AIBU to be irritated by the cheesy chat up lines of charity collectors?

[theQuibbler]

There seems to be lots of these chuggers (charity muggers), round my way and you have to run the gauntlet just to get to the shops. They come out with the most ridiculous lines to try and get you to stop. This is tonight's example - "Babe, I've been waiting for you all day. Stop, please, come on, don't break my heart."

I mean, seriously, who talks like that? Who?! And,he was about 20 yrs old as well.

I don't mind the concept of trying to get people to sign up for a good cause, but what is with the patter. I notice the girls don't go with this silly approach, even with men. It exasperates me. [Harumphing grumpy emoticon]

They make it harder for those of us who are doing genuine voluntary unpaid collections either door to door or rattling a tin on the street.

We are told to be quite passive in the way we collect - don't try to stop people they must come to you etc and the collectors have a genuine interest in the charities they collect for. It is all getting spoilt by these people who see it as a job.

applause for leosdad

Charities of course need to employ some staff under contract (e.g. regional fundraising managers), but these people are sensitive to the fact that charities can't exist at all without the brilliance of volunteers.

That's quite different from the people who are employed through an agency for a couple of days and given no training in the charity or how to build donor relationships, but are instead told "You have to secure 10 pledges an hour or you're out."

Chuggers annoy me no end. I might be inclined to give them money if a) they weren't so aggresive about it, b) they weren't getting a wage/commission, and c) they wouldn't REJECT my on-the-spot donation! Money is money, surely? I resent being made to feel that a one-off small-change donation is worthless and only a fixed amount by direct debit will help the charity. Total bollocks.

The road outside my office is a regular stomping ground for these guys, and they don't seem to realise that there is a different charity standing there every day. Surely if they varied it a bit it'd be more effective? Argh.

. Proper fundraisers are saints. I gave 20p to a guy outside Tesco metro the other day, not only did I get a smile and thankyou, I got a sticker!