Thread: Everybody Wants My Money (Hell Edition) Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.
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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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I love Christmas time for the most. But I do hate the extra appeals for charity. I rarely discuss my charitable giving and will not here beyond saying I do give and I do so throughout the year.
I hate guilt being associated with this time of year, I hate that it is apparently necessary and I hate that it is deemed sufficient.
Posted by Anglo Catholic Relict (# 17213) on
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quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
I hate guilt being associated with this time of year, I hate that it is apparently necessary and I hate that it is deemed sufficient.
Can I add a shade of dislike for the way hundreds of very rich actors, comedians and singers come on our screens for Children in Need, 'donate their time' and tell us over and over and over again to give our money to them.
The BBC then smugly congratulates itself on how much it has raised for those no doubt very deserving children. It is all far too smug and self satisfied.
I do not like people with a thousand times as much money as I have, thinking they have the right to harangue me over and over to donate to charity. Or is it only me?
(I watched about one minute of this humbug, then switched over.)
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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I dislike, not the famous faces, but that they are necessary to loosen purse strings.
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on
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Ditto.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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If, instead of all the poncing around, the Great and the Good simply coughed up their earnings for Friday, wouldn't more money be raised?
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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Personally, I don't like telethons either and never watch them. There's just something about lots of celebs getting together for an intense focus on one charity, then the next day we've all moved on and the other 364 days of the year nobody seems to be really bothered.
I think it was for Comic Relief in its first year where I was stopped on the street and asked to sponsor someone lying in a bath of cold baked beans, to raise money for the starving in Ethiopia. Honestly.
Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on
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I hate that when you do give, you receive a lifetime of mailings that eat up your whole donation and then some.
Recently I had to cut off my monthly donation to Feeding America, and explained my financial hardship to them, but they keep sending me appeals. Maybe it's just to complicated to take people off the mailing list.
Those mailings aren't cheap!
And then there are the guilt-inducing gifts they send. Address labels are one thing - by using them, you kinda support the charity by raising awareness for them (as long as the logo is on them or something). But some charities just send you all kinds of crap meant to make you feel like you want to send them some money to defray the cost of both the crap and mailing it to you. I'm not falling for it.
But it's just more in the recycling bin. More dead trees, more petroleum used to carry all that mail... ![[brick wall]](graemlins/brick_wall.gif)
Posted by Beeswax Altar (# 11644) on
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Just give to the person ringing the bell for The Salvation Army.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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I have a bunch of charities I give to regularly. One of the criteria for getting on that list is that they asked nicely and didn't call my phone every second day. Or use mentions of children to try and tug at the heart strings.
In fact a couple of them ARE children's charities, but they're ones that spent more time telling me the concrete things they achieve for children rather than going "look! look! it's a child! see the big sad eyes! how can you say no to the big sad eyes!"
Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on
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The latest form of pushiness that bothers me is telling me how to make my donation. Most recently, my pubic radio station had finally talked me into getting my checkbook out and just as I started to write down fifty dollars, I heard them say that "a gift of one hundred or two hundred would be so welcome," then they started talking about how, while a one time gift was nice a regular monthly donation by direct debit was what really meant so very much. I just stopped.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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In my electricity bill, each month a donation of around € 5 is included for a cause I don't particularly agree with. I heard that it's possible to get it off my bill, but it takes a couple of hours on the telephone.
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Beeswax Altar:
Just give to the person ringing the bell for The Salvation Army.
That would truly be a waste of money, locally at any rate.
Posted by Spike (# 36) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
Personally, I don't like telethons either and never watch them. There's just something about lots of celebs getting together for an intense focus on one charity, then the next day we've all moved on and the other 364 days of the year nobody seems to be really bothered.
last weekend there was a documentary about Status Quo. Rick Parfitt wa very proud of all he did raising money for Live Aid. Of course, at the time of Live Aid he was living in the Channel Islands to avoid paying tax. Hypocritical? Surely not!
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
The latest form of pushiness that bothers me is telling me how to make my donation. Most recently, my pubic radio station had finally talked me into getting my checkbook out and just as I started to write down fifty dollars, I heard them say that "a gift of one hundred or two hundred would be so welcome," then they started talking about how, while a one time gift was nice a regular monthly donation by direct debit was what really meant so very much. I just stopped.
That's the kind of post that makes careful reading of every post worthwhile. Thanks ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on
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My main charity is Brain and Behavior Research. I've been giving to them for years and they've never sent me a single piece of begging mail, address labels, or picture of a sad eyed child.* They don't have telethons or concerts and I've never had the supermarket cashier ask me for money for them.
*Those people have my son's number, big time. He gets a pile of mail every day. He gets pictures of sad eyed chickens!
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
The latest form of pushiness that bothers me is telling me how to make my donation. Most recently, my pubic radio station had finally talked me into getting my checkbook out and just as I started to write down fifty dollars, I heard them say that "a gift of one hundred or two hundred would be so welcome," then they started talking about how, while a one time gift was nice a regular monthly donation by direct debit was what really meant so very much. I just stopped.
Amen! I recently pledged a certain amount per month to be charged to my credit card and received a very nice thank you. Then I received a letter asking if I could change it so it was debited from my checking account instead. No. Then a few weeks later I received a letter thanking me for my "generous donation" -- and in the next paragraph they asked for an increase. I haven't cut them off yet. but it's getting close to that point.
Posted by Patdys (# 9397) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
My main charity is Brain and Behavior Research. I've been giving to them for years and they've never sent me a single piece of begging mail, address labels, or picture of a sad eyed child.* They don't have telethons or concerts and I've never had the supermarket cashier ask me for money for them.
*Those people have my son's number, big time. He gets a pile of mail every day. He gets pictures of sad eyed chickens!
You would kind of expect them to be good at getting funding from you- wouldn't you. Unless they are really shit at their job.
Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on
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I make my donations in December each year by check for a number of charities. I thoroughly resent the endless solicitation. I especially hate NPR "give before the pledge drive" "Give during the Pledge Drive so that we can prove that Pledge Drives are good and this is the only time we ask" and "Give if you missed the Pledge drive" plus "we're doing a special request because.. well, we're special.
Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
... then they started talking about how, while a one time gift was nice a regular monthly donation by direct debit was what really meant so very much. I just stopped.
This is absolutely true 'tho. If a charity knows its monthly income it can support long term projects. If they rely on one-offs it's much harder to plan ahead.
<eta typo>
[ 17. November 2013, 07:19: Message edited by: Boogie ]
Posted by Rosa Winkel (# 11424) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Anglo Catholic Relict:
Can I add a shade of dislike for the way hundreds of very rich actors, comedians and singers come on our screens for Children in Need, 'donate their time' and tell us over and over and over again to give our money to them.
I gather Gary Barlow avoids tax. If he paid his tax the state would have more money to pay for the kind of things that Children in Need pay for.
Our society is based on the values of "hard work" and "self-sufficiency" and therefore it is those who are deemed to have done well who receive more respect in society, as opposed to, say, people with disability who can't work, or homeless people. As long as those ambivalent values dominate we'll always have this situation.
Those who face various helps to achieve in life due to their status in society therefore show their goodness by such acts of charity. (Charity is another ambivalent issue)
Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on
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I make the vast majority of charitable donations by regular direct debit, or automatic regular payment for the odd charity that doesn't do direct debit. I also respond to people participating in drives such as Movember or Dry July. I rarely respond to one-off disaster appeals. I get pangs of guilt when I ignore the bushfire, hurricane or tuphoon appeals, but I offset that with the knowledge that I have regular targeted giving.
I manage my mailing preferences with all the cause I support to minimise the additional physical or electronic mail. I don't mind occasional information about what they're doing, but I don't want stuff about extra appeals.
So I think I've generally managed to cut out being on the receiving end of all that behaviour that gets up people's noses. It sounds like I'm quite lucky in that regard.
I have decided that, should I ever be pestered by a chugger (charity mugger) for a cause I already support, I will get my phone out and cancel my regular payment on the spot, and tell them why.
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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It took me no less than 11, that's eleven attempts to get one particular major charity to stop sending me begging letters and unsolicited freebies (personalized address labels, stickers, etc) after making an online donation. I wrote, emailed, phoned, they seemed completely unwilling to take no for an answer.
After the last phone call where I asked them please just to delete my record, there was peace and quiet for two years, after which I then got another letter asking for a donation. They never do actually delete your details once they're on the system. I phoned them again and despite asking explicitly for my record to be deleted received no such assurance, only that there would be a stop put on it and a note saying "do not contact at all". So far they've kept their word, but really it should never have had to get to this point.
It taught me one thing: don't ever donate to them in a way that's traceable, they won't leave you alone.
This sort of thing really tarnishes a charity's reputation. I also don't want any unsolicited personalized charity gifts like labels, or free ballpoint pens and stationery. I'd rather they directed the money towards the causes they're supposed to be helping.
Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on
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...and then they put your name on their list of soft hearted people and sell it to other charities. It never ends. They will hound you beyond the grave. After my father died, I kept getting begging letters and those awful sweepstakes things sent to his address, in his name. Finally I called them and said, "Stop it! Harold Jones is dead, over, deceased." Then I got a sweepstakes letter addressed to Mr. Harold J. Deceased. "You may have already won!"
Posted by iamchristianhearmeroar (# 15483) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Vulpior:
I have decided that, should I ever be pestered by a chugger (charity mugger) for a cause I already support, I will get my phone out and cancel my regular payment on the spot, and tell them why.
A bit of an over-reaction isn't it?! Why not just tell the chugger you already support the charity and walk away?
Posted by QLib (# 43) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
If, instead of all the poncing around, the Great and the Good simply coughed up their earnings for Friday, wouldn't more money be raised?
I think some of them give considerably more than a day's earnings, and they aren't all tax exiles.
quote:
Originally posted by Anglo Catholic Relict:
I do not like people with a thousand times as much money as I have, thinking they have the right to harangue me over and over to donate to charity. Or is it only me?
I suppose if they donate £10,000's worth of their time, they're entitled to suggest you donate a fiver.
When I was a child, a typical fund-raising gambit for children's charities was a plaster model of a pretty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, with one leg in a leg-iron, holding a begging box? Is that better?
Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on
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quote:
Originally posted by iamchristianhearmeroar:
quote:
Originally posted by Vulpior:
I have decided that, should I ever be pestered by a chugger (charity mugger) for a cause I already support, I will get my phone out and cancel my regular payment on the spot, and tell them why.
A bit of an over-reaction isn't it?! Why not just tell the chugger you already support the charity and walk away?
If only it were that easy! I find chuggers to be persistent, and to not always begin by saying which charity they are trying to sign you up for. Yes, they wear bibs, but when you are already trying to avoid catching their eye while going about your daily business, you don't always see who.
And it's a tactic I detest, so if I get pissed off, I'll send a message.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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I think we do find it a bit easier to get people to cease and desist in Australia, on the whole. Or maybe it's just because I'm pretty forthright with them. On the second or third go I usually manage to indicate that they're guaranteeing I will never say 'yes' to them ever again and might spread the bad word to my friends. Reputation does matter to people.
It's not just charities of course. I bought something from one online store in the UK in 2007. They gave me 2 pounds credit towards my next purchase. They still send me an e-mail (no doubt automated) a few times a year (thank God it isn't monthly) reminding me that I have 2 pounds credit to spend. Last time I finally snapped and wrote a reply back, saying it's been over 6 years since I made a purchase, when are you going to figure out that I'm not coming back to your store again?
I haven't heard back. It will be interesting to see if I get another e-mail. If I do, my next step will involve hunting out a different e-mail address to write to rather than just hitting 'reply'. If that fails there will be a phone call.
Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on
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quote:
Originally posted by iamchristianhearmeroar:
quote:
Originally posted by Vulpior:
I have decided that, should I ever be pestered by a chugger (charity mugger) for a cause I already support, I will get my phone out and cancel my regular payment on the spot, and tell them why.
A bit of an over-reaction isn't it?! Why not just tell the chugger you already support the charity and walk away?
That course of action won't so anything to get the chuggers off the streets.
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
I haven't heard back. It will be interesting to see if I get another e-mail. If I do, my next step will involve hunting out a different e-mail address to write to rather than just hitting 'reply'. If that fails there will be a phone call.
It is highly likely this process is automated. It would be interesting to know if the process is capable of handling your reply. Good luck finding an e-mail address or phone number which reaches a person who can actually affect change.
Easier would be to add the address to your spam filter or create one which bins it on arrival.
Posted by MarsmanTJ (# 8689) on
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I enjoy engaging with chuggers. Firstly because it stops them engaging with anything else. Secondly, I like quizzing them on how much of their income they give to charity (at the moment I give somewhere around 10%, when my income increases I hope to increase that) since the answer is generally 'the odd quid here or there'. Thirdly, I enjoy finding out if I know more about their charity than they do. Odds are, I give substantially more to charity than they do, and know more about their charity than they do. And they are getting paid £7-8 an hour to try and get money out of me. Hmmm...
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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But all this accomplishes is harassing a person just trying to get by. Akin to yelling at a clerk for shop policies, you feel better at the expense of someone who cannot change anything and will be instantly replaced if they stop.
Honestly, if one hates being bothered, ring up the charity itself and try to find a person with responsibility. Don't harangue the poor bastard who just wants to stay employed.
Not much better than kicking a puppy because you don't like the RSPCA asking for donations.
If you are going to be a cranky bugger, do it effectively.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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Years ago when I went into Newport more often I got to know some of the chuggers and recognise the rest. It was a semi-regular job; this week MS, last week UNICEF, next week Cancer Research. Not a bad earner, but it's usually damp and cold and although Newportonians give generously, they had a hard task getting money in the High Street.
Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on
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Good grief, why not just walk on by? Have you never had a difficult, low-paying job?
Charities often outsource their fundraising, these days. There can be problems with the companies they use, but that's no fault of the workers.
If you need to feel superior, go play a video game or take an online IQ test. Or do some good by volunteering for a charity.
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on
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Charity callers that (invariably) phone during either dinner time or a child's bed time are my pet hate, and have brought me very close to rigging up a push button by the phone that will play a standard "don't ever call me again" message and hang up.
The message would also tell them that because they have phoned me at home, I am explicitly removing them from consideration for my support.
I don't expect it to do any good - if they didn't raise money on average with telephone solicitations, they wouldn't do it - but I'm not going to encourage their behaviour.
Posted by mdijon (# 8520) on
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quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Honestly, if one hates being bothered, ring up the charity itself and try to find a person with responsibility. Don't harangue the poor bastard who just wants to stay employed.
I once did this because I found some cold-callers on the door stop particularly pushy. I got a call back from someone who agreed that what I experienced sounded bad, and was honest enough to say that in all probability it wasn't an isolated experience and then admitted that they wouldn't be changing their policy because the majority of their donations came through the particular company I was complaining about. I think that's what the call "refreshingly honest" but I'm not sure what's so refreshing about it.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Good grief, why not just walk on by? Have you never had a difficult, low-paying job?
I suppose labouring on a building site counts. No intellectual content, physically demanding and at times downright unpleasant.
quote:
Charities often outsource their fundraising, these days. There can be problems with the companies they use, but that's no fault of the workers.
Did I suggest it was? Try reading what's written down for once.
quote:
If you need to feel superior, go play a video game or take an online IQ test. Or do some good by volunteering for a charity.
I talked to the 'chuggers' as people. How that makes me superior to them is a figment of your imagination.
Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Good grief, why not just walk on by? Have you never had a difficult, low-paying job?
Charities often outsource their fundraising, these days. There can be problems with the companies they use, but that's no fault of the workers.
If you need to feel superior, go play a video game or take an online IQ test. Or do some good by volunteering for a charity.
On the one hand I do understand where GK is coming from and I do try very hard not to be a jerk to people with crappy jobs.
On the other hand last week I had some chugger (I like this word!) follow me down the entire block talking despite the fact I did not make eye contact. Then he grabbed my arm as I was about to step into the street.
Fucker is lucky he didn't pull back a stump. I instead expounded at length and volume as to why touching someone without their permission is not a good idea.
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on
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There's one in every crowd, but that doesn't make that particular crowd the problem. I'm with GK, unless the roadside manner is actively horrendous (as you describe), why hate on some schlub for doing their crappy, thankless job?
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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Because it is easier than either addressing the actual source or being reasonable and ignoring it.
Posted by mdijon (# 8520) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
That course of action won't so anything to get the chuggers off the streets.
It would if the action was universal.
Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on
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Sioni--
Apologies. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
That was meant for the people who posted above you, about how they'd hassled the workers.
I have no problem with you.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Sioni--
Apologies.
That was meant for the people who posted above you, about how they'd hassled the workers.
I have no problem with you.
GK,
I'm sorry too. My misunderstanding.
Sioni
Posted by Sarkycow (# 1012) on
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I give to two charities by monthly direct debit. When I set it up with them, I asked them to make a note on my file saying that if they ever contacted me by post/phone/email etc. to tell me what they were doing, or ask me for more money then I would cancel my direct debit. I explained that if my circumstances changed, or I felt so inclined I would change my donation, but this wouldn't be dictated by them
One charity sent me a letter two months later, so I phoned up to explain why I was cancelling my DD, and then started again with a new charity.
The two charities that I support currently I have done so for 12 years now, and neither has contacted me in that time!
The note on my record probably reads "Mardy cow. Don't contact unless you want a mouthful of abuse" or some such, but I don't care
Posted by rufiki (# 11165) on
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If the ones who stop you in the street are chuggers, what do you call the ones who come to your house? Churglers?
Posted by sabine (# 3861) on
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[tangent]
I dislike the opposite. People who want to donate money to or volunteer at the soup kitchen/food pantry/homeless shelter only around Thanksgiving or Christmas. . .as if there isn't a need in August. [/tangent]
sabine
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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That is not really a tangent, nor opposite of my intention in starting this thread.
Do they Know Its Christmas? Perhaps not, but they do know they are hungry year-round.
ETA: code fix. Yeah, I know; preview post. Bugger off.
[ 21. November 2013, 20:09: Message edited by: lilBuddha ]
Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on
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quote:
Originally posted by mdijon:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
That course of action won't so anything to get the chuggers off the streets.
It would if the action was universal.
If i give enough of a shit about their cause I'll already be donating to it, and if I don't then some fuckhead accosting me in the street won't change my mind. So they're wasting their time either way and should just stop getting in my way.
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
quote:
Originally posted by mdijon:
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
That course of action won't so anything to get the chuggers off the streets.
It would if the action was universal.
If i give enough of a shit about their cause I'll already be donating to it, and if I don't then some fuckhead accosting me in the street won't change my mind. So they're wasting their time either way and should just stop getting in my way.
Whilst I do not enjoy the phenomenon, it does work. For every one of us who either give regularly and/or specifically, there are dozens who give because they are prompted. And this time of year, the prompts work best.
Posted by mdijon (# 8520) on
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Exactly. And my point was that if it didn't work (i.e. if everyone stopped giving) then they'd stop doing it.
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