Chuggers

[inertia3112]

something tells me 3 ghosts might be headed your way this year

i worked for a non-profit last year, it wasn't charity work, it was a full-time job, but that doesn't mean what i did didn't help people. Our groups goal wasn't to raise money, it was to sign up members, but once we signed someone up, we did ask them for a 1 time voluntary dues payment of 5 dollars. In doing this, i realized that you really do have to be a **** to people in order to help out the cause.

commissions are a motivating factor, that person probably needs to earn their commission to earn a living, what's wrong with that. think of it this way, with the state of things in the world right now, obviously charities aren't strong enough. its not as though what they're saying isn't true, and if you feel as though you're being "emotionally blackmailed", it sounds to me that all they're doing is awakening some dormant guilt (i'm not singling you, i think that every one of us could stand to do more to help our communities out, i'm as big a culprit of apathy as anyone)

if despite being this persistant, charities still need more money, imagine if these charitable organization employees weren't so pushy. i'm sorry if these people slightly inconvenience you or make you feel bad about yourself or whatever your complaint is here, but the fact is that its difficult enough to get people to give, and sometimes they may need to be a bit pesky for the greater good.

I may be generalising a little, but people who can/want to help will, anyone who has a child in school will contribute to various charities via the school and mini awareness campaigns, and other routes.

People dont need the hard sell to make them charitable, for instance, I've never seen any buskers with an empty cap.

I know what your saying in that a more aggressive policy may bring more money for the greater good, but eventually it will implode on itself until these people learn some boundaries.

And manners is a good place to start!

 

[toffeestillidie]

I may be generalising a little, but people who can/want to help will, anyone who has a child in school will contribute to various charities via the school and mini awareness campaigns, and other routes.

People dont need the hard sell to make them charitable, for instance, I've never seen any buskers with an empty cap.

I know what your saying in that a more aggressive policy may bring more money for the greater good, but eventually it will implode on itself until these people learn some boundaries.

And manners is a good place to start!

I'm not sure of the way people behave around you so i can't comment on that, i was more just referring to slight_returns idea of "emotional blackmail."

I understand what you're saying about other means of contributing, but at the same time, the more often people are reminded about those less fortunate, the more likely they are to give.

i volunteered for a political candidate a couple years back who was very capable, but when he would talk to potential donors, he was too nice to directly say to them "i need you to give me this much money", and without doing that, it was virtually political suicide. noone likes being asked for money or guilted into it, but i don't see it as a system in danger of imploding upon itself, and i think it makes more sense to just politely decline or better yet, give them what they want, instead of becoming indignant about it.

 

[Whitebootman]

And manners is a good place to start!

That is the key. Chuggers want something from you. The amount they collect depends largley on their attitude. If someone is polite I am more likely to listen, and may contribute. If someone cannot be bothered with old fashion good manners they'll get nothing from me.

 

[Slight_Return]

well, today I was ignorant of the signs, I saw a set of chuggers and thought I had given them the slip only to meet another set round the corner - I knew I should have taken better evasive action.

Todays aussie was a woman, about 24-25 (reckons she has a degree in software engineering and will go back home to get her phd in the summer) anyway, the charity du jour was 'shelter' - so she walks over and shakes hands and introduces herself and im waiting for it (the clueless part where she tries to get me to care) but she takes a different tact - asking me how I feel about the media, and how I feel about her interpretation of how she reckons the ruling class are exterminating the middle classes (using the media and finance) so as to remove 'power' from middle england making it easier for them (ruling classes) to ride roughshod over the underclass from now until eternity. I said no one put a gun to anyones head and made them take out a mortgage they couldnt afford, personal responsibility had to apply, because I wasnt going to bail my neighbour out only to allow him to make the same mistake again - he had to learn from his mistake... then she crapped on about how it was all the medias fault again for pressuring people into mistakes and preying on the easily led and vulnerable. so at this point I remember some classic chris rock stand-up and mention that when I go to the cash machine, before I take any money out I look over my shoulder, and when I do that I am not looking for 'the media' -> anyway, shes daft as a brush, she tried to pass it off that hoodies with knives are the fault of the media and how people are forced to do such things. I mentioned responsibility again and how although the law doesnt agree but that we are all responsible for our own actions and should rise and fall on the merit thereof, I then asked her if she would sign up to my petition to bring back the death penalty and if I could find the form would she contribute to the newly founded 'social justice party'. She wasnt game.

What I did manage to get out of her was that she is paid to do the mithering thing, and that she has to get 30 sign ups (to direct debits) per week then every sign up after that she sees some of. the direct debit scheme starts in january and its only £6 a month ("only", fancy [Poor language removed] that!!!) I mentioned the other chuggers, and that there wasnt enough money in the world to help everyone and so how was I to choose whether I should..."help children" or "help cancer sufferers" and how do I responsd to those I cant/dont.

She went off and mithered someone else.

These people are slowly making me think about avoiding the highstreet and further inviting a recession.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

should've got her onto aboriginal rights.

 

[Slight_Return]

I asked her why she wasn't using her degree and therefor paying tax and helping society that way, she said she was doing something worthwhile and ''being the difference''.

I actually had to think of people I know that are dead to stop me laughing in her face - had I started laughing i'd probably still be there now.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

try having a phone number in the yellow pages, cold callers (and my number is registered with t.p.s. so they shouldnt call),
they call informing you that they are producing some wallplanner/booklet for either police/fire/ambulance or a disabled kids charity. they want usually about £250 for the privelige of appearing on their publication, which more often than not doesnt get printed. they even try to tell you that it was all agreed months ago and you had signed up "it must have been someone else in the office sir", "but i'm a sole trader so it could only be me", "well you was busy when i rang......you must have forgotten".
i then inform them that they should check the tps database before calling "well we dont work like that sir, we use the phone books, if you dont want people to call you should put it on your ad", "listen you worthless piece of [Poor language removed], is this the best job you can get, pestering people on the phone........followed by either a very loud whistle or an impolite GO [Poor language removed] YOURSELF"
even had 1 ring back saying "dont forget sir, we have your address"
my reply was "you forgot something, you didnt withold your number(they always do), oh and by the way, i'm recording this and sending it to watchdog/ rogue traders" even had one set of rogues, scousers working from a salford address, call me the day after almost a whole watchdog was devoted to them.

 

[Slight_Return]

I love cold callers, especially ones telling me I have been awarded a prize, it always boils down to me asking them to tell me I have won it (which they cant do, because then it means I have to be given the prize) so I get them to slam the phone down. Its glorious, unless in the kitchen, whereby the phone simply gets put down.

 

[toffeestillidie]

I love cold callers, especially ones telling me I have been awarded a prize, it always boils down to me asking them to tell me I have won it (which they cant do, because then it means I have to be given the prize) so I get them to slam the phone down. Its glorious, unless in the kitchen, whereby the phone simply gets put down.

you should be very proud of yourself.

 

[Slight_Return]

you should be very proud of yourself.

there is no 'should' I simply am very proud all the proud time. proudtastic!