Be Excellent To Each Other

I'm going to be going to Leeds and Glastonbury festival this year (as I did last year) as an Oxfam steward. I can't recommend it enough, you meet a great bunch of people, and everyone you meet is going to be friendly to someone with an Oxfam Tabard on (and it makes it really to blag free booze).

Anyway, Oxfam are looking for people to steward and campaign for them. Stewarding involves a range of tasks, I have had - operating gates, running a Barbecue, driving around Glastonbury delivering coffee to people. If could be anything.
Campaigning basically means walking around the festivals with a clipboard and encouraging people to sign up for newsletters. You work 3 shifts, but will have plenty of time to see lots of bands, and take in the festival atmosphere.

Details here.

Not me, I hate Oxfam. I'd rather give money to the campaign for boiling kittens alive frankly. I object to how much they pay their top executives, how they apparently furnish their HQ with expensive works of art, and how they drive second hand bookshops and second hand record shops out of business. We've lost our splendid second hand bookshop since Oxfam opened their book shop. I know someone else who runs a second hand bookshop and he told me a few tales about their practices.

Give money to splendid charities who help causes you care about, especially when they are local.

I can understand that. I certainly think they do far more good than bad, but it's pretty much impossible to have an organisation that big that isn't in some way imperfect. Obviously that doesn't excuse their shortcomings, but if anyone could name a big charity that is 'perfect' I would be impressed.

Surely the stuff to do with shutting down 2nd hand book/record shops just comes down to competition and operating in a capitalist economy?

Except of course that "charity" shops get all sorts of concessions that normal shops don't. No rates for a start which can be a large sum for a shop in a half decent location. Not really a level playing field when the charity shops can get better locations (because they can afford higher rents), don't have to pay rates and get free staffing.