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  • Forced charitable giving

    It's the holiday season so there are plenty of charitable efforts going this time of year for a variety of different causes. Personally, I support several of these and I always try to be as generous as possible around Christmas.

    At work today I found out we're teaming up with a local charity to gather toys to donate to children. But here's the thing: It's MANDATORY.

    Every team in our building is being assigned a boy or girl of a certain age that we have to collect for and corporate has made it very clear they expect EVERYONE to participate.

    I don't see how they can possibly enforce this and I've thought of speaking out against it except then I become the poor sap who's apparently "Against kids getting toys on Christmas". Of course the truth is a little different, but the way the politics are at this place , I KNOW that's how I'd be perceived.

    In the long run, it's probably better to spend a few bucks on a toy but this whole thing really rubs me the wrong way.

    Any suggestions in how to handle this situation are greatly appreciated.
    "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

  • #2
    They probably can't enforce that legally, but don't expect that to stop them from making someone's life hell if corporate doesn't get their way.

    Unless you can't afford it, or are willing to risk really pissing everyone off, the best thing to do is to chip in the minimum. AFTER the holidays, when the fervor of the moment has died down, you can perhaps (depending on your boss) safely have a one-on-one with your boss where you explain that being forced to donate rubs you the wrong way, and you'd really appreciate it if this didn't happen again next year. Make it clear that your primary objection is not the giving to charity, but rather that you don't like someone else picking the charities for you, and that you hate the fact that corporate is using their control over you to force you to donate to their preferred charity.

    My thinking is that by giving a few bucks and waiting until the heat of the moment is passed, you can turn a potentially ugly conversation into a much more easy-going one.
    Life: Reality TV for deities. - dalesys

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    • #3
      There was just a bit in the Retail comic along the same lines, with corporate trying to force everyone into wearing Santa hats. Urg. Having an easy way to support some charity? Okay, that sounds great! Required giving? Nope, and nope. Not even getting into the idea that many still view this as a religious holiday, and some don't celebrate it.
      Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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      • #4
        Any chance you can say something like "Oh gosh, I've already made my donations for the year", or "Oh, I'm already supporting other fundraisers".

        Still irksome. You shouldn't be forced into feeling you have to make excuses. Nothing makes me more miserly than others feeling entitled to my money for *insert story of the moment here*
        A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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        • #5
          As well, there are people that a $5 "donation" is the difference between ramen for dinner and nothing.
          I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
          Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
          Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

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          • #6
            Quoth bainsidhe View Post
            Any chance you can say something like "Oh gosh, I've already made my donations for the year", or "Oh, I'm already supporting other fundraisers".
            This is my reason anytime there is forced donations through work or friend circles.

            I am really, really picky with who gets my money and there have been a few 'charities' that I have refused to donate to. I research where the money goes and what percentage is chewed up by admin or advertising. I had enough info to give to HR regarding one 'charity' that made the business change it's mind on that particular charity. Only 15% actually went to the people they were collecting for.

            My favourite charities are Life Saving Victoria (the wonderful people that patrol our beaches), Sea Shepherd, RSL (Returned Services League for war vets & families) and Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital.

            There is one other that I try to donate to whenever I can and they help disadvantaged kids stay in school by getting their textbooks, etc. This charity is all volunteers and pretty much all the money goes to school supplies and not massive overheads. They don't advertise, they aren't well known, but they actually make a difference in the community they are based in.
            A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read. - Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!

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            • #7
              My work doesn't require mandatory donations, but each year we have a hat and mitten tree that goes to a local charity. We're heavily pressured to bring in new hats, mittens, or gloves to put on the tree. It makes me uncomfortable, even though it's a good cause. So I bought four pairs of gloves at $1.50 each just so I wouldn't get griped at for not donating.

              If they were to make donations mandatory, I'd have to use the "I'm supporting other charities" line.
              "I look at the stars. It's a clear night and the Milky Way seems so near. That's where I'll be going soon. "We are all star stuff." I suddenly remember Delenn's line from Joe's script. Not a bad prospect. I am not afraid. In the meantime, let me close my eyes and sense the beauty around me. And take that breath under the dark sky full of stars. Breathe in. Breathe out. That's all."
              -Mira Furlan

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              • #8
                Quoth bainsidhe View Post
                Any chance you can say something like "Oh gosh, I've already made my donations for the year", or "Oh, I'm already supporting other fundraisers".
                This is probably the nicest route to take to tell anyone that you really don't want to do it, they don't know what you do/don't do in your spare time. If anyone decides to persist, tell them nicely but firmly that you've already done your donations to other places and are unable to contribute to any more in any form.
                Eh, one day I'll have something useful here. Until then, have a cookie or two.

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                • #9
                  They bug us all the time to donate to charities that corporate likes, but luckily it's not mandatory. There are some charities I will NOT donate to. And I have my own interests like mental health and whatnot that they never have on their list.
                  https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
                  Great YouTube channel check it out!

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                  • #10
                    I am all about kids getting stuff for Christmas. I shop all year for the toy runs and angel trees. I do this freely and of my own choice. I enjoy it.

                    Tell me that I HAVE to do it and I will dig in my heels and refuse.

                    They way I see it, you have a few choices:

                    Nicely tell them that you have already donated to your favorite charities and cannot afford to do more.

                    Tell them that forcing people to support a mandatory charity is not legal and refuse to do it, which can lead to unpleasant fallout.

                    Or, get all passive/aggressive about it. Just forget. You are so tired after work that you don't want to go shopping and you just forgot over the weekend. You will try to remember next weekend, but wow, did you see the latest numbers for important project? It would probably be best to concentrate on that and talk toys later.

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                    • #11
                      One hotel I worked at wanted you to do FIVE gifts for Secret Santa. Um I can barely feed myself on what you pay me, thanks. Otherwise was a good place to work, they did care about us, but this was the one instance that showed how little the upper level staff knew about how the front line people's lives were.
                      "I try to be curious about everything, even things that don't interest me." -Alex Trebek

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                      • #12
                        Um, NO. Just no.

                        I work hard for my wages (which have gone down despite getting a miniscule raise because I no longer have an incentive plan) and if I want to give to any charity, I will choose the charity myself and decide how much to give. If the company wants to donate, let them do it out of their profits! They've got deeper pockets than their employees, and can use it as a tax write off (which I can't because I don't have enough things to itemize).
                        When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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