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| Chuggers are right to make you feel guilty | Chuggers are right to make you feel guilty |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Let’s face it, chuggers are annoying. None of us would choose to be regularly accosted by suspiciously chirpy twentysomethings attempting to cajole us into a “small monthly direct debit” in support of some worthy cause or other. | Let’s face it, chuggers are annoying. None of us would choose to be regularly accosted by suspiciously chirpy twentysomethings attempting to cajole us into a “small monthly direct debit” in support of some worthy cause or other. |
| No matter how sympathetic we are towards the plight of refugees, spina bifida sufferers, Bengal tigers or whichever plight-stricken group we’re asked to consider on any given day, few of us feel affluent enough to donate to every charity that asks for our support. And attempting to tactfully decline the requests of those who are professionally trained to push our emotional buttons – or face-to-face fundraisers, as the charity industry prefers to call them – can be something of a social minefield. | No matter how sympathetic we are towards the plight of refugees, spina bifida sufferers, Bengal tigers or whichever plight-stricken group we’re asked to consider on any given day, few of us feel affluent enough to donate to every charity that asks for our support. And attempting to tactfully decline the requests of those who are professionally trained to push our emotional buttons – or face-to-face fundraisers, as the charity industry prefers to call them – can be something of a social minefield. |
| Related: Charities warned over commercial activities | Related: Charities warned over commercial activities |
| Undoubtedly many will greet the Charity Commission’s decision to warn charities against “hounding” the public for donations “on the telephone, through the letterbox or in the street” with relief. The more altruistically minded will point out that they already give generously to their chosen causes. Others will simply object, on principle, to the idea they should be made to feel guilty for looking after themselves and their families first. | Undoubtedly many will greet the Charity Commission’s decision to warn charities against “hounding” the public for donations “on the telephone, through the letterbox or in the street” with relief. The more altruistically minded will point out that they already give generously to their chosen causes. Others will simply object, on principle, to the idea they should be made to feel guilty for looking after themselves and their families first. |
| This is certainly a perspective I can understand. However, having experienced the other side of the dynamic, I think the anger is ultimately misplaced. | This is certainly a perspective I can understand. However, having experienced the other side of the dynamic, I think the anger is ultimately misplaced. |
| At university I bounced between a number of different part-time jobs, among them a couple of charity fundraising gigs – one involved luring people into conversation in the street, the other cold-calling. Although I supported many of the organisations I worked for, I’d be lying if I denied that money was my primary motivation. | |
| This is one of the most common bugbears about chugging: that the people asking you for money are getting paid. Especially that they often receive a bonus based on the number of donations they secure. | This is one of the most common bugbears about chugging: that the people asking you for money are getting paid. Especially that they often receive a bonus based on the number of donations they secure. |
| When someone is pleading with you to lend your support to an important cause, it can feel like a con if you suspect the only thing they’re really concerned about is their paycheck. But volunteering doesn’t pay the rent. In business, we accept that professional, experienced, properly trained staff are more effective – why would this be different in the non-profit sector? | When someone is pleading with you to lend your support to an important cause, it can feel like a con if you suspect the only thing they’re really concerned about is their paycheck. But volunteering doesn’t pay the rent. In business, we accept that professional, experienced, properly trained staff are more effective – why would this be different in the non-profit sector? |
| I was taught to ask for a donation three times, because the vast majority who agree to donate do so on the third try | I was taught to ask for a donation three times, because the vast majority who agree to donate do so on the third try |
| Charities do things the way they do because it works. If a more passive approach to fundraising delivered the same results, they wouldn’t bother with the hard sell. We might like to think that we’d still donate without the use of persuasive tactics – in our own time, to the charities of our selection – but evidence suggests that, collectively, we wouldn’t give nearly as much. | Charities do things the way they do because it works. If a more passive approach to fundraising delivered the same results, they wouldn’t bother with the hard sell. We might like to think that we’d still donate without the use of persuasive tactics – in our own time, to the charities of our selection – but evidence suggests that, collectively, we wouldn’t give nearly as much. |
| When I started as a fundraiser, I was taught to ask for a donation three times. The first request would be for a relatively high amount – £15 a month, perhaps – and the subsequent ones would be lower. I was taught this because the vast majority of people who agree to donate do so on the third try. For each campaign I worked on I was provided with a script containing multiple possible lines to coax people into coughing up. | When I started as a fundraiser, I was taught to ask for a donation three times. The first request would be for a relatively high amount – £15 a month, perhaps – and the subsequent ones would be lower. I was taught this because the vast majority of people who agree to donate do so on the third try. For each campaign I worked on I was provided with a script containing multiple possible lines to coax people into coughing up. |
| There is evidently an element of guilt-tripping involved, but this can only go so far. I know I’m most vulnerable to fundraising tactics when I really can afford to give a bit more away. It’s not easy to convince myself that £5 a month to Save the Children is an unnecessary extravagance when I’m holding a coffee that costs two thirds of that amount. When truly skint, it is easy to walk straight past or quickly explain the situation. | There is evidently an element of guilt-tripping involved, but this can only go so far. I know I’m most vulnerable to fundraising tactics when I really can afford to give a bit more away. It’s not easy to convince myself that £5 a month to Save the Children is an unnecessary extravagance when I’m holding a coffee that costs two thirds of that amount. When truly skint, it is easy to walk straight past or quickly explain the situation. |
| Occasionally I could tell that my request was making someone uncomfortable and immediately backed off. Instinctively most fundraisers are likely to do the same; using their discretion and being sensitive to the situation should be part of basic training. Paying a reasonable basic wage is also vital, as people employed on an exploitative “commission only” basis are more likely to driven to over-persistence. | Occasionally I could tell that my request was making someone uncomfortable and immediately backed off. Instinctively most fundraisers are likely to do the same; using their discretion and being sensitive to the situation should be part of basic training. Paying a reasonable basic wage is also vital, as people employed on an exploitative “commission only” basis are more likely to driven to over-persistence. |
| A little bit of discomfort, though? That’s the point. With UK charities losing more than £1bn in funding as a result of government cuts, they’re more reliant on public donations than ever before. Those of us with cash to spare should be confronted with evidence of where it is desperately needed. It needs to be difficult for us to ignore. | A little bit of discomfort, though? That’s the point. With UK charities losing more than £1bn in funding as a result of government cuts, they’re more reliant on public donations than ever before. Those of us with cash to spare should be confronted with evidence of where it is desperately needed. It needs to be difficult for us to ignore. |
| Compared with the repercussions of a further drop in charity funding, the mild annoyance of being hassled by chuggers is really a small price to pay. | Compared with the repercussions of a further drop in charity funding, the mild annoyance of being hassled by chuggers is really a small price to pay. |