Residents asked to take care with charity donations
17 Apr 2020 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Residents are being urged to stay vigilant when giving to charity during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the vast majority of charities which have been set up are well meaning and legitimate, other parts of the country have seen cases of bogus charity volunteers offering to help with shopping or claiming to be raising funds for charity.
Residents should take a few simple steps if they’re considering giving to a charity they haven’t donated to before - or simply stick with one they know and trust.
Cabinet Member Councillor Cath Homer said: “There are so many amazing charities supporting vulnerable people across Northumberland we can’t thank them enough.
“However we wouldn’t want the actions of a tiny minority to take anything away from those who are working flat out to help support our communities.”
“There are thousands of volunteers, numerous support and welfare groups and countless individuals working day in and day out during this crisis and we just want to ensure everyone’s generosity goes to those that need it most.”
Simple ways of making sure you give safely to registered charities include:
- Check the charity’s name and registration number at gov.uk/checkcharity. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered.
- Be wary of unsolicited emails from charities you have never heard of and be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them.
- Exercise the same caution as with any other internet transaction, for example, to donate online, visit the charity’s own website and always type the website address into the browser yourself.
- Ignore requests to donate through a money transfer company.
- Finally, if in doubt about an approach, give to a charity that you have an existing relationship with.
Anyone with any concerns can also contact Northumberland Communities Together - northumberlandcommunitiestogether@northumberland.gov.uk