Many charities simply describe the problems they are tackling and the need for funds – and ask for whatever the donor can afford. We givers sometimes feel that ours is a drop in the ocean; but, if there are enough ‘drops’, change will come about!

I feel it is much better, where possible, to specify costs. So I give full marks to (the not-so-snappily-named) cchfall about kids – which provides country holidays for children aged seven to eleven, who live in the country’s poorest and most seriously deprived areas, primarily in London.

With the help of wonderful volunteers, the charity can take 36 children at a time, for a week. That cost is put at £10836, ie £301 for each child – an improvement on the figure of £320 in 2010 as a result of being able to take more children each week.

That, however, is not the end of the story. The charity explains how that figure is made up (per child for a week): £131 for activities, food and transport; £8 for volunteer recruitment and training (cheap at the price, say I); £118 for children’s team staff costs, and £18 for the team’s support costs, with £26 going towards the premises costs of the residential activity centre.

All that gives me a feeling that they have done their sums and know what they are doing. They can continue to count on my support.

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