Urgh! Chuggers...

Got approached for the 30 millionth time today by street fundraisers....

I find the whole thing a bit crap. When you sign up to give to a charity, you give most of your money for the first year or two to the business that employs these young kids...who themselves get paid bugger all.

But then on the other hand, the charities have no choice cause hiring chuggers is the best way to fundraise.

I've worked in the Ngo sector and some are good, some are bad. There's lots of inefficiencies and too many charities to help. I can't help but think if loads of charities amalgamated, lots more money would make it to the cause as we'd be paying for less ceos, hr depattments, admin and other overheads. I suspect we'd also have less need for chuggers as there would be less organisations putting their hands out...

Anyone else here feel the same way?

 

It's not just the street fundraisers - my blood boils when I'm walking through a large retail centre (e.g.. a Westfield complex), and the store holders who have their 'booths' in the main aisle walkways almost accost me as I'm trying to walk past them in order to get into a store.

 

The aggro manner that the "kids" leap out at you at certain intersections, to wash the windscreen, I hate it. They also leave a huge amount of rubbish. I also hate those booths in the shopping centre where they do accost you, I wonder how much the centre gets to allow them there, must be enough to make it worth getting customers off side.

 

Hate these pillocks. They really do charities a disservice. I'm accosted almost daily by these cretins, the latest technique is a heckle when you ignore them. I won't support a charity that uses them.

 

I don't think it's effective at all and at times, the people are rude. Nowadays I just walk faster to avoid them no eye contacts, no words

 

I once saw a beautiful blonde waving and smiling at me from across the street. She was standing with two other similar beauties.

I thought this was my lucky day and questioned whether I could handle all three.

So I bolted across the street only to find out she wanted me to sign up to save some marsupial rat that is on the verge of extinction.

I then walked away dejected without saying a word.

 

I am surprised at you Datto......I thought you would have offered to show how to keep little rats coming into the world with a lesson in procreation ?

 

I was out of my depth dabb. Experience told me to move on.

 

@datto don't leave us hanging here- would you have been able to handle all three????

 

No.

 

And they're the rude ones?

 

I didn't know what a "chugger" is until very recently there is a similar and much longer thread on ozbargain, in that post the OP's son, who is a student and doesn't have an income, get coerced into signing up with a charity.

My personal experience is that I signed up to Medicin San Frontier 3.5 years ago when I exiting southern cross station, 30 bucks per month, which is nothing, doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that every year I will get a call from a young person on behalf of MSF and he/she will preach and ask me to add 5 bucks more, so after 3.5 years I'm paying 45 per month now. On top of that every other month I will receive a letter from MSF asking me to donate 100 immediately (this year they increased to 120).

Their approach makes me feel uncomfortable, I feel I was being targeted and I wish they can just leave me alone.

 

He who dares wins

 

Stand on Swanston st in Melb CBD on any given day and watch how the throngs of passers-by handle these people...

That is normal procedure for most folks...avoid eye contact and say nothing, continue walking...maybe a shake of the head as well for good measure if they take a step towards you..

Occasionally if they catch your eye , and you are obliged to respond; the same shake of the head and a "No thanks" is the reply.

Where's the rudeness in either of those strategies?

 

Yep!

We used to sponsor some kids with World Vision. We were constantly sent expensive, full colour brochures (back in the days when these things WERE expensive) asking for more & more. We figured out that the costs of them sending out all this additional mail, meant that very little was actually going towards the kids, so stopped & asked to be removed.

 

They're usually the rude one
There were times i was in a hurry and told them I am in a hurry. They pretty much hold me there and told me to wait then walk off to another staff so nowadays I just walk away before they can say hi

 

Or ends up being slapped ( more, harder, more..... Not recommended safe words)

 

I still want to contribute for the time being but next time if they call me I will ask to be removed from the call list.

Yes I got the monthly brochure as well, that just annoys me to the max because there are many many trees used to printed on stuff which people are NOT going to read...

 

In Sydney ATM and have been approached 5 times this am and there will no doubt be more this arvo. I'm starting to become rude. Not because I want to hurt these kids, but I feel something needs to change.

Started looking them straight in the eye and saying very firmly "don't even think about it".

It's all wrong on so many levels....