"Amnesty International isn't a charity"

TRUE: BRITAIN'S WEIRD CHARITY LAWS have long said that organizations which campaign for political change can't register as charities. And it's not just Amnesty. Other campaigning groups, like Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Liberty, also fall foul of the regulations: their work is seen as too controversial to allow them the benefits that registering as a charity brings.

Those benefits are substantial. Gift aid alone allows charities to claim an extra 28p from the government for every pound they're given. This, plus a clutch of other schemes - like not having to pay full business rates - means that Amnesty and its peers are missing out on a lot.

Unfortunately, this means that any money you give to one of these campaigning groups won't be used as efficiently as if you give it to a charity. More of it will go on paying taxes, and you can forget about ticking the gift-aid box. But, if you think that campaigning for political change is important, then you've really got no choice.

Amidst all this, there is some good news. Most of these organizations - including Amnesty - have set up charitable branches. These do the parent group's uncontroversial work (like raising awareness of human rights abuse) and qualify for tax breaks, gift aid and the like. You can also make (gift-aided) donations. But, if you do this, be warned: you won't be supporting the full range of the parent organization's work.

There is a chance that this strange situation will change sometime soon. The brand-new Charities Act overhauls many of the old regulations, and it might even make it easier for organizations like Amnesty to register as charities. But for the moment, a state of confusion prevails.