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Cancelling a charity donation: how to stop donating for good
Signing up for a donation takes two minutes on your doorstep. Stopping it takes a bit more effort. That is no accident: with more than 60% of the charities that were researched, it is hard to find how to cancel at all. This article explains exactly what to do to end your donation — and to stay free of it.
Cancel in writing — and keep the proof
Cancelling by phone is faster, but you have no proof. And "we never received your cancellation" is a common answer in this sector. Send an email or a letter and keep the confirmation. Did you use a web form on the charity's own website? Then check afterwards whether you actually received a confirmation. Make sure you can demonstrate that you cancelled.
What to include in your cancellation
To process your cancellation properly, the charity needs the following details:
- your full name, address and city;
- your email address (for the confirmation);
- the last five digits of the account the money is debited from.
Also mention that you are withdrawing your direct debit mandate.
That takes care of your cancellation. And if the charity keeps debiting your account? You can simply have the amount returned through your banking app. Without consequences. A donation carries no payment obligation.
Ask them to delete your data
Without a deletion request you stay in the database — which can mean that a week after cancelling you receive post again, or worse, a phone call. Include this sentence in your message to the charity:
I also request, in accordance with Article 17 GDPR, the immediate deletion of all my personal data within the meaning of Article 4(1) GDPR, save in the cases listed in Article 17(3) GDPR.
Why is cancelling made so difficult?
Because a donor is worth money. A donor recruited on the street earns the charity nothing at all for the first 12 to sometimes 24 months — those months go to the recruitment commission. A cancellation in month eight is therefore a pure loss. Your cancellation form was designed with that in mind.
The most cancelled charities at a glance
Many of our visitors want to cancel several charities at once. That means a lot of searching. We have made it easy for you with direct links to the most cancelled charities:
Cancel Oxfam Novib
Cancel Unicef
Cancel Doctors Without Borders
Cancel KWF Kankerbestrijding
Cancel Hartstichting
Cancel KIKA
Cancel CliniClowns
Cancel Greenpeace
Cancel Amnesty International
Cancel Save the Children
Cancel Aidsfonds
Cancel Cordaid
Cancel Wilde Ganzen
Cancel Natuurmonumenten
Is there a notice period for a donation?
For an ordinary donation there is no statutory notice period: you can stop at any moment.
Can I simply stop my donation through my bank?
You can have a direct debit reversed up to 56 days after it was taken, and block the mandate at your bank. That frees you from the charity. But it is nicer to cancel properly with the charity itself. They generally process cancellations quickly, and then you are done with it too.
If you have an amount returned, there is no payment obligation afterwards. You owe the charity nothing.
How long may a charity keep my data after I cancel?
Only for as long as there is a legal basis for it. Would you rather not rely on that? Then explicitly request deletion under Article 17 GDPR. This is a standard part of our cancellation form. Tip: cancelling directly with the charity yourself? Then simply copy the paragraph from our template into your message.
Do I have to give a reason for stopping my donation?
No. You do not have to give a reason, and you do not have to accept an offer to lower your amount or pause it for a while.