Charity hard sell

[Lisbeth]

This is a topic that makes me feel uncomfortable-I guess because I don't like any kind of hard sell tactics.

Yesterday when I was on my lunch break, a guy stopped me on the street to try to sign me up for one of those sponsor-an-overseas-child charities.  I listened to his spiel and was even willing to take a package from him about a child, but he wanted me to commit right then and there to sponsoring a child.

This is more than I was willing to do at the time-I wanted to check out the charity as well as go through my own finances and see if I could even do it.  But he insisted that the charity doesn't allow its outreachers to hand out packages-he said that there had been issues with people photocopying the forms to use to claim fraudulent tax deductions.  Okay, but stopping someone on the street and expecting them to give you their credit card or bank information then and there seems to be a tad shady to me!

[FoxPaws]

the charity doesn't allow its outreachers to hand out packages

Lights should flash; bells should sound - this is fishy. My (admittedly cynical) guess is he didn't want you examining the fine print before he had your credit card/checking account number. Legitimate charities are usually overeager to hand you paperwork showing that they're on the up and up.

[Lisbeth]

I know-when he said that, red flags went up in my mind too.  So I didn't go for it.

I tend to think that a legitimate, respectable charity will not just accost you on the street and expect you to donate without allowing you to ask questions.

[gjcva1]

This is more than I was willing to do at the time-I wanted to check out the charity as well as go through my own finances and see if I could even do it.  But he insisted that the charity doesn't allow its outreachers to hand out packages-he said that there had been issues with people photocopying the forms to use to claim fraudulent tax deductions. 

methinks that this man should know all about fraudulent tax deductions.  maybe it's just me, but i have NEVER EVER heard of a legitimate charity that objected to a potential donor checking them out.  bypass this person just as you would (hopefully) ignore a proposal from a Nigerian bank to split millions with you. 

[Sirius]

You were wise to leave that situation.  Any charity that doesn't allow people to have a copy of their paperwork to read at their leisure has something to hide.  On the other hand, in this case it was most likely the person doing the accosting who was trying to scam you, not the charity itself. 

If you remember the name of the charity, you might look them up on the internet.  If they're legitimate, you might drop them a line or an e-mail telling them what happened.  Or, if they're not there, you'll know that the whole thing was a scam. 

[Twik]

I'm puzzled. I get charity packages in the mail all the time - could I just fill them out and claim tax deductions? How would that work? I still wouldn't end up with an official tax receipt unless I actually sent in money. 

Nope, that story doesn't particularly hold water, does it? I think you were quite right to pass that one up.

[Chocolate Cake]

No reputable charity would force a hard sell on the street.   

Should you ever find yourself in a similar situation, simply ask for a business card or a website address.   Then, you can check out their rating on www.charitynavigator.org later and decide, at your leisure whether or not to give.

[graceh9]

my bogosity meter went off on this one

you were smart not to hand over financial information in this circumstance. 

[Clara Bow]

No one who is legit is going to demand financial information on the spot and refuse to allow you to check out the charity. In fact, you should have been able to just give your name and address and then get a confirmation letter or phone call from a call center so that you don't have to give your information to a stranger in the street with no verification of who he is or what he's about....

[Fluffy_Brit_Bunny]

That's interesting because this kind of thing is incredibly common in the UK - they've gotten to being called 'chuggers' (i.e. CHarity mUGGERS'). I regard them as very annoying (I think they're on basic+commission, which explains it) but I've never thought of them as fraudulent or dodgy.

I never give that way because the agency doing the chugging takes a cut. I prefer to set up a direct debit via the charity's website.

[PoisonIvy]

That's interesting because this kind of thing is incredibly common in the UK - they've gotten to being called 'chuggers' (i.e. CHarity mUGGERS'). I regard them as very annoying (I think they're on basic+commission, which explains it) but I've never thought of them as fraudulent or dodgy.

I never give that way because the agency doing the chugging takes a cut. I prefer to set up a direct debit via the charity's website.

I DETEST these people with a passion.  I get stopped by a minimum of 3 per day (they all congregate next to the Oxford Circus tube station and near High St. Kensington) and a simple "I'm sorry, I am late for a meeting" is never sufficient for them.  And they never seem to think it's odd that I don't want to hand my bank/credit card details over to a stranger on the street, despite the growing number of identity theft cases.

[lizlett]

I have also encountered this here in Norway. When I asked for some written information the person told me that they don't do them because printing them up wastes money that could otherwise go to the children. I thought it was ironic that as the man said this his partner came up and gave my son a balloon with the name of the charity printed on it! I would have been more than happy to donate some cash- but nope- can't do that either. They wanted only credit cards. When I said that I needed to check with my husband before making a commitment for monthly donations the man acted like I was being horribly old fashioned by asking permission to spend money. He said that his wife would not have to ask him for permission to spend money on such a worthy cause. He then went on to try to pressure me into signing up and giving them my credit card number.

At his point I no longer wanted to spend any more time with this organization and I left wishing them the best of luck. I was upset because I wanted to help children in developing countries and had they given me a packet of information or a brochure I would have taken it home and probably sponsored a child. Before I give to a charity I have to read up on it (especially if I have not heard of it before) and if it is a monthly commitment I feel it is common courtesy to run it by my husband. I wonder how many other people wanted to help but were turned off by their tactics.

[IndianInlaw]

What charity solicits donations on the street?

Okay, the one with the red kettles, but that's it.

You were very wise to decline.

[Chocolate Cake]

I was upset because I wanted to help children in developing countries

You still can!  Just go to www.charitynavigator.org and you can sort for charities that do this kind of service work.  You can read everything you need to know about each of the organizations and even read how successful they are in meeting their stated missions in comparison to similar charities.  There are links there to take you directly to the charity's website and (usually) links to make a donation via credit card.

[PoisonIvy]

What charity solicits donations on the street?

I know you're referring to US charities, but in the UK several legitimate ones do it.  I won't name names, but on several separate occasions I have been stopped by a very high profile cancer charity, a homeless charity, an animal welfare charity and a child-abuse prevention charity.  The "charity muggers" tend to be off-duty actors or college students, and I believe they get paid an hourly rate that is significantly better than minimum wage.  I think they do more harm than good, and more than once I've been put off donating at all (on the street or otherwise) to charities who employ these guerilla-guilt practices.