To be really angry with this charity fundraising cold caller

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Just got a call from a very well know national charity basically asking me to make a donation to an on-going campaign they are running.

I declined initially as have just made a donation to said charity via sponsorship of a friend who is running the London Marathon for them next month.

Caller said, great but they still need on going support.

I told him I would consider it but if I donated I would do so via my work payroll giving scheme.

He then tried to tell me that actually it was much better for the charity to receive the money directly via direct debit.

I said surely that wasn't the case as with payroll giving scheme the chairty receives more money as they can claim my higher rate tax back (whereas normally they can only claim basic rate back via gift aid scheme).

He said no no we get the tax pack, I said yes but only basic rate.

He kept telling me it was better for donations to be received via DD.

Presumably he is on commission and this is why he wanted me to set up a direct debit through him. It makes me so cross, he didn't have his facts straight and if he had convinced me this way the charity would end up with less money than if I gave via payroll giving.

Rant over.

Never get dragged into conversation with these people, a quick 'not interested' followed by immediate closed door/phone hang up will save you from future hassle

Unfortunately zebra is right, I find doing that very hard because I DO care, I'm just skint so have to be choosy, and won't set up DD's, I try and give a little to a few different charities when I can.

BUt you can't say that to them. You have to say 'not interested' and hang up, slam the door. It's horrible

When I was on comission only (selling advertising space, but still selling) a long conversation with no sale was a lot of money lost, I preferred the people who gave a quick fuck off and hung up to those who wanted a debate.

These calls drive me mad

I keep getting them from a charity I already donated to wanting me to up my direct debit. First time they rang I was polite and said no thanks, second time I rang I told them if they rang me again I'd cancel the direct debit, the third time they rang I did cancel the dd. They still keep ringing, I recognise the number and don't answer it now.

You are right Zebra good advice.

I hate cold callers and quite often get them knocking on the door at home. We are not skint by any means but i will never sign up to a DD on my doorstep.

I live in a huge house and get several callers a month {red cross I am looking at you}
I hate the guilt trip although I know they are only doing their job - and a good one, but this is not the way I donate.

[makes mental note to get gates fixed]

I have the same problem with a well known childrens charity. Ever since i set up a small DD (£2-3 a month) i have been getting endless calls from them. I cant think what they want (i dont pick up on numbers i dont know) I'm already giving them regular donations!! when i was at home sick i was getting up to 3-4 calls a day!!!! from the same number, one call came in at 7pm! I had my phone on silent as i was ill but i recognised the same number. I told my husband that if they call again i will tell them I am cancelling the DD for the simple fact that they are hassling me for no reason and they go somewhere else for their donation. It really is not on.

They are very annoying. I had someone knocking on the door the other day and as soon as I opened the door he said 'don't worry I am not trying to sell you something'. I noticed he had a badge on for the WWF and I just said sorry not interested thanks and he went away. But I did feel like saying you might not be selling me something but you still want money off me. My sister had one knock at her door the other day who really would not take no for an answer. I know they are only trying to make a living but when you say no thansk and they keep badgering you it makes you feel like teling them to f* off

Come on. Name and shame.

DD is thought to be better than payroll giving as people change jobs so frequently these days. Charities are looking at what they call "lifetime value" of a donor, so they would rather you gave for a longer period of time, than rushed in with GAYE and rushed out again.

Further telephoning is to "upgrade" you. The £2 a month doesn't pay its way so they like to hook you at that level and then ask you to upgrade to around the £8 a month level later.

I believe that asking people who already donate, to donate more, yields more funds than cold-calling people who don't donate already.

It's more effective.

I've had to cancel my direct debits because the charities I supported kept calling me to increase my monthly donation and we basically give what we can afford - I always feel so pressurised and a couple of times (years ago) agreed to it but soon became wise to it - when I'm sat totting up numbers wondering what we can cut back on each month a £3 donation wouldn't seem too much but when it's increased then suddenly I'm thinking well that's got to go and they lose me completely as a supporter. Now I see so many things I want to donate towards but I hate the harrassment that comes with it. I actually lied to the man on the doorstep a few months ago saying that I support all my friends who do the race for life and he's saying "are yes very admirable but can you set up a regular dd" and I said "well it gets abit much when you have about 12 different friends to support each time" He went away and I felt so terrible for lying to him because I don't support 12 friends - I get about 25 requests and you can only support a few - especially when the amount you donate is there for everyone to see. I now chuck everything in the bin and just try and think up better excuses that won't make me feel so guilty and continue to give when I can.

I cancelled my standing order. The donation I gave each month probably only just covered the endless phone calls and letters they sent to get me to increase my donation. They even sent a standing order with the new amount on for me to sign.

I have had an unsolicited letter from the Red Cross. They have sent 2 coasters, a bookmark, and 2 greeting cards with envelopes, plus a standing order form. Why? And how much did it cost for them to do that? i don't get it.

YANBU

YANBU thats incredibly rude, do people get paid to knock on doors then, i thought they were doing it as voluntary work?
I dont give money to any charity by DD, i give DCs clothes to charity rather than try to sell them and give money to a few selected charitys when we've got some spare money or theyre in the street with there buckets.
This is onen of the reasons i dont answer my door unless im expecting someone! I hate being made to feel guilty about not giving to specific charitys but you cant afford to give to everyone!

YANBU I have cancelled DDs for this reason and for any charity that uses chuggers.

We are not rich and we give what we can (just about) afford to - I'm buggered if the money I give is going to pay the wages of someone calling and hassling me to give more.

It costs all charities money to make money...almost all will have professional fundraisers on their payroll. But they bring in FAR more than they costs so there is net financial gain to the charity.
Fundraising (which is a lot more than doorstep or street fundraising) is a real skill and not just hopefully shaking a tin or trying the Lottery, hence it is worthwhile for charities to invest in it.

They do it because not enough people give enough money to charities without prompting.
Sad fact.

All those service provided by charities, all that medical research, all those advances and peoples' lives improved are all funded by voluntary income. And this is a major way that charities raise money.

But my donation was completely worthless Nina. It paid for them to ring and write to me to increase it.

I have complained bitterly about this kind of thing to the charities themselves. Sometimes they stoop to a very low level indeed in the name of "raising funds". I had a letter once from a charity unbeknown to me, asking me if I "knew" how hard it was like to have cancer, as a kind of emotional blackmail to give them money. Actually, I did know what it was like to have cancer, because I had had cancer. I was furious and rang them up about their stupid letter. I think alot of charity marketing and fundraising departments are funded by idiots who have not even a basic understanding of the real world.

Whoever answers the door here just says "sorry it's my sisters house, I'm just here babysitting" works every time

once had a well known children's charity bang knock on the door at 20:58 which woke up the whole house .

When I objected to a cold caller knocking on the door so late, and ignoring the, 'No Cold Caller' sign, the response was that they had a licence until 21:00, so weren't doing anything wrong.

Good selling technique

Oh well, am in the process of getting the neighbourhood to be a, 'No Cold Calling Area' so in your face Barnardos and still waiting for that apology...

We've had a lot more chuggers knocking at our door this winter. They always call on evenings when the weather is particularly dire. I reckon it all very carefully planned.

YANBU. I hate this. It happened to me too, I was hounded by telephone after text signing a petition about atrocities.

It was a well known children's charity too, and after finally getting rid of them I won't give them money again.

Nor will I involve myself in petitions or the like. Sad, but that's what they achieve.

ilovemydog I am in such a no cold calling area following a Neighbourhood Watch initiative and we have lovely notices from the council.

We were however still getting charity fundraisers knocking at night. So we contacted a couple of them, and they said to add a label to the sign clearly saying 'No fundraising, please'. So we did. Peace reigns - so far!

I do give to charities, and I do feel sorry for the poor youngsters doing these jobs; but I can't be doing with people knocking my door at night.

Sometimes it is a volunteer who knocks collecting but sometimes it's paid staff from a fundraising company hired by the charity. This is why they are so so pushy to get a direct debit from you as it's commission earned per direct debit for the fundraiser.

I read a guardian article which explained that up to 15 months of your direct debit can go to pay the commission before the charity starts to gain any benefit.

It is very easy to set up a direct debit to any charity online so I say "I only give directly to charities thanks" and sign up online if I want to.

Obviously it's still worth the charities' while to use third party fundraisers or they wouldn't be doing it but some of the fundraisers are very pushy and insensitive.

I think it's also worth emailing the charity to give feedback if someone "representing" them is being very pushy and offputting. The charity won't neccesarily know what tactics the fundraisers are using.

Yes, I emailed a charity once because their fundraisers rang the bell at 9.30pm and were really rude when I said No thanks, and could they please not bother my very eldery neighbour at that time of night.

Nice reply - very apologetic and grateful for the info.

But the charity workers may really have need the commission payments. There's a lot on unemployment again. People get stressed.