Frustrated with Charity Calls

[Liberalynn]

I have a very limited income but I try to give when I can. Lately, however, I am so fed up because I am getting two to three charity calls a day.

I rush to get to the phone while I'm in the middle of something, and sure enough its a "could you send us a donation" request. I've tried to be nice in the past and just explain that I'm disabled don't have the money to give, and then they preceede to ignore that and try to get me to change my mind. Now I have just started hanging up on them completely.

You know I appreciate their positions but they are not exactly endearing themselves to me by these endless phone calls especially when I have already donated at least once this year to a few of them.

Plus this shaing info with other agencies really bothers me. For instance during Katrina, I gave to two animal rescue organizations for pet rescue, now I am getting bombarded by mail from tons of these organizations.

I want to help animals and people and good causes but I have to say these organizations are turning me off to the point where I am almost sorry I donated in the first place. I'm begining to wish the charities had been included on the "do not call" requirements. Any one else feel like this?

[LeftyMom]

1. When I get those calls, or sales calls, I tell people I only respond to written solicitations

Seems to keep it all to a minimum and it protects me from fraud.

[Liberalynn]

4. You're right LeftyMom!

I do refuse to give out my credit number over the phone.

[LeftyMom]

6. A very good idea.

I had to set a strict no business over the phone rule after my ex agreed to switch our phone service without doing the math and it took me months to get it straightened out. :eyes: Once he quit answering the phone, I guess we dropped off all the sucker lists, which made life much easier.

[AllegroRondo]

7. Exactly what I do too.

Many of those charity phone calls are done by hired companies that get a cut of any money they collect. I avoid them. Ask the caller what percentage of the money collected goes to their company, and what goes to the actual charity. They are required by law to disclose it - but I've had some hang up rather than say.

Or just say "I dont donate over the phone, but if you send me your information in the mail I'll be glad to review it." And DONT let them pinpoint an amount you might want to donate, just mail the info.

[LeftyMom]

9. More often than not they tell me they can't do that.

I don't want to give money to or do business with anybody who won't let me consider it on my own time.

[Liberalynn]

10. They are tricky that way

trying to get you to "pledge" the amount they can expect to receive from you in the mail.

[MissB]

2. I let the answering machine take the call when I'm not in the mood

or am too busy at the moment. It is sometimes really hard to squelch that urge, though.

If it is a charity and I'm not in the mood, I simply tell them, sorry, no money, thanks and hang up. I don't let them say anything else.

You have a right not to be bothered by them. Hang up on them or don't answer the call in the first place. Make it convenient for you, not them.

[Liberalynn]

5. I've been thinking about just letting the answering machine take them

as well. I have a few relatives though who are kind of kooky about not wanting to leave messages, but maybe I can convince them to just say Hi its me or something, because I am sick of getting interrupted for nothing.

[MissMillie]

14. I screen all calls that the ID doesn't identify for me

And my outgoing message says, "Please note, if you are using a caller ID blocker, I will not answer until I know who you are, so you should identify yourself."

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. I posted about it yesterday, but only got one response...

The ones I hate the most are the groups that "aren't asking for donations today."
What they want you to do is send envelopes to all your neighbors, asking them for their contributions. :grr:

[Liberalynn]

8. They are really annoying!

One of the agencys wanted me to do that as well. Again I know there are really good causes out there, but I don't want my family and friends to feel obligated to give to something they may not want to, just because of me.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Exactly...

And if I want to volunteer for an organization, I'll do so of my own accord.

[madinmaryland]

11. We have caller ID and answer only the calls from numbers

we recognize. Makes it alot easier to manage answering the phone.

[KitchenWitch]

12. We also have Caller ID, and "security screen"

So people using autodialer technology now have to actually dial our number by hand in order to get through.

[Liberalynn]

13. We don't have caller ID

but I am seriously thinking about getting it.

[madinmaryland]

15. We got a package deal from Verizon that included caller ID

along with nationwide long distance, which was cheaper than what we had ever had before. We bought a couple of phones with the caller ID display at Radio Shack for about $25 apiece. Definately worth it!

[Arkansas Granny]

16. Same here. I only answer calls from people or numbers that I

know. I receive from 4-6 calls nightly from "unknown caller" and I just let it ring. Until I got wise to them, every time I answered one of those calls it was someone asking for money.

[Roon]

17. My Grandparents get 3-4 letters a day asking for money

When you donate to one cause, you get put on a "sucker" list and this list is sold to other charities. My Grandparents only donate to the local animal shelter and the local homeless shelter, but they get solicitations from tons of other places.

[skygazer]

18. I agree with you, especially the sharing of information

I also hate the way some of them operate. I wrote a letter to one last year - they were one of those organizations that sent me 7 cents to illustrate some point or another - how much money it takes to help one needy family or something. I wrote and sent this -

To Whom It May Concern:

Please accept the return of your seven cents. I ask that you put it toward a needy family. I would be curious as to how many of these mailings you have sent out. By my calculations, if you sent out 10,000 of them, which seems a low estimate, that would equal $700 which could have been used to help the families you are asking me to help. This does not include the cost of materials and postage. I realize you are a non profit agency which means that all these things are very likely tax deductible; still I don’t feel comfortable donating to an agency that is so cavalier with its funds. It makes me wonder how efficiently you would use my dollars should I choose to donate. Seven cents does not seem like a lot in an individual mailing but multiplied by however many thousand you send out, it seems very wasteful. I suggest you reconsider your tactics as I’m sure I’m not the only one who questions the sense of this approach.

Please understand I am not a cold hearted person. I donate to many charitable causes. However, I am careful to donate to those that use their money wisely.

Sincerely,

[zanne]

20. I always feel lousy after I hang up.

And I mean, literally hang up. Every once in awhile, when I have a little extra, I decide to donate. Let's say I tell them I'll donate $30. You'd think they'd leave it at that and be happy, but they always ask if I can donate $5 more. That kills me.

[mopinko]

21. DO NOT FEEL GUILTY!!!

the ones that are rude are rarely legit. let it rip. when we figured out that my MIL had alzheimers, we discovered that she was donating to hundreds of "charities". that, and 2-3 calls a day, only happen when these people are sharing your info. most legit charities do not do this, and even if they are, that is the last dime they get from me.
i instituted a policy of- low to the ground. big institutions with big grants can keep on going. i like small, preferably local, direct service charities. period. i have found that just telling them that you have a giving philosophy stops the goon squad cold.
and lest you think i am just an ass, i make plenty of those calls myself to people that are happy to hear from me. but i do not get paid for that.