Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: Joyce on May 14, 2015, 03:33:37 PM
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Is it just me who gets hacked off at charities who knock on doors? Just had one at my door wanting me to donate a set amount per week. Now don't get me wrong, I donate to charities quite a lot, albeit can shakers etc. I understand they need lots of donations but I object to the way they almost lecture you. I tend not to answer door to folk these days, but got caught out thinking it was hubby as I'd locked the door & left the key in, meaning he couldn't get in.
I tried to stop this guy, but he was determined, so I reiterated my point & basically closed door on him. Almost makes me want to stop being so charitable, especially that particular charity!
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My OH and I give regularly to cancer and children with cancer charities. A friend does a huge amount of fundraising and every couple of months we donate to his just giving page, just because, we want to
We regularly take part in his appeals, buying presents at Xmas for the children's cancer outpatients dept, we even did a charity bike ride, but I detest being disturbed at my door asking for money, I have a notice on my door, no sales, no politics, no charities yet all 3 continue to knock
I was stopped in town on my lunch break recently by Red Cross and the guy would not let me walk away, years ago I would've softened and signed up to £8 a month but I'm more assertive now
I'll happily drop a £1 to a homeless person selling big issue but let him keep his magazine to resell
I just don't want my space invaded unless I invite them to do so
I sound hard but I'm not, I just resent them being so forward
Annie
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Phew, thank goodness it's not just me.
I wonder how old folk cope with such callers at their doors.
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It would do my head in.
Luckily we are out of town, so people don't turn up on the doorstep.
However, what got me was, I'd purchased something online from the red cross, then got several requests for charity donations after that.
Similarly with the National Trust, we are members but then they keep on requesting donations for different projects, er, we pay a subscription
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No, it's not just you CG.
I will not be hounded to give to any charity.
Like you Annie, I have a sticker on my door but they ignore it.
I give when I want to give. I fill up charity bags that come through the door but only the ones that are genuine. I'll buy a daffodil or badge for whichever charity.
My OH use to give each year to St John Ambulance but found out that the majority of the donation went on admin so he stopped doing it.
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We have a polite notice on our window and door. Since we put it up we have had about 2 callers ignore it in about a year. We used to get loads of callers. Our notice really works.
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I have about 4-6 charities that I give to regularly. Any others, no matter how worthy, I refuse politely. You can't do everything!
Bramble
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Definitely not just you CG. I do a hospice charity every month and also Marie Curie. That's it.
As for the Big Seller people....ummmm nope.
The one who stands outside our supermarket has a car, three holidays a year, and two flats. Basically he has more than me. I have also seen him going into the local bookies. He keeps harassing me for money and last time I told him he could pay for my holidays as I wasn't paying for his. Now he stears well clear of me ;D
We don't really get anyone at the door. Village and out of the way does help.
Oh, hubby donates paintings to be sold for a friend whose daughter has Downs Syndrome. So I think we do our bit.
Honeybun
X
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i have just delivered christian aid envelopes to a road in my village.
Its a thankless job, I dont like doing it, I will go back on friday to collect them, but I know from previous years that I will only get a few back, but even those few will add to the countrywide amount this week.
Maybe some of it will end up in Nepal.
Thats what draws me back each year.
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Definitely not just you.I used to contribute by direct debit to the NSPCC but got really fed up with them keep asking me to increase the amount so stopped it. I work in a charity shop and usually give to street collections if they are a charity we support. At Christmas we donate to a local Hospice and cancer charity in memory of late parents so feel we do our bit . I hate being approached in the street or answering the door to collectors. It also annoys me to get raffle tickets in the mail for various charities, I don't agree with raffles, it's gambling in my view so I am afraid they get put in the bin !. If a disaster occurs somewhere in the world like Nepal I usually donate in cash at Oxfam. Rant over, it seems to be an emotive subject!!
Thorntrees
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Had my envelope and filled it....it was collected yesterday. I have done the collection too so know how you feel.
I forgot to include that one in the things I donate too. Our village has an art sale every other year and hubby has donated into that. His last two paintings sold for nearly £300. We were delighted as its just a worthwhile cause.
Well done you for keeping going.
Honeybun
X
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Is this one of the ones where they want you to sign up? You can always contact them - they will remove you from their list. The person who called at the door is not connected with the charity in any way but an employee of the fund raising company. They are paid quite well to do the job but next week they will be on to the next one. I've contacted different charities who work in this way - sometimes to actually say how great the person was and sometimes to say please could they remove me from their list.
Taz x
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'Chuggers' (charity muggers) get a 'no thank you' and no more, either at the door or in the street/supermarket/railway station. I have a few charities I donate to regularly, and others I drop money into collecting boxes when I want to. It's MY choice and their guilt-trip tactics make no difference.
I'm afraid I gave short shrift to one lot on the phone who were trying to get me increase my monthly donation to a charity - I told them 'no' politely twice, but they wouldn't give in, so I told them if they asked me once more to increase my monthly donation I would cancel it altogether ... not had a begging phone call from that charity since (they still get my donation as they are my favourite cause).
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I have 4 charities I donate to monthly and a few others I give to less regularly, usually post-Christmas when most charities experience a big drop in giving. They are all smallish charities that spend most of their money on the cause they work for, instead of on fancy promotional materials.
I make it very clear that I do not donate to charities which are pushy, manipulative or use emotional blackmail. If I receive these kinds of requests, I explain my views politely the first time. The second time, I tell them I will definitely not be donating to this charity in future because of the fundraising techniques they use. I don't think it makes much difference, as sadly, many people only give when made to feel guilty, but at least I am not promoting/supporting unethical fundraising methods.
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Yes Taz it was one of the ones where they want you to sign up. Doubt it would stop them knocking at door if I asked them not to if I'm honest. They just knock on every door regardless.
I once had a chugger knock on my door, trying to sell me stuff. Thought he'd lynch me! Got nothing but verbal abuse. In hindsight I should have reported him. I was just glad to shut the door on him!
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Have you heard about the 92 year old charity worker who has ended her life because of being hounded by charities, the poor lady's family found TWENTY SEVEN direct debits leaving her bank each month for various ones
It gives charity a very bad name, and that lady gave her time free of charge each year selling poppies
So sad :-(
Annie
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I just heard that today Annie, Jeremy Vine was doing a section on it on his lunchtime Radio 2 show. So sad, she was getting into debt with it all so cancelled them all then got so many calls and letters they think she took her own life :'(
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Goodness what a shame. That's very sad indeed.
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Have you heard about the 92 year old charity worker who has ended her life because of being hounded by charities, the poor lady's family found TWENTY SEVEN direct debits leaving her bank each month for various ones
That makes me so angry. It's why I take such a strong line with 'pushy' charities. I know several people who can't afford to give more who end up sending off money because they feel guilty. I am especially upset by the 'free' (and unwanted) gifts of coasters, pens, address labels, notelets etc that some charities send. Many people feel obliged to send money to 'pay' for these unwanted items. It especially targets the elderly, who are least likely to have the spare cash and most likely to feel guilty about accepting something without paying for it. It may be unusual for someone to take their own life over this, but what about those who don't turn on the heating when they should or who don't eat enough because they have been bullied into giving their money away and so can't afford to pay for basic necessities.
Someone once asked me to sign up to pay £8 pm to a children's charity and when I said I couldn't afford it (I had £15 a week to live on!), I was told I didn't care about children! No, I do care about children very much, I just don't believe it's right to go into debt, even to donate to charity.
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I donate to chosen charities on a monthly basis, but find the regular requests/demands on increasing my contributions from one of the charities, annoying and insulting. I won't be bullied by doorstep charities or on the street, but happily fill charity envelopes. Collecting envelopes can be a thankless task. I donate my time in a voluntary capacity and will be going on a further course so I will have more expertise. Time is money and I can give that more easily than money.
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I just say sorry I work for one ,which I do . :)
they soo shut up then ! try it .
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I support charities that are relevant to me. Water Aid because I am thankful for running water and a flush toilet, Sightsavers because I value my sight and access to optical treatment. I have to say that since signing up to these two charities I have not had one single communication from either of them asking me to increase my support which I appreciate. In fact I recently contacted them both to increase my monthly support and they were both surprised and pleased that I was offering more without being asked. I will stick with them for this reason, they are not grasping.
A charity that my husband chooses to support regularly used to send out letters and make telephone calls asking for further support until he contacted them and threatened to withdraw the support he does give if they didn't stop. He has heard nothing since.
I once responded to an appeal asking for £2 a month for a charity. They called me back and I was told that 'the usual amount that people chose to give was £8. I replied that the appeal had asked for £2 and was told that £2 was not enough to do much with. I decided not to support them after all ::)
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I choose a charity each year for a monthly subscription and try and ensure it's not one where 80% of donations are spent on administration, promotion and chuggers. In between I regularly donate by text to major appeals but even this leaves a bad taste as after a UNICEF donation I received no less than 25 calls off them in the next 3-4 days asking for more. I eventually had to contact them on Twitter to appeal to them to stop. Nowadays I tend to favour smaller charities who don't spend hundreds of thousands on call centres or hard sell salesmen.
It's so sad to hear of the pensioner who commit suicide - and I guess she's not the only one hounded in this way. Unfortunately our generosity and our consciences are in danger of being exploited so much that it will end up having the opposite long term effect and more will say no.
GG x
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Sadly a 90+ old lady killed herself recently due to being hounded. My point on UK Charities is this: I DO NOT want to fund the Chairman's Company Car :bang: :bang: :bang: when I heard recently that the Church of England has over £B80 in shares etc.; and having read the 'company' accounts for various UK Charities and seen how much is NOT invested in dog kennels, extra staff, extra Vet services but goes towards :-X
I prefer to buy an apparently homeless person a cup of coffee and a bun if I see them on the street. DH is less charitable - he walks by.
Also, if a Charity out sources it's work i.e. to fill envelopes requesing yet more monies from the public, this has to be funded, the people who walk round are 'volunteers', we get 3/4 charity bags per week …… all taken round by volunteers ……. I probably have over 100 of those bags sitting around, sometimes I put a whole load into 1 bag and hand into our nearest shop for re-use ::)
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Another 'on my soapbox' moment.
We went into the local RSPCA shop for a browse, on the counter was a request for funding to do surgery on a 'stray' cat that had been in an accident. The request is for £2,000. Well if the cat requires surgery then it won't be able to wait until the amount is raised. Many animal rescue charities don't put a 'healthy animal down' but this particular cat ain't healthy!
Surely this is above and beyond what the Charity is about? That money should be readily available if their Annual Accounts are anything to go by :-\.
Had it been worded i.e. 'your support has enabled us to give emergency treatment to …… ' ???
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A few weeks ago a lady turned up on the doorstep on a Sunday afternoon and said she was collecting for a cancer charity. She had no identification and just pointed to her daffodil lapel pin. She just said she was collecting, but didn't say what so seemed surprised when I asked her what it was she was collecting. She said money, so I said No, mainly because I didn't want to give money to a strange woman who turned up with nothing to confirm she was actually representing a charity.
I have a couple of charities that I support, and I will sponsor people who do something (walk, run, etc.) but I will never sign up to the chuggers or random callers as I think it should be up to the individual to choose when and what they give.
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Agreed!
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I never give to the RSPCA. They have pots of money and waste loads prosecuting people they shouldn't.
I prefer small charities that are not run as businesses, such as the major NGOs. Do give to MFS though.
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I'm mercenary but object to that particular play on peoples' feelings >:(. I don't think that many realise that Annual Accoutns can be ordered or read on line.
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I won't donate to any appeal that uses emotional blackmail. My pet hate is the one that says 'cancer doesn't care if you put this in the bin'. I'm afraid those ones always go STRAIGHT in recycling. And I had another one last month from a homeless charity with a headline that implied if you didn't read & donate you didn't care about the homeless.
Breeze, like you, I prefer the smaller charities - they seem to make the money go further and they don't push people to give what they can't afford.
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I never give to the RSPCA. They have pots of money and waste loads prosecuting people they shouldn't.
I prefer small charities that are not run as businesses, such as the major NGOs. Do give to MFS though.
Something we agree on Breeze!! ;D. The RSPCA spent £24,000 trying to prosecute a neighbour of mine a few years ago. She had three horses, one of which was elderly and couldn't keep weight on no matter how much she fed it.
RSPCA got involved and the inspector took an instant dislike to her and went for her all guns blazing. I knew she hadn't neglected that horse and the other two were fine so why would you neglect one?
They took her to court and she won as she was able to provide receipts from farrier, feed merchants and hay supplier and many neighbour's (including us) said that she was totally devoted to her horses.
That £24,000 could have been much better spent and I have never donated to RSPCA since.
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I agree with you too breeze!!
We donated to RSPCA at one point and my partner stopped it. Because too much of the donation goes on fancy offices, vans and uniforms etc.
He now donates too a much smaller rescue where all the money is spent on the dogs they save. This is where we got our dog from they find homes for them and do not put them down at all.
Janx
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I agree, I went off the RSPCA when they refused to get involved with a neglected dog I reported because it had access to food and water >:(
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Healthy dogs should be rehomed ASAP. If I kept dogs in rows of kennels with little exercise the RSPCA would be down like a ton of bricks. :sigh: ………. however, there are far too many dogs that will never get homes but at least these are safe in 'rescue', they have care and company.
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Retailer
Percentage of sale price donated
Charity
Debenhams
100%*
BBC Children in Need (or Make a Wish in Republic of Ireland)
John Lewis
25%
Barnardo's, Hospice UK, Alzheimer's Society, WWF
Lidl
25%
CLIC Sargent
Aldi
25%
Barnardo's
Marks & Spencer
20%
Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Now, UNICEF and Marie Keating Foundation
Debenhams
20%
BBC Children in Need (or Make a Wish in Republic of Ireland)
Waterstones
20%
BookTrust and Neuroblastoma UK
WHSmith
20%
Help the Heroes
Paperchase
17%
Wide range depending on pack purchased includes Children with Cancer UK, Terrence Higgins Trust, Alzheimer's Society and Multiple Sclerosis Trust
Clintons
15%
Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity, British Heart Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care
Next
15%
Macmillan Cancer Support, Barnardo's and the British Heart Foundation
Asda
10%
Children in Need
Ryman
10%
Paid by The Great British Card Company in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Trust or The National Autistic Society
Sainsbury's
10%
Royal British Legion (Poppy Scotland in Scotland) and Comic Relief
Waitrose
10%
Mind, Just Enough, RNIB, Marine Conservation Society
WHSmith
10%
RSPCA, Marie Curie and Save the Children
*Only one pack from the range donates 100%. Other packs donate 20% to the charities.
Some of the lowest donations uncovered through our investigation were supermarkets, where many shoppers find it convenient to pick up their Christmas cards.
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I assume you are talking about Christmas cards? Ever think that the amount donated is equivalent to the profit? So in fact the companies are using the rest to cover manufacturing costs etc. So they will be a non profit item. If you factor in that the charity cards are taking up shelf space which could be used for profit making items, it doesn't seem so bad.
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The Companies selling so-called charity cards have no costs involved other than storage, it's also probably part of their 'support charity' policy.
Why not make it clearer to the Public? Like those 'bags' that come into the letter box almost on a daily basis here …… Himself has read a lot in recent weeks and it's a real eye opener :o
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The companies you have listed are all shops etc. There is still a cost involved in designing, producing, delivering etc the cards. Each shop has their own range of card designs. Someone has to pay the costs of production etc. The cards don't magically appear on shelves.
'Some of the lowest donations uncovered through our investigation were supermarkets, where many shoppers find it convenient to pick up their Christmas cards.'
Perhaps that reflects the low profit margin supermarkets have on cards rather than the supermarkets being 'greedy'. We all know it is cheaper to buy cards in the supermarket than elsewhere.
bramble
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we always get our charity cards at the charity christmas card shop in the parish church run by volunteers. Not sure of any percentages we just like the atmosphere in there :)
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This year more charity shops are selling their own. I tend to buy in the Sales anyway.