To be totally fed up with Save the Children

[serin]

What is wrong with this organisation, we have a direct debit to them every month which we have increased twice in the past in response to their phone canvassing, however over the last week they have rang 4 times asking for more money. Twice they actually rang so late in the evening they woke up my kids! One caller even called our donation "very modest".

We explained that we cannot increase our donations at the moment and got a rant about how they are struggling in the current economic crisis. No doubt so are the other charities that we donate to but they don't pester me and make me feel bad`about not giving more.

Feel like cancelling direct debit and giving more to Unicef.

"very modest" - that is shocking

I would ask for you to be taken off their caller list.

It's true that they get most donations from the people they've signed up (in ever increasing amounts).

Thanks laurie

Just cancel the d/d and make it out to somebody else, perhaps someone more focused and local.

Big charities mostly use commissioned canvasers and chuggers, very irritating they are.

I had this problem with the Red Cross. I made a one off donation to the tsunami fund through them, and then kept getting phonecalls. They were sooo persistant. One person who called kept on at me for ages and ages. In the end I had to say 'look I don't want to be rude to you, but you're rapidly leaving me with no option. I am NOT signing up for a regular donation with you'.

One of those clipboard people tried to grab us today in town - it was pouring with rain and I was almost running with the buggy to get under cover. Really annoying.

Don't blame the charity - they use a third party to make the calls and those people are not always approaching people with the honorable intentions the charity has.

If you get a call like that let the charity know so they can't deal with the call centre company.

Unfortunately charities get more money from these methods than shops and people rattling tins.

Agree it is annoying.

sorry "can" deal with the company! Although can't may be more accurate...

I loved that programme. The volunteers were so stroppy!

This really saddens me as I used to volunteer for them when I was younger and always thought highly of them, but they really have employed some aggressive canvassers lately.

I had a phone call from them last year, at a time when we were struggling financially, and he very nearly reduced me to tears.

Mind you, the rest are no better. The Red Cross refused to accept that we already are giving by direct debit, until I brought out the bank statement and read it aloud to them. It's not the charity, it's the paid collectors.

My DMum had the same problem with the RSPCA... constantly ringing for more money. She said she sat down & figured out how much money she had given over the years (it was LOTS!), and then sent a letter of complaint and cancelled the direct debit. She got a letter of appology (SP?)and thanks for all she had contributed.

I think it's the natural reaction, if you keep pushing for more money, to give up donating all together. Sad really.

Any charity that was so ungrateful for my donation would lose it! In your position - I'd choose someone else and write and tell them why!

Loads of charities do this. I don't have direct debits with them anymore. I will just donate as and when I can. I think they push people away with this hard sell stuff, and try to make you feel guilty. For some it works, but always remember that these are voluntary donations and nobody should be made to feel that they are not giving enough. Makes me cross.

Having worked for one of the biggest charitys in the UK and seen the sheer waste of money I just don't donate anymore. Until charitys start working like proper companies I am not wasting my money. The amount of times I heard the phrase "that's not the way we do things round here as we are a charity" arggghhh.

Serin - Someguy's post has made me think... how did you sign up in the first place? Did you do so via their website / phone appeal, or did you do so via a chugger? Because if the latter it could be the chugging company seeking to make the most of / renewing their commission. They only make it on the first few months of donations, but I imagine if you then increase it via them, they then make more money.

registering with the telephone preference service should stop the calls. The agency would be in deep shit if they kept calling you then.

joesmummy it is ENTIRELY the charity's fault. they have chosen to behave in this unpleasant and unethical way, serin don't reward them. i'd cancel the direct debit and tell them exactly why.

Oxfam did this to me; rang and insisted I change to DD (had an SO) and that I should be contributing x amount based on the fact that they imagined my income should have increased from when I started the SO. I cancelled it, and upped my donation to Christian Aid.

I get chugged frequently in Belgium for Oxfam and WWF, so I just tell them I donate through my UK account, and they go away.

I don't donate to the NSPCC anymore because of their guilt-inducing tear-jerker ad campaign (and which must have cost ££££'s). In fact, with a couple of exceptions, I only donate to local charities now, much more satisfying.

I know an elderly lady with polio who donates to a few charities in this way. And she gets these phone calls too. It's bullying isn't it?

I hate the NSPCC's full Stop campaign. They seem to think that everyone is a potential child abuser. I don't like the way they are ganging up with the Government against home educators.

I'm finding that lots of charities seem to be campaigning in quite an aggressive way at the moment. It is very sad that as a consequence of the recession charities are receiving less donations but harassing people and guilt tripping them is not the way to go.

My disabled father donates to Save the Children and had exactly the same issues with agressive canvassers who he could not deal with ringing him up. I rang them and told them to take his number off their calling lists or they would not be getting anything at all from him. Not heard a sausage since although they do seem to spend a lot in begging letters which go straight into the bin.

Had a similar conversation with cancer research when I had set up a dd in response to an advertising campaign which asked for "just £2 a month" and then within 2 weeks I had been asked twice to increase it (which I did). On the third call, I asked them to remove my number from their lists and said they did not have my permission to pass it on to canvassing agencies and if I got any more calls, I would report them to the Information Commissioner - sorted!

This happened to me a few weeks ago, I wrote it elsewhere and am copying & pasting:

just had a call from an RSPCA guy in a call centre, he asked for me by name because I am on their records as having made a cruelty complaint (when Yang was shot with an air rifle). He asked if he could have some time & I knew he would want money and that I wouldnt be able to give him any but I wanted to be polite so I said yes sure. He asked me what animals I had & I told him the 10. He went on and on about the cruel conditions animals live in and then asked me to do a standing order for £10 a month. I said "I hope I havent wasted your time but I really cant afford it - my own family are in real financial hardship at the moment and I have none spare"

then he said "well we, the RSPCA are struggling to keep afloat in this recession so could you do £20 every 3 months instead to pay for puppy food for a puppy we are rehabilitating who has been starved?" and I was mildly annoyed so I said a bit firmer "I understand its hard for you, people are giving you their animals because of the recession arent they, but I really havent got any spare. I am out of work and looking for a job and we are struggling seriously at the moment."

He THEN said "I understand what you say about your personal circumstances, so would you be able to give us a one off donation of £25?"!!!!!! The cheek of it!

I said "Look I cant give you any money - if I give any more money away I'll have to rehome my animals because I wont be able to pay for them anymore, then I'll be forced to give them to you and that wont help you either, will it?" He then immediately got off the phone.

It just pisses me off to be honest. We just had to borrow £30 to last us til the 28th when DH gets paid - that has to cover food and petrol for the 3 of us and our 10 animals who are NOT being rehomed. I am working all hours god sends trying to get money in, DS's pre-school fees are late, the whole thing is a shambles and I was really polite to this man and I WANT to have a good opinion of them because I am a long time RSPCA supporter but this just took the biscuit.

This kind of thing really puts me off donating to charities. Both the cold calling and the seemingly endless mail asking for more.

I gave a sizeable 'one off' sum to a children's cancer charity about two years ago and asked directly NOT to be put on any lists. Of course, I was though. It really irritates me that they are spending the money I gave them on trying to get me to donate even more.

We sponsor a child and I hate the amount of money that is wasted sending me loads of stuff, generally asking for more money.

I guess these tactics yield results but I am ashamed to say that it actually stops me from donating to new charities.

its the door knocker who annoy me, we must get at least 1 a fortnight, i don't wish to hand over my bank details in my door step to a complete stranger and i want to pick which charities i support.