Over the years I have been more and more disheartened at christmas because of the vast amount of money that is spent and you are expected to spend. I have bought for my own children and nephews and nieces but have decided not to buy for the adults this year. I would like to donate to an animal charity/rescue centre and put some sort of acknowledgement that I have done this inside a christmas card to the person. Does anyone know of any that do this or even a christmas card stating that a donation has been made to the charity/rescue centre.
I am going to donate £200

Lots of the big charities have their own Christmas cards which state that a donation has been made via the cost of the card - but this is certainly a step forward from that and  a very good idea so that folks know that you are making a special donation rather than buying presents. I will ask our fund raising department if they do this ( I work for The World Society For the Protection of Animals -WSPA) - thanks for the idea :D

I agree with you on this :)

I so disagree with the waste of money Christms can be :)

We have for the last two years and will be doing the same this year buy nieces and nephews presents and no adults. I have said to all my rellies, if they want to buy me something then just give me some money. All the money then gets donated to Lab rescue. I still get people buying me stuff which really annoys me, for one it is normally something I really do not want or need  but secondly they totally ignore what I have asked. If they don't want the money to go to Lab rescue then don't bother buying me presents ! It is quite easy really ! :)

Lucy
xx

Its appreciated too Lucy.

I would advise anyone sorry but dont go for big charities they have millions and pay their staff large amounts of money
go for you local animal charity ring them up first see what reaction you get to just an enquiry dont tell them about a donation if you are satisfied they are dedicated then go for it.

Not plugging our rescue here just giving this as a  for instance:
when i went on our website last year really fed up  and down because i couldnt get the  dog blankets dry for the kennels this is what happened.
1) my second in command (rescue helper) and her hubby arrived with a second hand tumble dryer and 2) freinds from the site club together for some vet bed much easier to wash and dry.
most of them have been here and seen the work we do.
so I recommend you go and see your local rescue have a look at the work they do and if you are happy give them your kind donation I am sure they will be very grateful and the animals will benifit

also search on here for topics on RSPCA  etc it will open your eyes

I agree you should find out about local smaller rescues in your area. The smaller ones often get forgotten about. when you decide where you want the money to go and donate it to them then get them to do a little note and you can photo copy it and put it in all your xmas cards.
Good for you for doing this it is a wonderful idea.
carol

Depends on what the big charity is  and how it operates ;) - WSPA works with member societies in countries all around the world supporting them in places where animals get the worst deal of all and where raising funds to help animals is almost impossible - it also depends what people want to support. I have just come back from the Middle East where we have set up spay and neuter clinics with the local vets so that the huge numbers of street dogs  can be controlled humanely. We have also got the Jordanian government to put in over 2 million pounds to build a clinic/sanctuary/training centre so that the donkeys, horses and other livestock can be treated . Our education department has worked with the minister for education to get animal welfare put into the schools curriculum   ( as we did here ! - it is now part of PHSE in schools in the UK) - I could go on but just wanted to make the point that the large charities (and WSPA is the biggest animal charity in the world) can use their influence to REALLY change the ways that animals are viewed and treated .

Well done its nice to hear that  its good for people to read about good works such as that.
can you tell me wether WSPA is connected with   IFAW ?   I was told the latter was a business

WPSA some times work with IFAW but they are separate I woukd never support IFAW as they are a commercal opperation(mede the founder a millionaire)

Although this a dog board the Donkey & Horse UK organisation always need money & do brilliant work(I don;t own a horse)

IFAW does no direct work itself but provides funds for smaller societies overseas to address issues of animal welfare. It does get involved with projects and campaigns in this country and has a strong campaigning /political presence here. WSPA only works overseas and has offices thoughout the world, it aims to change attitudes through education and also does direct action operations  such as disaster relief and undercover work in areas such as dog fighting/bear bile farms/dog eating etc.

IFAW and WSPA are two separate charities with separate mandates although we do sometimes work together on issues

Just out of interest, which one are you a member of, Trevor?

IFAW is not a registered charity

I work for WSPA as their Director for Europe and the Middle East- I am also part of the worldwide disaster relief team .

I spoke to our fund raising department and they are happy to provide cards which state that a donation has been made to them instead of giving presents. apparently some other charities do this already ( mostly human aid charities ).

Giving to animal charities at any time of the year is something I support wholeheartedly.  But I don't understand the need to make sure that friends and family know about it. 
Surely the sole reason for donating is to benefit the receiver ? 

So family will know that I haven't just not given to them because I am a scrooge but because I want to give to a worthwhile cause rather than wasting money on something they probably didn't want anyway.

It may also encourage them to do the same and donate to charities in future years ;)

First, can I say to admin that I am not advertising, as we cant take any more orders this year.  However, we have been printing Christmas Cards this year, selling them in aid of Rescue, and for a very small extra charge have either been personalising them with names and addresses, or with a message.  Lots of places sell packs of blank greeting cards, and it is not a hard job to print some for yourself for this year.  However, next year you may find a small outfit like ourselves who sell cards in aid of a good cause and can print a message on them for you.
bye
Gwen