to be annoyed at people trying to stop you in the street to sign up to charitys??

[mummyloveslucy]

It's just really annoying, I hate shopping anyway and find it a bit stressfull. They always pounce on you and when I say "no thankyou" it makes me feel really mean.
We already sponser two children in developing countrys, give to sight savers, water aid and NSPCA. We really can't do any more. We don't earn alot. It just makes you feel mean for saying no when in fact we are very generous to charities.
I usually try to avoid them, make no eye contact etc but they always get me. I'm always very polite as I know they are working for a good cause etc. I am very shy usually and don't feel comfortable with it. The charities we give to are ones that we've researched ouselves and chosen, usually after seeing an advert on telly or something in the post.
I'll probubly be slated now, but I'm sure other people get annoyed with it too. (it they're honest)

you should not feel bad, and the David Mitchell article was great.

I too have a secret crush on him. Hasn't he lost weight tho (perhaps this should be a separate thread!)

YABU as they raise over a million quid for charity that may not have been raised any other way.

And as for them being paid, most charity fundraisers are paid.

that said they are really annoyingly overfriendly and too many of them so I take back my original YABU and add an N

Poppy,I think he has too.

I always thought they were volunteers! I think it is ok that they should get something, but £7. an hour to make people feel guilty... I remember working as a waiterss in London (a few years back) for £12. an eight hours shift! If only I had known, I'd have become a chugger

He's lost a LOT of weight - I fancy him chubby or not - it's the historical knowledge - phwooaaarrrr.

sorry about this hijack... but yes, phwoarr.

Does anyone else know about Another Meaning for the word "chugging" and find it slightly odd that these charity bods are also referred to as doing such? Might be just that I've spent too much time with awful public school types (the ones that chugg being the awful ones, not having a go)

What is this alternative meaning? Is it unsavoury?

This will explain it - I can hardly bring myself to...

findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n14246633

yeeeuch

Not only in the street I regularly get phoned as well and I am too polite to tell them where to go, when i asked them to send me some info they said they wanted to keep their costs down by not mailing out info, i wonder what their phone bills are like !!!! I do feel guilty when face to face, but you are right to feel annoyed, i would never sign up to a total stranger in the street.It's the sort of thing you would see on the real hussle!!

The charities employ them because they raise a fortune. The charity pays for each person signed up, so if the 'chugger' fails to sign anyone, the charity doesn't pay, the 'chugger' still gets his £7 an hour, but obviously the agency looses out in this situation so there is a certain amount of pressure on the fundraiser to meet targets. The fundraiser doesn't get commission and has to disclose to anyone donating that they are getting paid. The average person donating keeps there dd going for 4 years, so the average £5 a month sign up earns the charity £240. The people who phone you are also being employed by an agency and are fundraising for a range of charities.

I don't get why people won't give bank details to someone on the street but will give them over the phone or through the mail. What can someone do with your account number and sort code?

They can't accept one off donations because the charity is only commissioning them to get ddebits.

I also don't think you should feel bad for not giving. I don't think it is the intention to make you feel bad, rather to give you the option to give if you wish.

"What can someone do with your account number and sort code?"
Jeremy Paxman said that on TV didn't he (it was him wasn't it?) and found someone had made a donation to charity in his name.

On principle don't give to people who pressure you. It only encourages them.

Say "no thanks" and if that's not enough a hard kick in the shins will slow them enough for you to move on

Yes, but over the phone or through the mail, you are contacting the company and know who you are ringing (and can still get stung!). You are actually signing an authority for someone to remove money from your bank, someone you've never met before, someone who really only says they are working on behalf of the charity, and someone you can never contact again. You are also giving them your address, and the combination of address, signature and codes is enough for a scammer to do some serious damage.

I took the advice of a lady who, when faced with a lot of people in the street wanting bank details for donations, told them she already paid the charity by d.d. They soon left her alone.

Walking, I already have the option to give if I wish - I can contact any one of these charities by post or telephone, and most of them by email! These people are giving me nothing but a hard time and the chance of a wasted lunch break.