AIBU to hate charity door knocking

[earthlybeing]

I dont understand how or why charities continue to send people out canvassing for donations by going door to door.

Does anyone still set up donations this way? AIBU to hate them?

We can't see through our door so I can't see them to be able to ignore them

I think they should have to say, I work for X company we are being paid by X charity to raise money on their behalf.

I wonder how many people would sign up then.

The golden ticket for doorstep chuggers is an elderly person. My Dad was persuaded to set up two direct debits that he could not afford by doorstep chuggers - I discovered it when checking his bank statements.

Dad had dementia (he died just before Christmas). I rang the charities concerned and demanded they apologise AND that their protocols should rule out doorstepping (or calling) the elderly.

I'm still furious about it.

I do feel like saying 'sorry I am bit busy, please give me your home address and I will come and randomly knock and will donate then'

Not to the genuinely nice ones who understand a polite no thank you

Can you set up a neighbourhood watch no cold calling zone. This is what we have and it does work. We get about 2 cold callers a year and I tell them to look at the sign. Before this we used to get loads of cold callers.

Just say sorry i can't afford to commit

Sometimes I ignore them knocking even though they can see me if I’m in the living room from the front door, if I accidentally open the door to one I don’t even let them start their spiel I just shut the door in their face, I don’t care if it’s rude.
Hopefully they’ll get the message and stop bothering me.

Hate them.

After being all nice and polite to them over the years and them waking up my sleeping child, now as soon as they say 'hi, I'm working for X charity...' I just say 'im not interested, thank you' and shut the door.
I stopped caring that it's rude a while ago!

I’d rather the charities spent the money on fundraising events, that way people can choose to go and donate and they aren’t relying on pressuring elderly people into donations.

many reputable charities no longer collect this way as its very open to abuse from scammers...plus as evidenced by the replies the people who are paid to go door to door aren't always acting appropriately and upholding the reputation and the values of the charity. I used to work for a charity so always incredibly grateful for peoples support but as a principle I don't ever give money at the door as I feel I'm encouraging potential exploitation of the vulnerable.

After reading here about GOSH I am much more likely to decline even putting money in a collection box for them if I ever see one.. don't charities GET this?

Which reminds me, when my mum passed away in the summer, our family thought, as mum loved children, it would be nice to send any donations to a local childrens' hospital, which I did. Come Christmastime, they got in touch with me to ask for more donations. Obviously they'd kept my name & address on file. SO disappointing. It really makes me think less of them.

They stay in front of grocery stores, too ... they shout at you, block the entry

Admittedly not a grocery store, but I had that in W H Smith with some woman blocking the door with a spread-armed "Hellooooo", which offered the plausible deniability of "I was just being friendly" when what she was actually doing was trying to force people to stop

It wasn't the shop's fault that it happened in the first place, but I really thought they were to blame for allowing it to continue, and said so. Maybe it worked or maybe it didn't, but the chuggers were no longer there when I walked past later

Same thing happened at my local railway station. There is a point immediately beyond the barriers on the platform to London that various charity collectors stand.
Often it is clearly volunteers shaking a tin for Marie Curie, local hospice, roundtable , veterans selling poppies etc, not in your face.
Recently though there is a chugger there who literally accosts you the moment you step through the barrier

My sil used to work for a company that sent them door knocking- different charity every week so she didn’t have any particular interest in any.

In her case, they were considered self employed so only got paid a commission for every successful direct debit set up. She used to walk round (in a team) for 10-12 hours / 6 days per week. Many of those hours ended up unpaid. They used to run sessions on how to approach the public, answers to questions they might be asked and how to keep the pressure on etc etc.

So no I don’t like door knockers and I never feel rude about firmly shutting the door on them -if they are like my sil they may be doing the hard sell to get paid themselves, but don’t actually care about the charity!

Why do they always knock when you're cooking, or eating dinner? And in the bloody winter, usually. I'm always polite but firm, "Yes, I'm sure they do a lovely job, but I already have two charity DDs and I never sign for door knockers."

I've never had a rude one, but they often do emotional blackmail. I'm sorry, I can't help everybody!

Just had a guy today do this for some charity hike he's doing, I said I don't sign up to anything on the doorstep but I'll take a look online so he said well I'll give you this leaflet as if you;ve signed up and come back when the hike is completed. When I looked at the leaflet he;s asking for £25 pounds. Nope.

It's not legal to collect money like that. You need permission from the local authority to collect cash.
With DD fundraisers you can just pick an area and get them to knock on doors.

We have one of those as well as one that says ' please don't knock, sleeping baby and noisy dogs!' And we still get people knocking trying to get money, sell things or preach 🤬

Same. I really torn because they do incredible work but between the attitude of the chugger and the response I got from them when I emailed, I am not sure I want to donate again in the future.

I hide behind the sofa

One called at mine at 6.30pm in the pitch black a few months ago. OH wasn't home. I opened the door to a perfectly friendly guy from a charity but I immediately said "sorry I've got to mind the kids" he said ok and carried on his sales spiel! So I just said no thanks and shut the door. I'm now one of the non door openers that Mumsnetters hate so much.

I don’t know what charity you worked for but I’ve worked for plenty, seen the projects and the accounts and know that many do excellent work with donations.

I do donate to charities I have chosen via direct debit, but also hate the concept of street chugging and think they give charities a really bad name, they must make some money but I’m not sure how it balances out the negative impact they have on the public perception of charities.

They also put people donating to bucket shakers in train stations etc who are usually running a marathon and directly fundraising for it, and it is no harm to give those people a fiver, but people are afraid they are the horrible direct debit sign up type so avoid them too.

I've just had one leaving Aldi raising money for children's cancer.

I was with my 4 year old and they tried to engage her asking about her coat when I was packing bags. When we walked past they asked to speak to both of us for a minute? It was only me and my daughter!

Made me very very uncomfortable I muttered a no sorry and virtually ran out of there. Puts me off going again but it's our closest shop.

We had the air ambulance in aldi. I told the man I’d look online he gave a sarcastic yeah of course. Saw him in there again the next day and he tutted at me and my daughter called him a rude old man 😂.

When we get door chuggers I just tell them I’m not allowed money sorry bye. They always look confused and scuttle off.

My mother however we do like another posters and say no I don’t like blind people really or I like animals but only on my plate what ones your got. She gives zero fucks.

I personally think that chuggers should simply be banned.

I always close the door on them. I refuse to be bullied in my own home, plus I don't trust that they are not scammers.

According to my googling they’re not supposed to knock if you have a sign saying No Cold Callers.