Just £2 a month

Velcro_Hotdog

I saw the TV adds asking to donate just £2 a month to the NSPCC and being a softie I thought that it was the a good thing to do. This was around 12 months ago.

When I first rang up and said id like to donate some cash they told me the minimum amount they could accept as a phone transaction was £4 per month. I agreed and the DD was set up and ran for 3-4 months at that amount.

Heres where it gets frustrating, someone rang me one evening to ask if I would increase my donation to £6 as they are in desperate need of funds, I agreed. They have a way of making you feel guilty if you say no.

Another 3-4 months and another call and after being given the guilt trip agreeing to £8 per month. Fast forward to this week and I get another call. I feel really really guilty because this time I put my foot down and said no to the guy who pulled out all the stops telling me about children dying all over the world. I know they need funds but if I agree evey couple of months to increace my donation I will will be paying more than I can afford.

I suggested they be greatful that they get any money of me and the chaps reply was this "sir your donation is tiny it makes very little difference"

Brilliant I now feel like a right tight fisted child hating mug but I simply can't afford to increase my donation.

Are there any other charities that will appreciate my donation as I really do not want to give my money to the NSPCC anymore?

sarahg1969

What about the ones that want "just" 50p a day? That's £15 a month!

fredsnail

Find a local charity - smaller amounts of money mean far more to them than it does to the big charities.

Because I can't commit to x amount every month I tend to put money into a jar in the house then every so often empty it out to a local charity.

preable

If they said that to me id cancel my dd and give to another charity that will actually appricate it like dogstrust

BlueAngelCV

I will not give money to anyone who phones me, knocks on my door uninvited or accosts me in the street.
I think that is appalling that they are calling you up asking for more money & I would make a complaint about their tactics.

preable

i hqte chuggers in the street

hoyles10

I donate £5 a month to the PDSA best friends and pay it by direct debit. I've done this for the last 2 and a half years and i've never once had them either ringing or writing to me asking if I could increase my donation. They just send me the best friends magazine every 4 months or so and that's that.

marleyboy

I would have instantly replied with, well I am cancelling my paymnts and will personally hand it to needy children I see on the street, who might just say "WOW thank you!!!".

Thats an outrageous thing to say to you, there was a time "whatever you can afford - even if its just a few pence" was the Buzz Word, you would slip your few coppers into an envelope which would be collected at your door. Pennies make Pounds, it sounds more like emotional blackmail than charity donations to me.

Imagine sticking your loose change in one of those boxes they have in McDonalds, only for the cashier to say.."Thats hardly gonna make a difference is it!".

kazzah60

I had exactly the same issue with British Red Cross - they phoned and said they had set aside £17,000 to pay for phone calls to get people to up their donation
the irony of the fact that in my opinion the £17,000 would have been much better spent on the projects they were currently seeking funding for seemed somewhat lost on the chap on the phone.

I resisted ALL his begging tactics to increase my payment and promptly cancelled my DD
shortly afterwards a volunteer from our local air ambulance came round asking people to join their lottery for a pound a week - the prize money is donated by local businesses and all the costs of administering the scheme are also met by sponsorship - so ALL my money goes directly to supporting the air ambulance - I feel so much happier now - and who knows one day i might even win it !

Laz123

The trouble is these charities employ 'fund raisers' and some can be unscrupulous in their methods because they make commission on the donations.

I used to give to the NSPCC but got angry when they kept on trying to raise my donations so now they get nothing. Now I give to the RSPCA who don't practise this 'nagging'.

fluffnutter

I donate to the NSPCC but don't receive any calls. Check your preferences; any company/charity you deal with should hold details about whether you allow them to contact you, and how. They clearly have your tacit permission to contact you by phone (and perhaps by post and email as well). Give them a call, or drop them a mail asking them to update your preferences so that they no longer contact you.

That way you can continue to make your donation safe in the knowledge that you won't be harassed over the phone for more.