Icon: more lifesaving research from Intelligent Giving
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Watchdog

RUMOURS, GOSSIP, CHINESE WHISPERS... Our trusty watchdog gobbles them up. Sample her findings below and feel free to send in any more.
 

ADMIN COSTS

"Charities spend half of my money on administration"
FALSE. This is wrong for two reasons, and the statement is irrelevant anyway...
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CHARITY MUGGERS

"Charity muggers take the first 12 months of your donation"
PARTLY TRUE. Face-to-face fundraisers can walk off with a large chunk of your gift...
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FAT CAT SALARIES

"The boss of Oxfam is paid a small fortune"
FALSE. She's not, and no-one we've found who works in charities is. The highest-paid charity boss...
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POPPY DAY

"The Poppy Appeal helps 10,500,000 people"
FALSE. If you've seen the ads , you'd be forgiven for thinking that millions of people are helped...
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PRINCESS DIANA

"Princess Diana didn't leave anything to charity"
MISLEADING. Some people, like Peter Tatchell, get very cross that Diana didn't leave a penny...
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PROSTATE CHARITIES

"There are over 100 prostate cancer charities"
FALSE. There aren't quite this many - but there are a lot of them. And it's difficult to tell what they do...
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS

"Eton is a charity"
TRUE. No, we’re not joking. Eton College, the world's poshest school, is a charity. Sound scandalous? We’ll leave that judgement to you...
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RICH DONKEYS?

"The Donkey Sanctuary is sitting on a small fortune"
FALSE. At first glance, the Donkey Sanctuary looks extremely rich, but the truth is more complicated...
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UNICEF HIGH-FLIERS

"UNICEF employees regularly fly first-class"
FALSE. A reader says he saw UNICEF staff turning left when they boarded the plane...
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AMNESTY

"Amnesty International isn't a charity"
TRUE. Most campaigning organizations don't count as charities under the law....
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