Should charities use chuggers?

laughing_cow

White_Noise wrote:

........Don't stop for fundraisers. I don't stop for the hairdressing people or paintball sales people........

Hairdressing people? Paintball people? :huh: Sounds fabulous! Where is it you see these people? I wish I got stopped by hairdressers and paintballers - sounds a lot more fun than being stopped by chuggers.

nearlyrich

I have only seen one once and they didn't approach me but a lady walking next to me, he was like a dog with a bone and the lady eventually had to be quite impolite to get him to go away.

I give to charity when I choose, I also decide which charities to support, chuggers, phone calls and directmail pieces with pens to sign the direct debit form don't do it for me.

B4UgoZzz

I've found reading this thread very interesting. It's an issue which raises various moral questions on both sides.

One thing that's on my mind, is the notion of what 'worthwhile to the charity' really means in financial terms. Am I wrong to assume that virtually any income to the good-cause is worthwhile... using the every penny counts mantra? If that's true, then what worries me is this hypothetical example:

Imagine that a face to face fund-raising exercise yields £100. Imagine the collector is paid for their work along with the manager (and perhaps their senior manager) and expenses are deducted. If the remainder was only £1, then it would still have been 'worthwhile' in the literal sense. However, if the kind donators knew that only a small percentage actually lands where it's intended then few would accept this. Therefore there must be a hypothetical level at which donators (who agree with non volunteers collecting) feel comfortable. A charity can quite easily label a street collection worthwhile at any point above a loss making day.

B4UgoZzz

I'm curious to know how people feel about the level of income face to face charity sellers make? Not just the chuggers but commission earning collecting-tin workers too.

A) Do you think charity collectors should be paid or charities should only have volunteer collectors?

If paid a % of the days takings. What do you think is a fair amount?

C) Should that be limited to a maximum income? If so, how much?

D) If they are paid an hourly rate, what is reasonable to you?

pinkfluffybabe

B4UgoZzz wrote:

A) Do you think charity collectors should be paid or only volunteers?
QUOTE]

I hope you mean only volunteers as in no one else should do it rather than 'only volunteers in a condescending sense - 'only' volunteers are people who give up their time for the good of others and contribute to their society without getting anything in return. Using that terminology implies that volunteers are amateurs who are not up to the same standard as paid staff, which is an insult to the volunteering population of the UK!

To get back to your question, I think there is room in charity collection for both types, some organisations struggle to recruit volunteers, and many individuals may not wish to volunteer for fundraising. One group who do a lot of volunteer fundraising are students - many universities and colleges have RAG (raise and give) groups who send students out at the weekend to collect for charities such as Cancer Research UK and Help the Aged. However, many charities cannot afford to rely only on volunteer fundraisers and this is where paid staff come in.

Personally, I would rather donate money in the street to volunteer collectors than sign up to a payment with someone who is being paid.

I have experienced very rude chuggers who in some cases try to stop you walking down the street past them, which is particularly out of line. One might assume that those on commission have more reason for 'hard sell'. Either way, if someone is rude to you, you aren't going to give them the time of day.

B4UgoZzz

Yikes! Pinkfluffybabe, the last thing I wanted to do was be condescending to volunteers. I'm full of admiration for people who give their time freely to help others.

I've altered the question to clarify that.

7th_Song

Two thoughts spring to mind.

First, I wonder how many people realise how little of their contribution goes to the charity, I know it varies a good deal, but generally the agencies' cut exceeds the charities' receipt. This forum seems wll informed but there would appear to be widespread naïveté and lack of knowledge, if there wasn't the phishers and scammers would have gone out of business years ago.

Secondly I have heard of unpaid, volunteer collectors being abused because members of the public believed all collectors were being paid, and their collections were being efected.

Can this really be benefitting the charities in the long term?

As a result of the near saturation of town centres, they are now turning up on the doorstep, I've politely sent one on his way this very evening.

Chuggers are not regulated because technically they are collecting information not money, so they have a voluntary code. Try to read this with a straight face.

Abridged Institute of Fundraising Code of Practice for the Personal Solicitation of Committed Gifts (“Face to Face” Fundraising)
1. We always tell potential donors clearly that we are paid to speak with them, and that we are not volunteers — if this is the case — and we explain the basis on which we are paid.

2. We always carry and display ID so that any potential donor can verify who we are, whom we are working for and on whose behalf we are fundraising.

3. We always represent our charity or Not for Profit Organisation (NPO) at the time, in the place, and in the manner that has been previously agreed both with the charity/NPO and with the relevant site owner or local authority, and as directed by our Team Leader or other responsible agency personnel.

4. We always explain to a donor how the charity or NPO will communicate with them after subscribing, and if they are likely to receive a follow-up phone call we inform them of this.

5. We always ensure that forms with personal details provided by donors are handled at all stages in a secure manner

6. We always end a conversation in a polite and respectful manner as soon as we are asked to.

7. We always ensure, wherever possible, that if a member of the public has a complaint, a full and accurate record of the complaint and the complainant’s contact details are taken so that action can be taken promptly and appropriately. We will also offer the complainant contact details for a person in authority who can respond to their concerns.

8. We never say or do anything that could pressurise or harass people and we do not use manipulative techniques.

9. We never confuse or mislead the public and we never say, do, or display anything for which we have not been given permission by the charity or NPO.

10. We never behave whilst on duty in any way that might bring the charity/NPO or our employer into disrepute.

Street and door-to-door fundraisers receive initial and ongoing training from the charity/NPO and from their professional fundraising organisation (where applicable). The quality and standards of their work are subject to monitoring and review.

moneysavingmama_2

A number of things spring to mind reading the posts

* to avoid chuggers I find getting your mobile out and being seen to be making (or pretending to make) a call works as you won't be approached! Also telling the chugger you are already a donor to their particular cause, in a cheerful voice, also works - a little white lie but better than being rude I think!
* I give a fair amount to various charities (both in cash and time) but now am finding they are calling me up to ask me to increase what I already give. Even when told I can't afford it at the moment they are very persistent, suggesting even a pound or two increase. My daughter says I should just hang up.
* I agree with the comment about not being allowed to rattle a tin (or approach people, even if you know them) when being a volunteer, yet chuggers can accost anyone in the street. My 81 year old mum did a stint collecting for a local charity recently and said it was soul destroying as you instantly became invisible and very few people gave.

beckiwynn

Just like to mention, this isn't always the case, but people who stand there collecting spare change for save the frogs or whatever, often end up with 25% of the days taking.

I don't like street fundraising, (despite the fact I used to be a chugger) but Charity is big business, and I think people should wake up and realise that it would be impossible to run an enormous charity like Shelter with volunteers. We all love what the Charities do, but if you had the offer of a MD job at a normal company that paid £50000, or an MD at a charity as a volunteer, which one do you think you'd pick?

And if the MD can get paid, why can't the rest of the people involved get paid?

If street fund raising didn't work bring any hard cash for the charity, do you really think they'd use them?

Poppycat

I do voluntary work for charity I don't get paid for it, not a penny even when customers give me money I have to give it to the charity. The charity I volunteer for have great difficulty getting volunteers, in fact the people who do get paid often do without proper breaks, yes that's wrong but I think charities have to have paid workers, I just don't agree with being approached like that in the street, or at the door or having to avoid them in the supermarket.