The answer is NO!

No I don't think you are being unreasonable at all. We decide which charities we wish to support and keep to those and if anyone tries to pressure us into giving to them, we just say we have aleady donated. Stick to your principles and don't ever feel pressured as you know in your heart you have already chosen your charities.

I don't mind rounding up a few cents. What I am wary of is giving to someone I've never heard of . It's hard to trust that the money is actually going to the cause and not into someone's pocket. I guess you can never be sure.

Colls

Baggs

When I hear about struggling charities I do wonder if there are simply too many, or if they are trying to do too much.

Alternatively, people are increasingly feeling insecure about their own well-being – for a multitude of reasons political and otherwise – and are holding back accordingly.

It's not a simple issue.

I fundraise online for small animal (mainly dog) charities.
Rescues are currently especially overflowing due to 'Covid dogs' - dogs taken on during Covid; during lockdowns; working from home periods. They have often not been socialised very well and, even if they have been, as people have gone back to workplaces, the dogs are given up to rescues (or worse).
Most people who give a dog up to a rescue do not offer any contributions to the rescue to cover their costs - including food, vets check fees, neutering, rehoming checks etc.
But, we are very careful how we fundraise. As already mentioned, many already give to their special charities or simply cannot afford it.

This is very sad, Colls. I fear people do not always think enough about their responsibilities. I wish you all the best with your careful fund-raising.

eazybee

The reason goods are priced at 95p or 99p is so that change has to be given so the till has to be opened and the transaction recorded. I put the penny in the charity box but not the 5p; I save those and donate them to the charity of my choice. Have done for years.

It’s also a good ‘shopping psychology’ tool. If the price were £1 you might think twice about buying … 99p somehow sounds so much better… illogical, but it works.
Same with £6 or £5.99… and so on…
I am happy to VOLUNTARILY donate the 1p change into a collection box at Charity stores, but I’ve not yet been asked to ‘round up ‘ for Charity at a till yet. Not sure of my reaction …. I will find out. But like others I dislike being coerced!

I too get very annoyed by this. A charity shop asked me if I wanted to round up the price to the whole pound. This would have been 75 pence! I don’t shop in charity shops to give 15 shillings away like that! Equally our local shop is Booths and their card machine asks for 25 pence each time. I a,ways press no which my husband berates me for being mean but I shop there several times a week! I say I think Mr Bmean should donate himself as the prices are quite dear anyway.

Chuggers = charity muggers

I dislike any pressure approach, whether it's by a charity or a company trying to sell me something, so much that I will stop donating or shopping with them if possible if they do this.

I have done volunteer work for various charities in the past, but I resigned from one because I didn't like how they expected area managers, who we liked and trusted, to reapply for their jobs, and one really good hard working manager was not re-employed. Also I used to give to a charity who do really good work in war zones etc, but gave the sack to the wife of my nephew, who worked on the organisational side of things, because the lunch which she had arranged for senior organisers was not up to scratch for some trivial reason. She was probably over qualified for the job any way as she is a graduate of the LSE and Yale! You can't go wrong with donations to your local Hospice, where I have also volunteered. You never know if you too might need them.

Baggs

When I hear about struggling charities I do wonder if there are simply too many, or if they are trying to do too much.

Alternatively, people are increasingly feeling insecure about their own well-being – for a multitude of reasons political and otherwise – and are holding back accordingly.

It's not a simple issue.

I fundraise online for small animal (mainly dog) charities.
Rescues are currently especially overflowing due to 'Covid dogs' - dogs taken on during Covid; during lockdowns; working from home periods. They have often not been socialised very well and, even if they have been, as people have gone back to workplaces, the dogs are given up to rescues (or worse).
Most people who give a dog up to a rescue do not offer any contributions to the rescue to cover their costs - including food, vets check fees, neutering, rehoming checks etc.
But, we are very careful how we fundraise. As already mentioned, many already give to their special charities or simply cannot afford it.

I asked the shop assistant if they could tell me the charity. The answer was no and so was mine. I did say thank you though!

I'm with you there
I volunteer for a charity shop that will remain nameless I understand others do the same On our till we have a would you like to round your bill up.I as most others do don't ask, how can you ask in a charity shop if you would like to donate even more 🙄

No you're NOT being unreasonable. The server had no right to say "it's only a small amount " thereby (a) trying to force you and (b) attempting a slight humiliation.
This stuff is voluntary.
You might think that Charities deflect responsibility from Government , who properly ought to fund some areas of need. That's not an unusual view.
I donate to Charities of my choice , when I want and how much I want.

Totally agree with you. I only donate to small local charities or charities where I know the money will go to . I’m thinking of starting a new charity called the me charity.
Almost every thread that come up on social media these days is a begging thread for various charities.

We only donate to animal charities. They get no gov’t support or funding. That usually stops the interlude dead in tracks.

I donate reading books to my teacher daughter's primary school to help get children interested in reading. I think that's better than cash donations to big charities as it goes directly to the children.
I also support the RNLI with a small monthly donation.
I would resent being asked to donate in shops. If I wanted to donate to their chosen charity I already would.

Sago - you are quite right to feel indignant . It always feel like you are doing wrong when you refuse to. The only one I have ever said yes to was Wilco who have gone, as only 5 p . I also donate a lot to different charities . It’s an infringement to ask every time one shops .

It annoys me when shops (Uniqlo is one) add an extra sum for a charity, as a sub-total and leave you to delete on the payment pad. I have to find my glasses, to be sure on pressing the correct button.
This is also like restaurants and hotels adding tips to the bills and leaving you to decide whether to delete the extra or not, and leave a tip on the table.

to be asked is not the issue but the problem is when you said no your response was ignored. I'm often asked and most of the time I say no. It generally depends on the charity . Even self service tills will ask you to donate. The shop assistant was in the wrong in ignoring your reply.

The stands in shopping centres that ask you to set up a direct debit for their charity can be very annoying as the collectors try to make you feel guilty for refusing. I have several Dd set up for charities that mean something to me and I won’t be bullied into signing up to one that I’m not sure about.

I’m the same, the self checkout in Asda asks if you want to donate and I click no. I won’t be pressured into donating, and will choose where I do donate

When I hear about struggling charities I do wonder if there are simply too many, or if they are trying to do too much.

Alternatively, people are increasingly feeling insecure about their own well-being – for a multitude of reasons political and otherwise – and are holding back accordingly.

It's not a simple issue.

nanna8, if that was me I'd have contacted HO with a VERY strong word! How utterly greedy and selfish!

I'm always getting emails demanding money ''just £98.00 will feed...''

JUST £98.00?!

Sago stand your ground! Your hubby had no right to be angry with you, it's your choice and your money to say no!

I know the staff are only doing as instructed by asking for donations, I don't actually blame them, they're just doing their job but some of them are pushy!

I always say no thank you and leave it at that but when I've had ''it's only a small amount'' I threaten to speak to their superiors, and I underline the word ''superiors'' when I say it, it soon shuts them up!

I donate things to and buy from charity shops but I won't be pressured into donating/buying anything and I won't have pushy staff trying to humiliate or embarrass me, either!

No means no!

Just been looking at my online energy account (Octopus).

I see amongst the bumph they are asking for donations to charity.

I didn’t study it properly, but won’t be doing it, whatever it is.

The worse place to be asked for a charity donations is at the exit of a hospital. Last month I had a very stressful and upsetting appointment only to be stopped on the way out by someone asking for donations for cancer research. Normally I would have stopped and donated but this day I was too upset trying to process what I had just been told.
The man asked if I don't care about advances in cancer research and that it's only a small donation. Left in tears.