Telemarketers
Jul. 15th, 2005 03:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fancytalkWell, not exactly telemarketers but the people who go door to door soliciting money for causes. There must be a million of them in Berkeley alone.
I wish there was a "Do Not Knock on My Door" program.
Not because I'm unwilling to donate to the cause,
but because I don't give people money at the door.
And I'm not sorry.
I like information. I like researching who's behind what and where my money is going to go. I like to know what percentage of my donation goes to the actual cause and not administrative fees. Plus, if I supported every cause that walked up to my door, I would be broke within 24 hours.
I've also noticed that they aren't looking for $5 or $10 one time donations. They are always looking for $25 monthly donations. So if I donated the minimum $25 per month to the 5 or 6 causes that walk up to my door per week. Let's call it 5 for calculation purposes, that's at least 20 causes at $25/month for a grand total of $500 a month. Frankly, that would pay for a hybrid car or installing solar panels, which would cover 75% of the causes.
Please don't call me callous or uncaring. I do care about most of the causes. I just don't run a foundation that provides grants to every cause out there. I've got limited funds, so I've got to be choosy about who gets the funds I can spare.
I wish there was a "Do Not Knock on My Door" program.
Not because I'm unwilling to donate to the cause,
but because I don't give people money at the door.
And I'm not sorry.
I like information. I like researching who's behind what and where my money is going to go. I like to know what percentage of my donation goes to the actual cause and not administrative fees. Plus, if I supported every cause that walked up to my door, I would be broke within 24 hours.
I've also noticed that they aren't looking for $5 or $10 one time donations. They are always looking for $25 monthly donations. So if I donated the minimum $25 per month to the 5 or 6 causes that walk up to my door per week. Let's call it 5 for calculation purposes, that's at least 20 causes at $25/month for a grand total of $500 a month. Frankly, that would pay for a hybrid car or installing solar panels, which would cover 75% of the causes.
Please don't call me callous or uncaring. I do care about most of the causes. I just don't run a foundation that provides grants to every cause out there. I've got limited funds, so I've got to be choosy about who gets the funds I can spare.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Date: 2005-07-18 02:54 am (UTC)I dare you. If it works, send me a copy!
I think I'm so particular about giving because of my time spent working at The United Way. I worked in the corporate accounts division so we handled all of the very customized giving campaigns for the large companies located in RTP. I became very critical of how money was allocated and what percentage went toward administrative expenses. A peek behind the scenes really does the trick, doesn't it?
The UW does an okay job in most areas, but eventually I became disenchanted with the organization, mostly due to the office I was working in. UWs are managed regionally, so my experience was not necessarily representative of the organization as a whole. These days, I enjoy supporting the UW campaign at the hospital where I volunteer by attending all the fun cook-outs and pancake breakfasts during the month of August. :)