Hope I didn't post this before, haven't been able to find it, so here goes....
This past summer my father was visiting and there was a phone call from a breast cancer organization. Dad pledged to send them $XX and they thanked him profusely. They called back that night and got me and gave me their spiel and I decided, okay, in honor of my beloved stepgrandmother who died twenty plus years ago, that I would also contribute $XX.
I thought it was odd they called twice in one day, but--maybe two different volunteers crossed wires.
Then they called at the end of the week because they hadn't received our donations yet. THEN they called the following week to thank us for our donations and wanted to know how much more they could put us down for THIS week. I told them to stop calling and went and looked their organization up.
Surprise. They are, unfortunately, legit...but only on a superficial level. Approximately 10 cents of every dollar goes to people who need help with their cancer treatments. The rest is all for the organizers who "help" those victims of cancer.
Next time they called I told them to take my name off their list. They said they would. They called back for my father (who had returned home by then.) I told them to take HIM off their list as well.
It didn't stop them. They sold our names (and my phone number) to other organizations who call for all kinds of cancer victims, the police and so on. When one group called to ask for my Dad, I told them he had died, just to see what this guy would do.
"Oh, well, maybe you'd like to help our cause...." and they just steamrolled over my words....I finally took a deep breath and said "You clearly do not understand a word I have said and I have no desire to continue this conversation" and hung up on them.
They have switched tactics now, sending me envelopes detailing how my generosity helps so many in need....yeah, no. It all goes in the shredder now.