How NOT to raise money for your charity

[Luna]

I understand malls are the perfect place to fundraise. Most malls have no soliciting policies and postings - but I guess charities don't count as they are around all the time.

It is a busy afternoon. The phone is ringing non-stop. There are customers with crying kids all over the store. The line is long. The employees are trying very hard to be perky happy smiley and in walks in Mrs. Charity beeyotch.

MCB: Excuse me; I'd like to speak to the manager about donations.
(Do I even need to mention that I was mid-speech with customer right in front of me?)
Luna: I'm the manager right now, but as you can see we're really busy right now.
MCB: (huffs..then walks over to another girl - happens to be another manager)
MCB: I wanted to talk to you about a charity fundraiser I'm running.
Other mgr: Um, thanks but we're really busy - if you could leave something with us..
MCB: I don't understand why you can't just TALK to me! I need your business card and phone number if I'm going to leave information for you - it's really expensive to print!

At that, everyone at the front counter, including myself maybe 4 steps away stopped what we were doing at simply stared ...

Of course her "expensive" flier went right into the round filing cabinet. And it was for a legitimate mainstream non-profit organization too - not some PTA thing. Makes me sad for the organization if they have someone like her as a representative - no one is going to feel for the cause.

[April]

maybe you should call them and let them know how she behaved in your store

[SCSlave]

I find it odd that people that want you to donate to them are that rude. I had one just a couple weeks ago....

Lady walks in says "I need to speak to your manager for a fundraiser we're running. We need donations for (whatever the hell she was fundraising for..." I go check with manager...She says "We don't do donations here locally, they have to go thru the 800 customer service number..." (just as I thought) So I go tell Ms. Give-me-donations lady. She leaves...

.... she comes back a few minutes later. Fuming, I might add.

DL: Donations Lady
Me: yeah

DL: "I want your manager now!"
Me: "She is not available now...she's in a meeting..."
DL: "Well they told me that she has to talk to me..they don't do donations!"
Me: "I don't know what to tell you then..because she has no authority to donate anything thru this store..all of the donations have to be approved thru the corporate office."
DL: "YOU make SURE she calls me!" <Flings card at me> "And you let her know I am taking this to the MEDIA!"
Me: OK?
DL: <storms out...slamming the door>

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh now I realllllllllly want to give you free stuff.

Oh and her card? I put it in the shredder.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Sheesh! And tell the media what exactly? That she basically panhandled the store and they politely declined?

Wow, what a story that would make. "Would-be freeloader denied free shit. Film at eleven."

[draftermatt]

I think you should start collecting all the rude donation folk's cards, info, etc. then call them all and tell them how they acted, and that you are reporting them to the media.

The difference is, actually do it. There's a reason I refuse to give money to anyone (more than not having any to give) and it's people like that, and that I get $30-$50 worth of free stuff from charities all the time asking me to donate.

Maybe if you didn't send me all that crap you'd have money for whatever the hell you are trying to look for!

We hang up on them when they call my office. Owner says no, why should I listen to them bitch.

[protege]

Maybe if you didn't send me all that crap you'd have money for whatever the hell you are trying to look for!

That's *exactly* why my grandmother and I don't give a dime to charities anymore. Too many of them are willing to take donations...and then turn around and waste the donations on stupid things. Just how many address labels does someone really need? Nearly every month, she gets hundreds in the mail...usually with a "gimmie money" card attached. All of it goes right into the trash.

The other reason she no longer gives...is she was actually told by a representative that her gift wasn't "good enough" and that she needed to give more. Um, are you smurfing kidding me? She lost it, and told the rep to get lost, and not come back.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I hate that too! Number one, why do you need money if you can afford to send strangers free crap? And number two, I don't appreciate the attempt to manipulate or guilt me into sending you money. I didn't ask for the free shit, I do not feel obligated to pay for it!

Gaaah...

[tollbaby]

The only charities I give money to are those that have personal significance for me, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Arthritis association thingie. Our family also donates to the hospice where my uncle died, because they made the last few weeks of his life much easier, and made my aunt's life a lot easier as well (they actually set her up with a bed in the room and she LIVED there for the last week of his life).

[Boozy]

I just got yelled at this morning at the grocery store for not donating to the food bank. It really ticked me off. The lady was trying to embarrass me into giving. It didn't work.
Our local food bank is notorious for being poorly managed. I'd rather give to causes that won't turn around and flush my donation down the toilet.

[Rapscallion]

I had someone try for a basket of fruit for a raffle prize when we had customers queued out of the shop, only half the display up, and the Boss on his first day of holiday. I asked when they wanted it for.

"Now," I was told.

"I can do one for this afternoon, probably," I told them, but they weren't happy with this. Sucks to be them.

One decent customer of ours actually researched charities before giving money. She looked at their accounts and found out how much they spent on executives and administration and how much was left to go to the charities. Some big names only gave about ten percent of the funds to the works involved.

Rapscallion

[wagegoth]

I had something similar when I managed a small ice cream and yogurt shop for my parents (who were in another state).

A rep from a charity came in and explained that they sold coupon books. A business would donate the item for the coupon (for us that would have been a coupon for a free ice cream or yogurt on a cone). I asked how many books would be printed. He told me it would be 3,000 to 4,000. I told him then that the shop was too small, that 3,000 to 4,000 could probably equal our single cone sales for the summer, so we would, unfortunately, be unable to contribute.

That didn't end it. He demanded to speak to the owner. I explained that I was the manager, that the owners were my parents, that they lived out of state, and that I would be happy to take his number, but he was unlikely to get another answer. He started screaming at me. Seriously, screaming. He was going to talk to the owner, tell them how horrible I was, and he was going to tell everyone at the charity to never come to our shop, etc., etc.

I must have been in a bit of a shock, as I never expected to have a charity rep behave like this, because I just stood there for a moment. Finally, he stomped out of the shop, throwing the door open as hard as he could. At which point, I swore I would never give to that charity ever, then called my parents to warn them in case the psycho tracked them down.

[myswtghst]

And it was for a legitimate mainstream non-profit organization too - not some PTA thing.

Don't be making fun of the PTA My mom was the State Treasurer for IL PTA a few years back, and they do some serious good (scholarships and educational grants). *Not trying to start a fight, just have to defend my mommy!*

I'm seriously jaded about giving to charities, after some of my experiences and some of the things I've read. I've given to the Red Cross for relief efforts after major disasters, and I've done Christmas stuff for needy families through my neighborhood, but that's about it. I'm skeptical unless I can run it down or it's a major and well-known organization.

Also, as a side note, I work for a Not For Profit organization, but we rarely ask for donations, except in the form of a donation box at our events. We mostly rely on ticket and merch sales to get by, plus the generosity of the people like me who work fulltime at paying jobs in addition to the NFP film company and give them our money.

[powerboy]

I'm seriously jaded about giving to charities, after some of my experiences and some of the things I've read. I've given to the Red Cross for relief efforts after major disasters, and I've done Christmas stuff for needy families through my neighborhood, but that's about it. I'm skeptical unless I can run it down or it's a major and well-known organization.

I do the samething. On a side note, if they send me address labels, then I am not going to send them money, because I didn't ask for it.

[iradney]

I don't buy from those ppl that come into restaurants and go from table to table selling roses and teddy bears for the blind/deaf/insert disability here. A girl I knew in highschool did that for a while, and she quit when she found how much money was actually GIVEN to the charity. From a R7-50 rose, roughly 20c was given to the charity. Yep, 20c.
I support the SPCA and a charity that does adult education. I also buy a newspaper called Homeless Talk once a month - it's a little business venture started for homeless people to help them make money. It's got some nice articles in it

[SongsOfDragons]

The only charities I give money to are those that have personal significance for me, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Arthritis association thingie.

I only donate properly to the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and Epilepsy Action. And I'm sure there's some Welsh-name save the caves one that I can't remember.