Hi there, I know that the statutory minimum redundancy payment is one week per year of service but I assume a lot of charities may pay more? I was just wondering what the people here in the sector have in their organisations? Thanks, R

Hi there peeps, Im wondering if I can get your help and advice on an issue Im having. I'm a member of an Institution (also reg. Charity in Eng & Scot) and pay a membership fee. However, i went for a role in the institution and was told I could join because I'm abroad. However the institution changed the application page after the deadline saying all members could apply, and therefore are clearly discriminating against international members. I have already tried to resolve this issue with them but unfortunately to no avail. Please can anyone help how i might escalate this to court proceedings? Your help would be grealty appreciated. Many Thanks! Dan

Im rather confused after speaking with them. To be fair they always have time to speak. I have spoken to 2 different people and been told 2 completely different things. Person 1 was heading down the route of clearing priority debts and getting to the point where i could do a IVA Person 2 said i should go bankrupt tomorrow basically. Now i have total debts of around 19k of which 2.5k is priority debts which i am clearing slowly. and another 5k i have a CCJ on i am contesting. and the other 11.5k is old and nearing becoming SB and or paypay loan loans which started at £200 and are now 2k. And when i mentioned i was contesting a CCJ they didnt like that at all Or when i mentioned getting the debt to a point where i could do a DRO, they didnt like that either. All just a bit confused

Hello again Everybody, After a long absence I have returned to the site. I have two questions. How do I make a donation please? I received advice a long time ago and could never afford a donation. Not much better now, but a bit:) And I am being bullied at work by my line manager. She has extended my probation period under the guise of poor performance, but it's she who has prevented me from doing my job by saying no all the time. Has anyone else been bullied by a charity? I would appreciate any thoughts.

I live in a block of flats which are mostly elderly people. 2 weeks ago somebody pressed the intercom button and said " Hi I am from skype, buzz me in". I never let anybody into the block without first checking out who it is, so I went down to the door to find that he was in fact a charity worker from Scope. I declined to give him my bank details and closed the door. As I started to walk back up the stairs, the bottom door was opened as he had used the same false tactics to gain entry on an 87 year old single lady in one of the other flats. there where two young chaps about 18 years old trying to make there way upstairs, I asked them to leave at which point one said he did not have to leave as he has been invited in by the elderly lady (using the same false Skype terminology to gain false entry). I put my arm out to block their way to the staircase at which point he informed me that if I touch him he would call the police and report me of assault. So I thought I would play him at his own game and blocked the staircase with my body and told him that if he touched me I would report him for assault. At this point, he pushed me in the chest and was verbally abusive. Fortunately my wife came out after hearing the altercation and I told her to phone the police which she did.......sadly I would have been better off calling the local infants school, they would have been more help. The operator had to try 3 different numbers to get anyone to answer( this was a 999 call), and when the police finally answered they said they would send someone out, well they must have got lost as 2 weeks on and we have still heard nothing. I made a complaint to the Scope head office and spoke to a chap called Brendan Delaney who said he would check with the agency that they use to get these collectors "re-trained" and would phone me back later that day or the next day at which point I left him with my phone number. After 2 days and no contact from Scope, I decided to phone them again and when I spoke to Mr. Delaney he said he had tried to phone me back but he must have taken my phone number down wrong . He informed me that the agency had talked to the 2 collectors who has given a totally different story to me, well two 18 year old mates wouldn't tell porkies would they? I don't agree with the bullying or the lying to gain entry to vulnerable people with the intention of extracting bank details and because of this appalling behaviour by so called charity workers who get a rather good percentage of the first years contributions of the Direct Debit details they sign up, we are now not allowing any door to door sellers or Charity collectors on our property.

Hello all I have been mandated by my personal advisor to volunteer for a charity shop. To gain experience in retail, however I find this a rather backwards way of thinking. The retail industry is dying and big chains are closing down all the time and see very little that I will gain from this. I already do voluntary work in a different area. Can I be mandated to do this or can I refuse to do it. I have changed my CV removing my degree to give me the best chance of getting a job and this has started to result in getting regular interviews in areas that I have more experience in and that are not in the retail industry as since xmas I have seen very few retail jobs advertised. I would rather use my time doing something more productive than gaining experience in an area that is failing. Can anyone advise on what the rules are surrounding mandation to voluntary work please.

I currently work for a small charity on a part-time basis (one of 2 part-time employees, I manage my own time and workload). I get paid approx £9,750 per year (before tax) which is supposed to be for 18 hours a week. I find myself volunteering above this and end up working 25 - 30 hours per week. Most of the work I do at home using my own computer. I don't have a contract, only verbal agreement. I also want to run my own small business (market stall selling craft goods once a month) whilst continuing to work for the charity on a part-time basis. Next year I am considering having a baby. What I'd like to know is can I change my status to self-employed, and then invoice the charity once a month for the amount they already pay me? As I understand the situation, this will mean I can then write-off petrol and other expenses, as well as earn a small supplementary amount from my market stall. I also have heard that the maternity pay for self-employed is higher than employed? I'd be grateful for any suggestions and help!

I joined a local pre-school committee earlier this year not realising the implications involved.... but I soon learnt!!! We received a serious complaint about our manager, the nature of the complaint required us by law to notify our local authority and Ofsted who advised us that she was to be suspended pending a full investigation and I was elected by these people to be the investigating officer. To cut a very long story short the conclusion was that the manager was sacked for gross misconduct. The irony here is that if we had not sacked her then Ofsted would have closed the pre-school yet we have now had to close due to the low number of intake this September. In the meantime the manager decides she will submit her ET1 and my name is prominent on the form as the investigating officer and in front of the pre-school. Along with unfair dismissal she is also claiming 'breach of contract' stating she is owed £3000 from 2010. I'm relatively comfortable defending the unfair dismissal as we followed the acas guidelines etc. but I do realise these things can go against you for the slightest 'hic-cup', I am very concerned at the money side of things. I understand that as we are now 'insolvent' the liability falls onto my shoulders.... but am I liable for something that occurred (or didn't as the case may be) before my time? Can I ask the courts to put the name of the Committee Treasure of 2003 - 2012 to be put on the paperwork to answer to that point? I have been through our insurance company and they have maintain up to this point that we are not covered under the trustee indemnity even though we are a registered charity. Any help, advice or pointers will be gratefully received. S

:help:Hi to all my newly acquired learned friends, I would just like to put my thoughts out to you all to see if we can start to make sense of D.Camerons overseas aid contributions(which means our money). I recently heard that he has committed us to the tune of £12Billion per year!!! He says that we are in financially a better position than most and can afford this!!! What about the countries that are financially better off than us and are not contributing anything like this amount, I say that we cannot afford this because of our heavy borrowing to cover our governments debts! I'm all in favour of helping other people but only, surely ,if we have a surplus. Who will look after us when the golden goose(thats us)stops laying him his golden eggs. I value your comments as I dont know if I am missing something vital in my grey matter as I cannot get to grips with his reasoning.....

I have asked a homeless charity where will the next AGM will be held. They are not giving me any iformation as last time i asked them a question as i was working volunteer and i noticed they was giving dirty quilt away and was so shocked i asked them why when they had new ones what they have been given for free and was seeling in there shop... so i asked them where is the AGM this year. i dont think they want me to go. i want to go to this AGM, can they stop me from going as they are now a LMD company/charity?

Hello, apologies if I get something wrong - first post. I've tried to read the FAQ but mental illness drugs have left me with the concentration span of a gnat (that may be insulting to gnats, amoeba maybe?!) I've lost a year of my life to a misdiagnosed mental illness and the ensuing drugs which left me in a lithium-induced coma like state. Meanwhile, I've garnered a lot of financial problems (including CCJs) albeit the one thing I've managed to get a temporary agreement on is my mortgage. Is there an optimal charity for complex debt (there's a company failure in there too) please? I can't handle this on my own, especially as I fear sliding back into depression.. already overwhelmed Many thanks in advance for your kind assistance

Hello everyone, I’m a member of a nonprofit making organisation and we are looking for ideas in obtaining sponsorship so thought I'd post here to see if anyone has some ideas that might help? Some details of the event: Each year, we organise a Bite Back at Cancer Black Tie Ball, the first Ball was held in 2007, in recognition of two popular divers, Vickie Herrald and Sally Pearson. This event has now become a regular date in our calendars, as a legacy to their wishes and in memory of their positive and loving outlook on life, despite the harsh cards they had both been dealt. The fund raising success of the event has grown year on year, thanks to the generosity of the attendees and also our sponsors in the form of donated gifts for inclusion in the charity auction and prize draws. To date we have raised: · In 2007 the amount was £1,500.00; · In 2008 the amount was £3,000.00; · In 2009 the amount was £6,000.00; · In 2010 the amount was £11,500.00; and · And in 2011 it was an amazing effort reaching £19,500.00. The funds raised are donated equally between two charities that we believe are close to the heart for many people. Marie Curie is one of our chosen charities, as their support is invaluable during the hard times that cancer can bring. The second charity, Bite-Back, is an organisation dedicated to marine conservation and the protection of sharks and aims to reduce consumer demand upon threatened shark and fish species. We are looking for new and exciting things this year and would love to extend our horizons. We are happy to advise that this year's event is being held at the Underglobe at the Globe on the Southbank.... All generosity is gratefully received and certainly does go a long way in helping us raise money for two very good charities, without the kindness of our sponsors, the event simply would not be the tremendous success it is each year. Our sponsors are who make this night such an amazing night out for everyone. We love to have some unique lots in our Charity Auction this year to help freshen up the Ball and to allow for the non divers amongst us to become more involved. If you do, we'd like to advise that your sponsorship could be used in a number of ways, including the auction, raffle draws, casino, or other game or activity held on the night, so no sponsorship is too small or too big and will be greatly accepted. In return for your sponsorship, your company logo and information will be advertised in our event's booklet. This booklet placed at each seat on the night and we also email this to our guest a couple of weeks before the event. As an incentive to encourage clubs and groups of people to attend we are offering a prize draw specifically for group bookings of ten or more people where you'll have the opportunity to win a one day boat charger with Sussex Ship Wrecks. This year’s venue has a maximum capacity of 250 places, so at the very worst each entry will have a 25 to 1 chance of winning! We refer to the various links, within this email, for further information on; previous events, Bite Back Charity, our past sponsors, Marie Curie Charity. All the best

Hi Families feeling the pinch on kids day trips & holidays according to charity http://www.family-action.org.uk/home.aspx?id=11578 http://www.family-action.org.uk/uploads/documents/Breaking%20the%20Bank%20-%20Summer%20On%20A%20Shoestring%20FINAL.pdf

Hi all, I get on average one of these through my door a week. How much stuff do they think I have to give away?? I'm in North Yorkshire. Whats it like in your part of the universe?