Charity News

A runner is planning to do 30 half marathons in 30 days with a fridge on his back for charity.

Tony Phoenix-Morrison, who is four days into his challenge, said: "I'm bonkers. I wanted to do something that would put smiles on people's faces, but it is a bit bonkers isn't it?

"I'm not a super athlete, I'm just a bloke who's up for a laugh and got a bit of Geordie grit and it's already put smiles on a lot of faces so that's good."

For more on this story go to ITV Tyne Tees.

• And Finally
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Technology-savvy pensioners have led a huge rise in online donations to good causes, new research suggests.

Web donations to religious groups have soared by 128% over the past five years, while online giving to culture and arts institutions has trebled, a study by the website Justgiving found.

A poll of more than 2,000 adults found over-60s were the most generous age group, donating three times as much online to religious organisations compared with five years ago.

Older people also made five times more donations via the internet to culture and arts groups over the same period.

Churches have now been urged to adapt to modern methods of giving charity to ensure they do not miss out on generous donations.

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• Pensioners
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The Sunday Telegraph's investigation into Tag Campaigns and the wider 'chugging' industry found the following;

• Apparent breaches of the self-regulatory code of conduct, including the intimidation of members of the public.
• A failure to disclose to donors — in contravention of charity law — that the Marie Curie campaign was costing the charity £367,000.

• Chuggers were texting in donations for each other from their own phones in order to hit “sign-up” targets because they felt under pressure to perform.
• A separate failure by regulators to inform charities that they have in recent months become concerned at the behaviour of some of Tag’s chuggers.

• One in seven councils is calling for a national ban on chugging, which they say is damaging high street trade across the country.
• Tag’s two founders have paid themselves £2.5 million in dividends from its parent company since 2005.

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• Chugging

Many of the UKs largest charities use face-to-face fundraising and it can be extremely effective when it is done well and sensitively by an experienced agency.

Unfortunately, all activity of this kind is being tarred with the word 'chugging - which has become shorthand for aggressive 'in your face' fundraising by people on commission.

I said at the Select Committee hearing that some of the public dont like that sort of fundraising and they see it as disgraceful.

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• The Sunday Telegraph began its investigation into Tag Campaigns after receiving specific concerns about the company. Tag is not a member of the IoF.

• The investigation showed how members of the public were lied to in order to get them to stop.
• Members of the public were never told how much fundraisers were being paid to work on behalf of a charity.

• Tag Campaigns announced it was instituting a new training regime and re-training all staff immediately.
• One team leader has been suspended as a result of evidence produced by the undercover investigation.
  
• Marie Curie said it had launched its own investigation into Tag.
  

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• Chugging

The IoFs chief executive, Peter Lewis, has insisted that 'chugging' still has a future.

He said that last year 865,000 donors signed up to long term donations after being approached on the street, raising £130 million a year for charities.

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• Charity
• Chugging

Chugging is the practice of stopping people on the street and trying to persuade them to give money regularly to a charity.

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• Charity
• Chugging