Minimum Donation

[ohfrugalone]

It seems like these days it is difficult to reach the door to any store w/o getting past the team soliciting donations for everything.

So today, I didn't make it past the crew in front of the library and when I went to give a donation I was told, "Oh no, we have a minimum of $5.00." Since I didn't see anyone holding any money I think they were maybe wanting credit cards. I just chuckled and said, "oh well then you aren't interested in my money." Then they tried to get me on the way out too.

Of course that is preferable to the women who show up at my door needing money to bury their mother, but....

 

[haha]

It seems like these days it is difficult to reach the door to any store w/o getting past the team soliciting donations for everything.

So today, I didn't make it past the crew in front of the library and when I went to give a donation I was told, "Oh no, we have a minimum of $5.00." Since I didn't see anyone holding any money I think they were maybe wanting credit cards. I just chuckled and said, "oh well then you aren't interested in my money." Then they tried to get me on the way out too.

Of course that is preferable to the women who show up at my door needing money to bury their mother, but....

Thank the Lord for Amazon.

Ha

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I am also sick of all the requests for donations. Now it's the grocery and drug stores asking for a donation to be added to your store bill. We in this Florida area are slowly getting rid of the panhandlers on the street corners. I do give to the firefighters when they are doing their thing for the Jerry Lewis Telethon. That's it. Nobody else and that includes the Salvation Army at Christmas. I guess I don't trust that the money goes where it belongs.

In the recent past many charities in Florida have been exposed as being fronts to line the pockets of the people running the charities. Big car allowances, salaries and even health insurance. The people in need end up getting 10 cents on the dollar.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

I donate quite a bit to charity, so when "bleeding hearts and helping hands will always cry out for more," I let them know that I already give a lot of money to other causes.

 

[Al in Ohio]

It seems like these days it is difficult to reach the door to any store w/o getting past the team soliciting donations for everything.

So today, I didn't make it past the crew in front of the library and when I went to give a donation I was told, "Oh no, we have a minimum of $5.00." Since I didn't see anyone holding any money I think they were maybe wanting credit cards. I just chuckled and said, "oh well then you aren't interested in my money." Then they tried to get me on the way out too.

Of course that is preferable to the women who show up at my door needing money to bury their mother, but....

Where do you live where that is prevalent ? Where I live there are laws prohibiting soliciting donations in public without a permit and the stores here know that if they allowed it to happen outside their doors business would drop off like a rock.

 

[pb4uski]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

 

[meierlde]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

It appears that the same thing happens if you give to political parties. My late father made a donation in 2000 and died in 2002. I still get calls for him from the party asking for a donation. I tell them he is deceased, but it appears their computers cant handle it. It appears that making a political contribution is like checking into a roach motel, you can check in but you can't check out.

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, been there, done that. Just stopped giving to them clowns. Still get their mail and surveys tho to add to the recycle pile.

 

[redduck]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

Every year I mail in a donation to the Arthritis Foundation. And, I have already done so for this year. However, just this week, I received four (4) requests from them asking for additional donations: two from the national headquarters, one from the Southern Calif. headquarters and one from the Los Angeles District headquarters. It's annoying because mailing me solicitations is not what I have in mind when I send them money. Yet, I do this every year--and so do they.

 

[braumeister]

All my donations are made either online by credit card or via a check in the snail mail.

When I encounter the tables at a store lobby or sidewalk I cheerfully greet them and walk on by.

When one of them tries to collar me, I have a standard response: "Tell you what. If I make a donation to your charity, will you make an equal donation to my favorite charity?"

Sometimes that stops them in their tracks. Sometimes they will agree, so I say "Then let's just eliminate the middleman; you give to yours and I'll give to mine." I've never heard a comeback, so this seems to work.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

All my donations are made either online by credit card or via a check in the snail mail.

When I encounter the tables at a store lobby or sidewalk I cheerfully greet them and walk on by.

When one of them tries to collar me, I have a standard response: "Tell you what. If I make a donation to your charity, will you make an equal donation to my favorite charity?"

Sometimes that stops them in their tracks. Sometimes they will agree, so I say "Then let's just eliminate the middleman; you give to yours and I'll give to mine." I've never heard a comeback, so this seems to work.

That's a great response. I'll have to remember that one.

 

[ER Eddie]

I think charities are hurting because of the economy, and so they may be increasing their efforts.

I agree all the solicitations are annoying. The ones that come by mail are easy to discard. The in-person solicitations are tougher, because I get a twinge of guilt if I say "No" or "Not today, sorry." Sometimes it feels good to give, though -- when I'm doing it out of a spirit of generosity or compassion, not guilt or obligation. Then I don't mind at all.

It would bother me to get solicited both on the way in and out, and then to be told there was a minimum donation. I'd just scowl and walk away. Minimum donation? You've got to be kidding.

 

[Chuckanut]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

+1

I stopped giving to an organization that seemed to be using my contribution to ask for more contributions. I called and requested no more than a once a year reminder. They could not or would not do that.

 

[Lsbcal]

Since I cannot sort out the people who just keep the money from real charities I just avoid donations in public places all together. I select the well known and well run charities and give to them.

Avoiding eye contact works.

 

[travelover]

It appears that the same thing happens if you give to political parties. My late father made a donation in 2000 and died in 2002. I still get calls for him from the party asking for a donation. I tell them he is deceased, but it appears their computers cant handle it. It appears that making a political contribution is like checking into a roach motel, you can check in but you can't check out.

Is this in Chicago? Maybe he is still voting.

 

[ls99]

To all solicitations for money I always say no. If they get real pushy, I'll say, Oh OK, as soon as you send me a recent audited financial statement.

The blank stares are priceless.

 

[scrabbler1]

It appears that the same thing happens if you give to political parties. My late father made a donation in 2000 and died in 2002. I still get calls for him from the party asking for a donation. I tell them he is deceased, but it appears their computers cant handle it. It appears that making a political contribution is like checking into a roach motel, you can check in but you can't check out.

Same here. I give $50 to my local member of Congress whom I like and have known since she first ran back in the 1990s. But because of that, I get all kinds of solicitations from individuals and groups asking me to donate. And that is in additional to solicitations from my Congresswoman asking me to make a "Special" donation in between the normal donation cycle. The solicititaion which most amazed me was back in 2002 when I received one from a sitting congresswoman who was facing a primary due to redistricting and reapportionment in another state! That was in addition to solicitations from senators from other states facing tough re-election battles in their general elections.

Here on Long Island (New York), we have had a few news stories about scam artists raising money for causes then pocketing the money. Hurricane Sandy brought a lot of them out, similar to the post-9/11 scammers we had a decade ago. The Do-Not-Call list doesn't seem to be helpful to stopping those over the phone, but that is a subject for another thread......

I do reply to those political surveys and mail it back to them in their postage-paid envelopes, sometimes not with the answers they want to see, but that's fine with me. I wonder if the absence of a check with those surveys means they ignore my responses, not that I care a whole lot.

I have no problem saying "No" or ignoring in-person requests for money at stores. I remember back in the 1980s they used to show solicitations on movie screens before the actual movie, then the ushers would stroll up and down the aisles collecting donations, as if the movie admission and overrpriced popcorn were not enough money for them they have to hit us up for this, too?

Braumeister, that is an excellent reply to the in-person solicitors LOL!

 

[jebmke]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

One advantage of using a DFA is that you can donate anonymously. That keeps you off a lot of mailing lists.

 

[brett]

We have changed our pattern of donations. For a start, we do not donate anything to people who call at the door or solicit in public areas.

A money magazine in our area publishes an annual list of charitable organizations-what their admin costs are, the cost of raising each dollar of revenue, and the top salary levels in their organizations, etc. This report has been extremely enlightening for us.

Some of the very reputable door to door folks, such as the local Cancer or Alzheimers societies, etc. had absolutely awful stats-as much as .45 to raise one dollar and this further eroded by excessive admin expense. We dropped these until such time as they improve-if ever.

So we consolidated. Most of our donations, including what we would give to faith based organizations, are now going to one or two organizations that we want to support and who have an extremely high percentage of money raised actually going to where we want it to go. These organizations use the web extensively, don't do multiple expensive mailings, don't use call centres (that charge a healthy percentage of each dollar raised for their services, and don't do door to door canvasing. They are also exceeding 'open' in their annual financial reporting.

It is the same reason that we never donate food to the food bank. They can get far more bang for the buck from our cash donation than they can from a food donation that they have to collect, etc. Besides, they are buying food wholesale for 70 cents on the dollar or less, we are not. That translates into a significant premium that can be used to help those who need it.

 

[Independent]

+1

I'm especially irritated by getting solicited at the checkout counter. I've got a standard "not today", but I'd much prefer they give me some space.

My wife watches the phone/mail solicitations for Cancer Society etc. She gives to a few, but is careful to make it just once per year.

Our big donations are by check to organizations that we feel are particularly careful about staff and overhead costs. Again, just one check per year.

 

[travelover]

When you get a phone call from a particularly sympathetic sounding charity like "paralyzed veterans", ask what percentage those in need actually get. The solicitors are required to tell you, and it is shockingly low.

 

[Tom52]

In my area we get these groups collecting for this our that charity or cause at many busy intersections. These people weave in and out of the cars as they stop at the traffic lights. I am shocked that this is allowed. A guess someone will have to get killed by the traffic before they put a stop to it.

Last year at one of these intersections of a very busy highway and cross road, the local fire dept was soliciting donations for some worthy cause. I witnessed a chain reaction crash of 3 cars directly in front of me as a driver had to slam on the brakes as one of the firemen stepped into the moving flow of traffic. I was fortunately the 4th car and was able to keep from crashing into the car in front of me that slammed on the brakes, too late, to keep from crashing into the car in front of him, and so on.

Unbelievable this is allowed.

 

[Gumby]

What bugs me about charities is that after I give, I get flooded with frequent mailings looking for more $. Sometimes I wonder if they spend almost all the money I initially gave them on solicitations trying to get me to give more (I don't) rather than on the work I wanted them to use my donation for in the first place.

When you get a phone call from a particularly sympathetic sounding charity like "paralyzed veterans", ask what percentage those in need actually get. The solicitors are required to tell you, and it is shockingly low.

You can check on what percent of donations they use for fundraising, administration and programs here Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator | Home


My own personal rule about charitable donation requests (either calls or mailings) is simple -- If I want to give you money, I will find you and give it to you; you are wasting your time and mine by finding me and asking me for it. At the beginning of every year, the young wife and I make a budget for charitable donations. We decide who will get money that year, when and how much. We rarely deviate from our plan.

 

[NW-Bound]

If I want to give you money, I will find you and give it to you; you are wasting your time and mine by finding me and asking me for it.

This was how I just made a donation for the families of the 19 firefighters who lost their life fighting forest fires in Yarnell, AZ.

I searched the Web to find a Web page set up by the Firefighter Association. 100% will go to the intended recipients. Completely painless and effective for me to donate via Paypal to an account they set up specifically for that purpose.

 

[bubba]

My contribution dollars are directed to my church. Lately I'm getting the "would you like to donate cough drops to the homeless shelter", etc. etc. No telling how many bags of dog food I've supposedly purchased for the animal shelter via Petco and this sort of thing. I will not respond to a telephone solicitation, nor will I respond to a request via mail. However, I will respond when the local Animal shelter needs help paying for heartworm treatment or dog food.