Feeling sorry for a chugger

[FlemCandango]

I have just turned away a doorstep chugger, very politely (he is very lucky he didn't get dh!).

I feel sorry for him because he looked so young and nervous but I hate being chugged. He is being paid to collect subscriptions it is a sales job. which think is wrong not least because I volunteer for a charity that deals with vulnerable people who are the often the ones most likely to sign up for charity donations they cannot afford.

But I still felt slightly bad for him perhaps he will use his little boy lost routine on another doorstep to good effect.

I feel sorry for them too, especially the boys for some reason. Maybe it's because all blokes want to punch them and women are suspicious of men approaching them in the street anyway ?

With the new fundraising regulations that have come out both face to face (door to door and street) and telephone fundraising have very strict codes of practice, which include the training of the staff and what they can say.

Some charities have in-house teams and some use fundraising agencies whose staff will work on different charity campaigns.

These methods are very valuable means of voluntary income for charities, as it is regular donations, they know what will be coming in and can plan their services accordingly. Once donors sign up to donate they often donate for years.

Often the 'chuggers' do the job as they want to help the charities and this can be the first step on a career in fundraising. They get a great feeling of satisfaction when they get a sign up, knowing that this will make a difference to someone. From providing a cancer nurse, to training for a homeless person to help get them off the street, to emergency support and care around the world.

I think it can be a great job and I would have done it in my youth, had it been around then.

No sympathy at all, especially after a MacMillan chugger got my partially sighted and far too soft 85 year old mother to sign up on the doorstep at 8pm.

If I answer the door to a chugger they get told no thanks as the door is being closed while they are still talking.

I used to be a chugger and still work in charity fundraising. Statistically, they bring in a lot more than collecting tins do, once you look at the lifetime worth of a donor. On average, someone who signs up with a chugger will keep giving for four years. At £5 per month that's £240 per donor. No one puts that in a collecting tin. Most chuggers will sign up three or four people per day. That means at a minimum they are raising £960 per day. That more than pays for their salary, plus it lets the charities have an income that they can plan for and is also.unrestricted income which is the best form of income - government grants etc tend to be project based which are fine, but don't pay for things like "the electricity" which is very non-glam but absolutely essential for keeping the organisation going.

And none of the chugging firms I'm aware of pay less than living wage, and all have training sessions before they are sent out. They know exactly what they are doing. It's still a tough job - a guy I know ended up in hospital after someone poured coffee over his head and scalded him - but it is really effective and most of the people doing it do want to make the world a slightly better place.

I don't sign up, because I give quite a lot already, but I'm always nice, ask how their day is going, say "no", smile, and then wave them on their way. No stress. And some look so painfully grateful that someone has been nice.

No sympathy for them whatsoever.

I hate being harassed in my own home. I work from home so it can be very inconvenient for me to try to get rid of them. I'm giving serious consideration to fitting a doorstep camera so I don't have to answer the door if it's a chugger. Or tree/hedge cutter, double glazing salesperson, roofing salesperson and all the rest we get round here.

I have to say that the two rudest chuggers ever, who each insulted me on my own doorstep, were from very high profile charities. One tried to guilt trip me and the other started questioning why I "manged my finances so badly" that I couldn't commit to a monthly donation.
I'll never donate to either of those charities again and made sure to tell friends and family members about them too.