to not want to be approached by charity collectors?

[KidsDontThinkImCool]

Raising money and awareness for charities is a wonderful thing. Of course it is. I've done it myself from time to time and I give what support I can. It's important and it's bloody hard work and I have nothing but admiration for those who give their time and energy to do it.

But...I'm really beginning to hate being asked, every time I go to the supermarket or the shopping centre, if I want to help prevent children's cancer. Well who doesn't? but I feel so small and so mean if I don't have spare change to put in their buckets every day! Is it so wrong not to want charity collectors to act like salesmen, making unsolicited pitches designed to make people feel guilty? Is it just me? AIBU or does anyone else feel this way?

[TheJumped]

I worked as a chugger when I graduated

Our target was to get 3 people a day (each) to sign up. That was working 10-1 then 2-4, in all weathers. It was pretty punishing work tbh. The abuse we got was pretty regular, lots of weird people, lots of people wanting to stop and chat, lots of people wanting to learn more about whatever charity we happened to be promoting that week. It was all good fun. So you'd approach maybe 2 people a minute, all day, and get 3 people to sign up. That was back in the days long ago when it was quite a new thing though, and people were happy to stop and chat and weren't as cynical as they tend to be now because there are now so many of them around. I'll give you the info we would always reel off though - we were paid £12 an hour as fundraisers, and it was by far the most cost efficient way for charities to raise funds. The people who say 'oh I don't want to sign up to a regular donation, I just want to throw some pennies in a bucket every so often' made us upset because we were drilled in just how useful the direct debits system was - allowing charities to know roughly what heir income would be, so could plan long term projects. It was so important.

But none of this negates how annoying it is to be stopped regularly. But please, please be aware that you don't have to be all defensive or attack them for doing their job - just smile and say 'no, sorry - good luck though!' If you don't want to stop.

[TheJumped]

Meant so say - far more cost efficient and better means of raising funds for charities than the alternatives of tv appeals, leaflets through doors, phone calls or leaflets in magazines. The fact we were paid to fundraise seemed to piss a lot of people off, strangely. And to address the previous poster - the company I worked for raised money for all sorts of charities - it's a financial incenivw for them to train you to be very well informed on the charity you are fundraising for - I attended lots of training and educational events for various charities in my time working for them. They were a good company, and we had very strict guidelines about not taking advantage of the elderly or vulnerable. As I say - this was a while ago and I know even back them there were less scrupulous companies usin downright harassment to stop people in the Street.

[livingzuid]

it was by far the most cost efficient way for charities to raise funds

Absolutely not correct. Too many variables to make that assumption and actually for some charities (although not all otherwise they wouldn't do it), it is a loss making exercise. There are other far more effective forms of fundraising than this that provide a much more sustainable income stream.

[livingzuid]

Agree though thejumped that people are just trying to do a job and earn some cash. There's no need to be rude to a chugger.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I can shrug off the 'don't you want to fight cancer' shouts.

What I hate is the blokes who follow you with 'hello ... give me a smile there ... I'm sure you're interested ... come on, I won't be a minute'. I don't know if they are just very naive and don't realize it's horrible having someone pretend to flirt with you while following you down the street? They seem to think this is a really flattering approach that will work, but if nothing else put me off, this would.

[dannychampionoftheworld]

YANBU.

I had one the other day accosting me both on the way into and out of a shop. She sort of leapt in front of me and shouted at me. FUCK OFF. Also, why the hell are you doing this at lunch time on High Holborn? The pavements are crammed with harassed lawyers rushing to meetings. NO ONE has time to fill in the form.

I already donate to a couple of charities via direct debit.

[EasilyDistracted77]

If willing to lie/stretch the truth say "I already donate" when approached by a chugger. It may not be to the charity they are representing, but . . .

[hickorychicken]

£12 an hour?! No wonder theyre so insistant!!

[hickorychicken]

*persistant

[perplexedpirate]

There is no need to be rude to a chugger, but if anyone is shouting remarks about my appearance in the street, which seems to be their new approach, then I reserve the right to tell them them to get to fuck.
I support several charities, I don't need some guy showing me up shouting 'hey beautiful', 'hey there, Red', 'yo, sexy boots' etc etc across a shopping mall (all genuine examples btw).

[hickorychicken]

I donate to charities of my choice, i wont be guilt tripped. Sometimes im so tempted to be super sarcastic....
"Isnt it awful....all these people/animals in need"
"Is it?"

[livingzuid]

OK, I X posted, sorry. My cousin was a team leader for a chugging company and I've worked in fundraising senior management for many years now for a variety of charities large and small. I'm well aware of the street fundraising companies and techniques as I've interviewed some. And no, staff are not well trained. Quite randomly on a number of occasions chugger have tried to get me to sign up to charities I have worked for and when I queried them out of curiosity on basic questions they weren't able to answer.

You can't be as good as a staff member as you don't work for the organisation on a daily basis and can't get under their skin. You don't know all the different messages or nuances of different types of work a charity does, particularly a large one. Yes, you are briefed on the campaign you are to promote that day but it isn't a good representation for the charity.

I mean you as 'one' not anything personal against anyone posting.

It's an argument my cousin and I have had many times. People don't object on the whole to paid fundraisers who work directly for a charity, they understand the need. It's the nature of what Street fundraising is and that it chops and changes from one day to the next. And people don't want to be harangued or made to feel guilty in order to part with cash over the long term when they are nipping to Tesco for a pint of milk. It's not a good way to engage someone with your cause.

Street fundraising is but one tool in a larger organisation's arsenal to recruit new (cold) donors. There are a number of different methods asides from this but it all comes under the banner of direct marketing. It is normally utilised when there is a specific campaign being launched also in the media so people's awareness is raised. In terms of financial impact it is very low for the first two years or so.

It's not necessarily the most cost effective way of finding new supporters. It all depends on the existing strength of brand, awareness, empathy with cause, etc.

[TooOldForGlitter]

I dunno if it is just Morrisons but they have charity stands at the entrance/exit doors in ours ALL the time. I do my bit as my finances allow but everytime I come in or out of the supermarket I somehow end up being road blocked and having to explain that I already have a rescue dog and I already do a lot for Scope and I already donate to BHF. It really puts people off.

[Ludoole]

I just politely tell them that I give as much as I can to the charities closest to my heart and I walk away.

[anonbecausechugLOL]

I'm a chugger. My favourite thing is when someone comes at me with one of their oh-so-exotic languages of French, German, or Spanish as I studied all of them at university. Also knew enough to come back at someone trying atrocious Japanese. You really aren't as clever as you think.

It's a job.

[anonbecausechugLOL]

BTW, there's no "let's quickly cram some facts about the charity of the day". The campaigns last at least a few weeks on the vast majority of agencies and charities because it's a process learning objection responses and effective spiels.

Also, there's no "trying to trick people with alternatives to clip boards". If they don't have a clip board they're likely doing an SMS campaign or a lead-gaining campaign.

[Jellypudmum]

I really dislike the charity bag packets that clutter up the check outs at supermarkets.
I am a saddo who likes to pack my bag in a specific way and not get home with squashed loaves/fruit etc by put feel so mean declining even if I still throw a donation into the bucket.

[livingzuid]

The campaigns last at least a few weeks on the vast majority of agencies and charities because it's a process learning objection responses and effective spiels.

And there is my point. You don't know, because by the time you even get an inkling of what work a charity does you've moved onto the next campaign. Which isn't particularly helpful for your average punter who had questions you can't answer. No matter how many languages you might entertain them with as they walk past.

[ravenAK]

It's a job which consists of annoying people.

No-one likes being chugged. Basically, you're getting paid to piss people off.

I just tell all chuggers that I never give to charities that pester me in the street - either I don't already give to that charity, in which case I certainly won't now, or I already do, in which case, if I remember & can be arsed, I'll be cancelling that dd next time I'm online.

I did door-to-door potato selling as a student, I totally get that sometimes you need to take shitty jobs; but all this 'you aren't as clever as you think' when the people you pester evade engaging with you?

That's not people trying to be clever. That's them being too embarrassed, awkward, or nice to just tell you to piss off.

You're being paid to be a blight.

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

Hmm I have serious charity fatigue. Particularly as they will spend any money you give them (unless completely anonymous) on chasing you for more money. Im very about all the free crap the red cross keep putting through my door - hell would freeze over before they get any money from me to waste on crap coasters and pens.

I am sceptical about Big Issue sellers - one of the local ones has a better mobile phone than me.

[anonbecausechugLOL]

Livingzuid I don't see why you mention standing there with a tin is "really hard work" as if chugging for direct debits or texts isn't.

Tin collectors stand there with a tin.

Chuggers have to first of all stop the person, which is the most insanely difficult thing, whilst under a barrage of people badly speaking foreign languages, telling you they already donate, acting as if you're invisible (that one is actually the most soul destroying) and telling you to fuck off.

You also get those things said when people stop, and I've been physically threatened and groped and sexually harassed more times than I can count.

If they're a nice person, they'll either say no thanks, or let you do your spiel then decline or politely tell you that they can't do it but good luck.

You're out there full time all day even in the rain and snow, and as few as 1/100 you attempt to engage will stop. Fewer in the rain. And you have to hit targets to ensure you're cost effective for the charity. The targets are incredibly high in many cases.

I'm having to quit now after many months because I simply can't cope with the abuse, people trying to mess with me for fun and the soul destroying nature of it anymore. If you see a chugger for the love of God please just say no thanks instead of trying to be clever because they're just trying to do a job, a hard fucking thankless job to earn enough to survive.

[anonbecausechugLOL]

Not true, livingzuid. We were trained for every campaign in advance, learnt all the main statistics and facts about the charity, and you hear all the questions people have in the first 2 or 3 days on the street. The questions people ask are all incredibly similar. I can assure you that I'm very rarely stumped, and if I am it's on the first day or two of a campaign. Usually it's someone asking something they don't even care about, like who the deputy CEO of the charity is, just to "catch you out." I worked the same campaign for 3 months before I swapped, would have probably done about the same this time. The things you learn, you know, actually doing the job.

[Capitola]

God, I hate them.

The town where I work is full of chuggers. I'm most offended by the bloody faux chirpiness and the 'hey, beautiful - can you spare me a minute' crap lines.

I'm in a GAYE scheme already. Sod off.

[anonbecausechugLOL]

Yes ravenAK because trying to one-up someone (because as we all know chuggers are uneducated swine who only speak English) and then come online and act like how clever it is is definitely the only alternative to telling someone to piss off.