to vow never to collect for Christian Aid ever again.

[bogwobbit]

Nothing to do with the charity, which I think is an excellent one, but jeez people in this country are soooooooo miserable.
I can understand why people for various reasons can't or don't want to give to a specific charity and I can appreciate (especially after reading some other threads on this topic and by the way yes, all you people who complain about people daring to knock on your door collecting for charity, are unreasonable and imho quite selfish) that not everyone likes to be asked on their doorstep (very nicely in my case) if they would like to donate but why do people have to be so rude and smug and downright horrible about it. It's almost as though NOT giving to charity is some kind of positive personality trait. Funnily enough the nicest, most generous ones are the little old ladies who quite possibly can least afford it.

So after spending five hours of my time, trudging through the rain and the hail and the wind in freezing temperatures after a full day at work, never again!! Rant over but jeez, another nail in the coffin, for my faith in humanity :)

Bog it's not really very Christian to call others soulless?

You'd love me then

I'm an aetheist but did a friend a favour last night and sang for free at a Christian Aid concert

Shakey did you not burst spontaneously into flames????

"Well, telling me to get lost, threatening to phone the police, treating me like I was begging. A bit like on here actually..."

well it is begging and if you were collecting today then you have broken the charity's code of conduct and had no legitimate reason to be asking people for money on a saturday. i dont blame people for thinking you might be up to no good and trying to con people out of money. the police is a sensible option if you think someone is on the rob.

get lost is mild compared to what alot of people want to say to charity beggars.

tbh OP I don't think Christian Aid would be very keen if they could see the kind of 'advertising' you are giving them on here. FYI it's not only Christians who give - DP is an atheist but thinks CA do good work and so always puts into their tins.

Want? I do, Booy.

I actually think Christian Aid's strategy is pretty good - go door to door for a week, then nothing at all for the rest of the year. But I can understand that if you're overrun with chuggers, it's just another one to put up with. :-) OP you sound a bit narked. I hope you feel better tomorrow!

@ stratters

Before I had children, doorbell ringing might be a mild inconvenience. Now, during the day, it will often wake dd2. Early evening it disturbs bedtime. Bit later it will get dd1 just as she's drifting off to sleep so then I have to begin again. Give it half an hour and I'll either be cooking or eating. Then, it'll be collapse for a bit before bed. So, given that we make a point of giving by dd and to most collectors on the street, I don't love people calling for donations or dd sign ups. But, I also have a prepared line " I'm sorry, but we don't ever donate at the door and give as much as we can through other means" and don't mind politely trotting that out since I imagine the chugger is trying to make a living. Anyone who tries to engage beyond what I think is a fair, polite and detailed no thank you is being rude and ineffective and I would shut the door. They are asking me for a favour and I have the right to choose not to give it. And don't get me started on sales calls dressed up as anything else.

What makes you think people are being 'self indulgent', though? It comes across as if you imagine that not donating to a charity is somehow 'self indulgent'.

Coming from someone who has the time and money to spend half their week knocking on doors, I do find that a bit ridiculous, TBH.

There is a recession. Many people do not have much or any money spare. This is not 'self indulgent'.

It's the intrusion that makes people grumpy, not just the money.

Yes, and being blind tinge fact that it could be an intrusion. I don't mind really when someone is polite and acknowledges that they are possibly disturbing you. It's occasional ones who seem to think they're doing me a favour by being there.

RP well I'm still here to tell the tale, the only burst of spontaneity was the audience eruptng into rapturous applause

Like your DP, I don't "believe" but my friend does and it was for him. They do do good work :)

Good point about you "representing" Christian Aid on here Boo. I know it's unofficial but it's not creating a very favourable impression.

I get that you feel strongly about this but I do think you should let it lie now.

Unfairly, we can all be as rude as we like as we're only representative of The Great Breakdown Of Society so no one cares about us

"DP is an atheist but thinks CA do good work and so always puts into their tins."

RevoltingPeasant that's really good to hear. I think there's still a myth in some quarters that only Christians would be helped, and that's definitely not the case. Also some people say at the door they won't donate to a charity with a faith background. That's entirely up to them of course. But personally I'd want to support anyone helping the world's poorest, whatever religion (or not) had inspired their work, so I'd pop a bit in the envelope - even a small amount is encouraging and helpful.

Grrrrrrrrr - if you work nights and someone knocks on your door for a charity THEY have chosen to support - well you will get short shrift from me
I am not a christian - I support charities of MY choice through direct debit.

What an utterly depressing thread. Enough to really just make you lose your faith in humanity altogether.

Bog and others who have collected for CA, well done. You've done a damn sight more than many on here who would rather sit on mumsnet whining about charity collectors daring to inconvenience them, than get up off their fat arses and collect themselves. But, hey it's ok, because they give TWO POUNDS a month to their charity of choice (which they don't even notice coming out of their account).

Christian Aid, like many charities of its kind, gives money to the world's poorest people to help them find a route out of poverty. For those of you who lack the humanity to imagine what life is like for these people, know this; these are people who have to FEED MUD to their kids as there is NOTHING ELSE, in places like Haiti, for example. Who have to give filthy water to their tiny, starving, wailing babies as there is no other choice. Who have to go out age 12 or 13 and work as prostitutes as both their parents are dead, and they have all their brothers and sisters to support.

What should Christian Aid tell these people? Sorry, we know that Christian Aid Week raises millions every year. Millions of pounds that we can give to NGOs in the world's poorest countries (note - the money is not given to governments but local charities that are strictly vetted) that goes directly to helping poor people. But, unfortunately, the spoilt, selfish Westerners that we collect from object to their lives being ever so slightly inconvenienced by us knocking at their doors to ask for a little money to help people in desperate need. They think it's rude of us to ask them for money to help human beings who have nothing. So, we can't help you this year. Go starve to death.

Many of you should be fucking ashamed of yourselves. You have NO IDEA what difficulty, or hardship, mean.

Not going to stick around to read the torrent of abuse that will surely follow this post, don't think I can read any more selfish, spoilt posts, am too disgusted. But please, have a care, and think about who your money would actually be helping instead of getting on your high horses about your precious rights not to be asked for money. There are millions of people in this world who have literally nothing. You, by an accident of birth, have plenty. Have some humanity.

Agree kingsharbour. But then I am the sap that bought some dusters for £12 from the just out of prison people.

"You've done a damn sight more than many on here who would rather sit on mumsnet whining about charity collectors daring to inconvenience them, than get up off their fat arses and collect themselves. But, hey it's ok, because they give TWO POUNDS a month to their charity of choice (which they don't even notice coming out of their account)."

with all due respect. what the FUCK would you know about what anyone here does for charity or how important their time at home is to them?

what a very ignorant person you have relevealed yourself to be.

plenty of humanity here - just choose not to support christian(ha!) charities who push the message of christianity rather than just helping .
I give a lot so - its not only " christians" who give to charity.
Sorry to burst your bubble !

Bog and others who have collected for CA, well done. You've done a damn sight more than many on here who would rather sit on mumsnet whining about charity collectors daring to inconvenience them, than get up off their fat arses and collect themselves. But, hey it's ok, because they give TWO POUNDS a month to their charity of choice (which they don't even notice coming out of their account)

Oh please!

How dare you!

Maybe some people dont feel the need to make a big showy show of how 'charitable' they are and just do it quietly without needing to tell the world what good people/christians they are?

which they don't even notice coming out of their account

Wrong.

Ive been skint for a fair few of my 37 yrs and ive still given and yes I very much noticed it gone so please do F off with all that nonsense.

Eh? But, unfortunately, the spoilt, selfish Westerners that we collect from object to their lives being ever so slightly inconvenienced by us knocking at their doors to ask for a little money to help people in desperate need.

I'm one of the spoilt selfish westerners who simply suggested that christian aid tailor their fundraising to the lifestyles of the donors they are targeting by way of charitable giving by salary sacrifice etc to increase donations.

I did have an issue with boo's attitude for the reasons I set out. Unfortunately, she's been so didactic and rude that, if other collectors are similar, Christian aid will be having to explain to their deserving recipients that the reason their donations have tanked is because of this type of lousy attitude. I think those are the westerners causing the problem!

anyway, you won't be reading my post as of course you are right and we are wrong. Giving to Christian Aid is mandatory and who are we to dare to challenge the demands of the collectors v