Charities

[The Atheist]

Sorry but I disagree with that. If the company I work for starts losing business and profits drop then I would not think it acceptable for them to employ people to knock on doors, bug people on busy street corners, and phone random people at tea time to increase income. I would leave if they even considered it.

Well, I suggest that you'd be looking for a new job if that was the only way your company could survive.

What other options do you think might work? Needless to say, charities do try other options but stick with what works.

 

[Soapy Sam]

There is the obvious course of concluding that the day of the organised charity may be over, folding their tents and going off to do volunteer work.

I think the truth is that large charities are businesses which have been engaged in an increasingly competitive battle for diminishing donations for several years. The public has charity fatigue. We are tired of being asked for money by everyone, from the guy with dog and blanket, sat by the ATM to the U.N.
My own policy now is to avoid all organised charities and donate to individuals who I can see are trying to do something useful. This tends to mean local stuff. (Though with Paypal and the Net, that is changing.)

 

[Corpse Cruncher]

Try donating items to charities if you think their hard core direct debit mandates are bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Charities have lost the fact the common man has items worthy of helping others not just BUSINESS.

I am no refusing to support any Charity that refuses to accept common man items.

 

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Try donating items to charities if you think their hard core direct debit mandates are bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.

I have done several times - I have never had a problem doing so and the charities have always been grateful for the donations.

Charities have lost the fact the common man has items worthy of helping others not just BUSINESS.

I am no refusing to support any Charity that refuses to accept common man items.

Care to expand? I am not quite sure what you are getting at here.

 

[Crundy]

I think the truth is that large charities are businesses which have been engaged in an increasingly competitive battle for diminishing donations for several years. The public has charity fatigue.

I think this is the main problem. TA mentioned a vicious circle faced by charities, but I think the main circle is because the attitude of the public has changed. As we become more fed up of constant requests for donations, as well as dubious of fake charities, we become less likely to put our hands in our pockets. In response, the charities become more aggressive in their tactics to gain more money, which makes us even more shy of them.

 

[Cuddles]

I just feel that charities have gone the wrong way. The techniques they use to get money out of people would never be used by any other kind of company.

While I mainly agree with you that the way many charities behave is incredibly annoying and seems to serve mainly to put people off donating, this bit simply isn't true. Not only are the techniques used by other companies, the charities usually don't use them themselves, they employ companies who specialies in it. The people who come to your door with direct debit are almost never charity workers. They are no different from telemarketers - they don't care what they are selling, they just work on commision. The person who tries to sign you up for a charity one week could easily be the same person who tries to get you to swap phone companies the next.

I absolutely hate this kind of intrusive marketing and refuse to even talk to them if they call. However, the fact remains that most people simply don't care about charity until someone comes and rubs it in their face, and this kind of marketing really is more effective than relying on volunteers. Sad, annoying, but true.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Intrusive marketing by other businesses is not targeted at one's conscience. No matter that my Tory instincts make me reach for a horsewhip on seeing some apparently healthy guy begging in the street at a time of full employment, I still feel a twinge of guilt;- maybe he genuinely is down on his luck through no fault of his own. No double glazing company ever sells itself with pictures of starving orphans on one's manicured lawns- "Our triple vacuum will prevent their pathetic moans reaching your ears"- but the charities play the conscience card at every opportunity. To be honest, I'm getting immune to it. And I resent that too.