Ship of Fools: CA week survivors support group

Thread: CA week survivors support group Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :

In Purg, people are having debate about CA week. If anyone would like to share funny, depressing or uplifting anecdote about actually doing it, here is a space.

Tonight (collecting with 4 Carribean pensioners, and me) - felt like we'd struggle to hit 50 quid. 1 in 4 doors opened, and maybe 1 in 8 gave. But we got to 175 quid, which feels better.

80-odd yr old Mrs B. told me straight, in an accent straight out of a blaxploitation movie, that it was much better 'before all dem white folks moved out'... [Smile]

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

Pouring with rain here this evening so I'm going collecting tomorrow. But I did hear a useful tip from someone - if you have a dog who will be ok with it, take him or her along dressed in a Christian Aid tabard. Great talking point if nothing else. [Smile]

Nen - who doesn't have a dog but wonders if someone would be willing to lend...

Posted by Taliesin (# 14017) on :

I took dogs with me last year and it was a total nightmare. [Frown]

They couldn't accept that we weren't visiting every house!

Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :

OK, after tonight's escapades I'm riled, and I'm taking it to Hell...

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

Been out collecting this evening. Found there was pretty much the same number of people who didn't answer the door which, as any fule kno, is not the same as being out (No Reply Slips, anyone? [Biased]

) but a lot more refusals than in previous years. Perfectly polite. They just didn't, wouldn't, or couldn't. Thank you.

Shortly after I got back the lady who collects my envelope called and we exchanged stories (she knows I collect). She'd found exactly the same. Is it a pattern others have noticed?

Nen - now in recovery.

Posted by Polly Plummer (# 13354) on :

I was so fed up after last year, when the amount I collected seemed tiny in proportion to the time, that I said this year I wouldn't collect, making a note to give a donation myself to cover it - but felt so bad about it that I've now volunteered to join the counting. At least it will be indoors and there will be other people there.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I'm just off out to do a second sweep - I put the envelopes out on Sunday, went round on Mon afternoon, and got 15 people in - 12 envelopes (5 of which had been pre-filled ready!) and 3 polite refusals. I do the same street every year and know that there are a lot of elderly people, including 9 sheltered houses, so I try to catch them during the day.

I thought last year that I had a lot more refusals but I won't know about this year till I do the third, evening sweep of my street.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
I'm just off out to do a second sweep - I put the envelopes out on Sunday, went round on Mon afternoon, and got 15 people in - 12 envelopes (5 of which had been pre-filled ready!) and 3 polite refusals. I do the same street every year and know that there are a lot of elderly people, including 9 sheltered houses, so I try to catch them during the day.

I thought last year that I had a lot more refusals but I won't know about this year till I do the third, evening sweep of my street.

My.

You are good. [Overused]

I call once and if there's no answer they get a no-reply slip through the door with an address on the back in case they were sorry to miss me and want to donate. Some are and do. [Smile]

Nen - got the counting to look forward to now. [Biased]

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Polly Plummer:
I was so fed up after last year, when the amount I collected seemed tiny in proportion to the time, that I said this year I wouldn't collect, making a note to give a donation myself to cover it - but felt so bad about it that I've now volunteered to join the counting. At least it will be indoors and there will be other people there.

No need to feel bad. My church has stopped doing door to door but before we did, I decided to stop collecting, not least because there are lots of steps to basements and so on and a combination of arthritis and sciatica make it difficult for me.

It might sound pompous but I ended up saying that my time was worth £30 - 50 per hour - 3 times what I might collect door to door, so why not accept two hours potential salary in lieu

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

It doesn't work if I just go once - half the street are out at work during the day, and half don't like their doorbell being rung in the evening. I do a daytime collection first to try to get the elderly, and then I don't bother them in the evening. I got another 8 people in this afternoon; 6 envelopes, 1 polite refusals and one fib (that another collector had already been round and she'd given her envelope to her).

One woman opened the door with the envelope in her hand before I had a chance to ring the bell - she'd seen me come up the path.

The evening is when I'm most likely to get a rude response.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

I haven't been out collecting this year as my husband is away, and I feel very strange - I haven't missed for 35 years. I gave a cheque for more than my round usually brings in.

[Votive]

for all you intrepid doorsteppers.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:

One woman opened the door with the envelope in her hand before I had a chance to ring the bell - she'd seen me come up the path.

Don't you just love ones like that? [Axe murder]

I had a couple last night who hailed me across the road because they hadn't heard their door bell - and they not only had their envelope but their neighbours' envelope as well, because they'd known they were going to be out when I called.

Nen - heart warmed... Sometimes.

Posted by Poppy (# 2000) on :

First time out as a CA collector and for 2 hours in putting out the envelopes and collecting I got one envelope with change in it. Most people didn't answer the door. Those that did said no but it was polite. Several denied all knowledge of an envelope. One chased me down the street to give me the 'I called but you were out slip' back. At least no one was rude but that might have been because I was wearing a clerical collar or more likely, my very tall husband acted as my minder.

This was an urban area.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

£126. I'm pleased with that total - there are 51 houses in the street I collect in, and I got an envelope back from about 30 of them. I got several refusals, but no-one was actively rude. I know the people in five of the houses,so I had five doorsteps chats, too, which was good. The whole thing took about four hours, between delivering the envelopes and collecting them.

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