Over the years of my involvement with the plight of the galgos and podencos – and dozens of other deserving dogs in Spain – I receive many appeals each week to raise funds to help refuges and in particular money for vet fees for badly injured/sick dogs. I’ve come across one or two people who I subsequently discovered were appealing for money for a dog which they in fact did not have and had no links to! So I try to only post appeals on behalf of associations, refuges and individual who I know and who are established.
Vivienne Wharton of ACTIN has written this article on the subject, which contains some very good advice.
Many people have been expressing concerns about paying donations and wondering if the cause is genuine, and that all funds reach the cause. Some of you follow and regularly donate to charities and I am sure you know that your donations go to a good cause. If you can follow a charities work and they are transparent, it will make you feel safe and it is good to see how you are helping. It is your money after all and you should be able to ask questions about what it is used for.
For me as a person and also for my Association I see many things on Facebook that Actin are trying to help, so I think it’s important, with all the terrible things that happen to animals, that when kind people donate, their hard earned money is going where it should.
For those of you that may see something on Facebook that moves you and you feel compelled to help – act with some caution. Facebook is open to abuse and anyone can set up a page and ask for donations. So ask yourself a few questions for your own satisfaction and if still not sure, enquire and find out more. My recommendation is not to act quickly unless you know the people well. Here are some pointers :-
Is it a registered charity?
If not, are they a small group of people you know and follow, perhaps raising for a charity? Keep familiar with who you are donating to and if you are not sure ask questions. Many small groups and individuals ask for donations to help those that they support, there is no wrong in that. It will be clear and your friends no doubt can tell you too. Just make sure you feel happy about it.
Does the size of the group/groups outweigh the cause? : -for example if thousands of people are sending donations for one animal? Or are there other parts to the cause? i.e a campaign, or many animals involved. Look at the balance of it and decide. If one animal needs donations for veterinary treatment for example, usually it won’t take thousands of people’s donations to cover it. If it does then the donators should be able to see veterinary bills and costs. Most charities will provide bills for their donators to see. Always look for transparency in the way the donations are received and conducted.
Are you able to ask questions and receive answers? If you are donating then you are entitled to ask questions about your donation. Be polite and objective, that way you should get answers back which will be polite and informative.
Are you donating to a private person’s name? If so then check this out and make sure you are happy with that. As mentioned above there are those that raise money for their own rescues, or for a rescue/charity that they support, so you may expect their PayPal to have a personal name. A large organisation will usually have 2 options :- to PayPal in the organisations name and a Bank account. This is an important point, so do check.
If you are sending to a cause, you can ask for updates and the organisation will happily supply you with those.
If in doubt don’t do it. Just because there are many donating to one group does not mean it must be ok, many people can be duped and led to believe things by a clever scammer.
A few more things to question :-
Are you consistently seeing extreme cases that shock and upset and compel you to donate?
Are these extreme cases rescued by the group themselves?
Are the cases truly genuine – in that your donation can save this animal?
Are all the facts surrounding the animal’s illness, injury completely true?
Are they hyped up and dramatised to deliver more impact?
Or could you find similar cases all over Facebook that are with any charity/rescue, that quietly tell you about what has happened and ask for your help?
Please think before you donate…..