An insider's view

A senior charity executive (name withheld)

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE a senior executive at one of Britain's biggest charities doesn't mean you shouldn't give to other charities. This one does, and she's happy to explain how; she only wants to remain anonymous so we don't confuse her opinions with those of her charity.

"Inevitably," she says, "I give in response to charities' fundraising efforts. I get stopped in the street, or people come round to the house, and signing up for a direct debit is something I'm still persuaded to do."

Annual reports aren't the intimidating documents that people think

But personal experience usually guides her. She says, "In a previous job, I began to see that refugees and asylum seekers weren't getting the support they needed - and that has encouraged me to give more to them."

She believes in doing homework. She knows (like Intelligent Giving) that annual reports aren't the intimidating documents that people think, and they are the first place to do your research. "They should give you a good idea of the type of work the charity does," she says, "and whether they're spending donors' money well."

"Responding to the big appeals is one of the most satisfying ways of giving"

Giving regularly is the key to all this, though making donations in response to disasters is also something she does a few times a year. "It's one of the most satisfying ways to give," she points out. "You can be certain that your money will be spent in the way you intended."

She offers two simple bits of advice to the learner giver: "Find a cause you're interested in," she says, "and give regularly to it. A lot of charities do work that can't be funded by the big appeals, so having steady consistent income is important. But also try to give in response to disasters - because people's lives depend on it."