad.

some of the products in the firms line-up were costing them more to buy the materials, not including production, than they were being sold for. they were working with prices from 2003. ❓

It's not a charity which supports British servicemen, past and present. MSF is of course very worthy but it's not the same at all.

Yeah, one gives money to the lads and lasses who dropped bombs on civilians and the other picks up the body parts.

Not bothered by mercenaries and professional soldiers who do it for the money or the lolz, I am bothered by it being dressed up in nationalist attire by groups like HFH.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37966383

That bunch of cons in peteimpreza link to boil my piss. Like britain first pretending to be a forces charity sod all they raise goes to and charitable work.

Not sure that Tom knows what the armed forces actualy do or why people join. In my experience it certainly isnt for the money or the lolz.

There's quite a big gap between the going rate and working unpaid. I've worked for a couple of charities and most of the people there were happy to take slightly less wages than they could get elsewhere to do that job.

I've a friend who went into City finance for a big utilities firm after University. Pretty soon was on a six figure salary but then he left and joined a charity (big well known one, although he now works for another). He reckons he earns about 2/3 of what he'd earn if he stayed in the private sector which is still beyond most people's ideas,

the stories she tells of the inefficiencies and incompetence of the people working there and running it are mind-boggling. doubt many of them would last very long in the private sector. the amount of time and money that is wasted on simple tasks and operations is sad.

but there were such inefficiencies in the way they were investing their money that he saved multiples of his salary in no time at all by simply using standard private sector experience.

It's not for no reason that more and more charities are appointing people from industry to their boards and trustees.

Why is RNLI not government funded?
The volunteers I know would be very reluctant to get involved with if it where so. They do it for love of the work and a sense of duty. Chapeau to them for that. I have been towed in during a gale after being dismasted and a good friend was evacuated after suffering a major heart attack. You only need to look at the cuts to Air Sea rescue and the Coast Guard to be glad the RNLI is self sustaining.

Also a bit unsure of referring to all of these guys as heroes

I have issues with that too and I know a number of ex and current servicemen who agree.

Have a friend who works for HfH in a large garrison town, his job is often tough but he thinks its rewarding (mostly), though not the pay. Those he serves need his help to a greater or lesser extent (depends on injuries), I admire him for his commitment. HfH and many other charities are not perfect (the RNLI is one, take a look at headoffice), however the outcomes of there involvement for many should not be underestimated. Choose your cause wisely, give your time, money or both and resist criticising others for their choices. Happy giving!

My brother earns 60k a year as senior management for a charity and could earn much more in the private sector .

The Support for Heroes charity is an interesting case - it will be interesting to see how it develops. Is it that money was being wasted/misappropriated or was it just that they were employing lying chuggers. Rule one of giving to charity is never do it on the street - the chugger (often employed via a third party) percentage take on charity giving is breathtaking unless you give for a considerable period after first signing up. Typically everything you donate in the first year goes to the chugger firm, not the charity, irrespective of what charity they are chugging for.

I do find threads like this amusing - whinging about inefficiency of charities but also complaints about them paying people the going rate for their roles. The naivety that 100% of funds can be spent on 'front line' work. Charities are often big organisations which need administering - you pay peanuts for doing that and you get monkeys.

https://www.ssafa.org.uk/