Thoughts on door to door charity fundraisers

[TellerTuesday4EVA]

This week alone we've had 3 (different charities) charity fundraisers knock on the door. It always seems to start up with the warmer weather, last summer we had loads of them.

To be fair they have all been perfectly polite, I just open the door now & 'no I'm sorry' and all have ID & easily identifiable charity bibs etc but something about it just doesn't sit right with me.

I do donate to a number of charities but I would never sign up to anything from my doorstep. Met with friends for lunch today & we were discussing it and non of us actually knew anyone that had ever signed up to donate to a charity via this method.

I'm sure there are people out there that would sign up at the door but aibu in thinking that the vast majority wouldn't?

And if not, do charities not see this as a waste of resources paying the salaries of the fundraisers?

Thoughts?

They never get through their opening speech with me, I just tell them I don't like being doorstepped and I choose where to donate. BIL is however a charity collectors dream, he'll sign up to everything because he can't say no, despite wanting to!

I signed up to one. It was our local hospice who do a great job.

It’s the doorstop sellers ‘just released from prison’ and from Middlesbrough that I struggle with.

No. I smile and say 'No thank you' and shut the door.

Some people must sign up or they wouldn’t keep paying people to do it. The same with chuggers. I never sign up to anything at the door or in the street, but others must do - otherwise why are the charities spending money on it?

ebay or amazon some anti doorstopping/stepping stickers ive got 2, 1 on the door and 1 in my living room window

ive actually seen people at opposites house,walk over see my stickers and walk past

Hate anyone who comes to the door trying to peddle their wares.

And don't get me started on the Jehovah's who have continually come to my door every two weeks for 3 months, even though they get told (politely) I'm not interested.

I thought really hard about which charities I wanted to support & none of them are likely to employ chuggers.

I'm going to get one of those anti door stopping stickers. I have a visible disability, you can tell when I open my front door that I am disabled and have no spare money, and some of them are utterly shameless.
I've had them try to keep me chatting, even in winter, then expect me to sign up as a quid pro quo for talking at me.

I don't answer the door to them. I have a sign which seems to work.

Charities pay specialist agencies to do this for them rather than having their own staff door-knocking. The worst bit is when someone signs up at the door and then cancels their direct debit before it's reached its payback point (ie where the charity has collected more in DDs than it has paid to the agency to sign them up). Unfortunately in that case the agency has still had their money and it's the charity that loses out. They do factor this in to the pricing, but it's not great.

It does still make money overall for charities, but it's a shrinking channel usually and you see more of stands in shopping centres etc rather than traditional door knocking now.

Personally, I don't like anyone trying to get me to sign up to something or buy something at my front door.

I have a sign saying no cold callers. It seems to work as I see JWs and chuggers walk past ours when they knock at other houses.

Not sure if it's changed now, but I remember seeing a program on it and they were paid on commission, so they could work all day and make next to nothing. They weren't even getting minimum wage.

I wouldn't sign up to any charity who come cold calling and I don't give out information including bank details to chuggers in the street.

I particularly don't like being patronised by young guys who compliment my appearance before going into their spiel and who then seem surprised when I don't want to sign up. I don't know if this is a training technique but think it must be as, in my experience, it happens every time.

Years ago, I would give one off donations to reputable charities on the doorstep- eg Christian Aid. But lately the chuggers claim they can’t accept cash, and want a commitment to a regular direct debit, which I’m not prepared to give. I have my own choice of charities that I support monthly, and also donate via my church, so I simply say No thanks and shut the door.
I fear that elderly, demented or unassertive people may be targeted for money they cannot afford.

I have also been doorstepped on a number of occasions frequently. I, too, think long and hard about which charities I support. When I tell them this, and that I’m not interested, their next line is invariably “Oh, which charities do you support? Just interested; just being nosey”. I stupidly answered this and they nearly engaged me in a full-blown conversation. 🙄

If I see them in the village I put a sign on the door saying no cold callers. They made me so mad once as they woke up my little girl with their loud knocking. Was about 8pm! I don’t sign up to anything at the door.

oh and to add as i forgot the first time(about my stickers comment further up) i also had one made up with "family of atheists here,dont try and covert us"

DS1 did this while he was studying. He was even a team leader. They do make much more for the charity than they cost in wages. They're very annoying, I agree and I wouldn't sign up on the doorstep either.

DS1 used to use a works car and drive a team to a specific location/postcode and they'd knock all the houses on certain streets, but obviously not those with signs on the door. They'd get in lots of trouble if the householder made a complaint.

It's not the kind of job I'd do, that's for sure; I couldn't take the constant rejection!