Moral blackmail

We had smiley young men on our doorstep, from GOSH recently too!
I say that I do not do DDs at the doorstep and that I donate already, monthly by DD to a number of charities.
Occasionally, I have been able to say truthfully, that I already donate to the charity.
Sometimes I have said that I will go to the website and have a look.
I don't think that one should be asked to set up a DD either on the doorstep or in the street.

Haven't had them here in the 6 years we've lived here. We do get a lot selling double glazing, roof for conservatory etc. I just say we're private renting and they go. We are owner occupiers but saying private rented gets rid of them quickly

I find this quite sinister. I know that GOS does do this but it opens up the possibility of imposters preying on vulnerable. I do not mind at all the bag that comes the door to be left outside but doing so in person feels an invasion.

This is a variation of the 'chugging' that goes on when trained groups of youngish people stop you on the high street and try to get you to sign up. I suppose chugging is a portmanteau of charity and mugging! Very appropriate!

I had someone at the door who told me 'your neighbour Sue has signed up to donate regularly - no idea who Sue is, but it's a very long street so O'm not going to have my arm twisted by keeping up with the Joneses!

My response would be 'You are invading my personal space. I make my choices privately and anonymously '

Also been known to say ' I don't discuss religion in the doorstep.'

Fortunately in deepest rural France I rarely get anything like this. I'm fact in France there is little to be seen from charities, is this a cultural thing, or the fact we are so well looked after by the state if needed.

There are no collecting boxes on counters where you can put loose change. Something I always did in YUK.

No. Is a complete sentence perhaps we all need to use it more.

GrannyGravy13

I think GOS must be having a collecting purge at the moment, they were outside our small co-op all week last week.

We nicknamed them the smiling assassins very pushy and preying on the more elderly people.

I will never donate to any charity that behaves in that predatory manipulative bullying way... and I tell them so.

It's a long time since I had anyone come to my door, and I don't think I've ever signed up to a charity on the doorstep. We get occasional chuggers outside the shops. I did start donating to Wood Green Animal Shelter because the lady explained that they have a tiny advertising budget compared with the big charities, and it's hard to raise public awareness. Another one who won me over was a lovely man who was asking us to sign up for the local hospice. It was only a few weeks after my husband died and this chap knew and understood the cancer my husband had, and gave me a hug and a kiss, so it was a no brainer.

Don’t feel bad about no giving to these people, they are paid on commission and trained to get people to sign up for a direct debit to the charity and can often be quite aggressive. In my opinion this is very bad practise on behalf of the charities and should not be allowed.
As far as the young men selling dusters etc please read the following link:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-64854399.amp.
If anyone knocks on my door like this, unless it is a neighbour for village events, I always politely say sorry I don’t donate or buy anything at the door and swiftly close the door before they can go into their sales pitch. I do donate to charities but not like that.

I remember reading some years ago that a good proportion of your first year's direct debits go as commission to the 'recruiter' which makes sense as these people aren't working for nothing. Door knockers always get the response "I don't do anything at the door" and street canvassers get "I don't do anything on the street". We do have quite a few DDs to various charities, I was quite shocked when I added them up a few months ago, but all mean something to us.
I like your response Gin, I too have a friend heavily involved in a Ugandan charity, so may employ this response myself next time.

A friend of mine runs a charity in Africa. If asked to donate I say I will If they will sign up to this friend’s. very worthy charity. They are never willing!

I had youngsters ringing my doorbell a few days ago wanting money for GOS. I said that my local hospital, adults and children were more in need of it, goodbye.

If that had not done the trick, I would have gone down the poverty route, and how difficult it was to buy food, etc, without thinking of a children's hospital.

The chuggers have been removed from the town centre but not from inside Waitrose.

Am always asked at the till in Superdrug but I just say no.We all have chosen charities that we give willingly to without being mugged at tills or the doorstep or outside shops.

Luckygirl3

In the past I have said: "Thank you for flagging up this worthwhile charity. I will go onto their website later and consider making a one-off donation."

Does not necessarily mean I actually did it ................ is there a guilt emoji?

🥴or 😳 maybe?

It annoys me if you make a large one-off donation online to a charity for eg a funeral then find the charity keeps sending you freebies, presumably in the hope you might make a regular donation.

Perhaps they think it's worthwhile, otherwise what a waste of charity money and resources.

I am fed up with “chuggers” touting charities in the street. Im fed up too being asked at checkouts. Today for example it was requested at the fuel station, the chemist!, go outdoors and our Lidl started this week. Poor checkout staff. Yes I donate to local charities not huge business - my money so I will chose a local cause.

In the past I have said: "Thank you for flagging up this worthwhile charity. I will go onto their website later and consider making a one-off donation."

Does not necessarily mean I actually did it ................ is there a guilt emoji?

Some years ago, I had a similar experience, except that these young people arrived on my doorstep after 9pm . I complained to the charity for which they were collecting . They replied that they were not responsible for employing these collectors. Fund raising was carried out by a company who then took on young people, often unemployed, to do the door-knocking. They confirmed that no collector was permitted to work after 9pm, though I felt that this was too late, if it involved disturbing people, especially older people, during the hours of darkness. I wasn't inclined to absolve the charity!

Galaxy

I wonder how effective this is overall, yes the charities will be able to judge how many donations they get per number of door knocks, but there is no way of knowing how many people are put off from ever donating to the cause because of these tactics.

... but there is no way of knowing how many people are put off from ever donating to the cause because of these tactics.

Good point Galaxy.

Judging by the responses so far, they might be shooting themselves in the foot. But, as you say, there's no way of calculating how many donors they might be losing.

I don't like being 'mugged' on my own doorstep but even so might be tempted to make a one-off donation via my bank card (I understand why they don't accept cash) - but to sign up to direct debits? Absolutely not.

In effect, you are being asked to make a sudden and unexpected decision about your expenditure, so many people are having to be careful with their finances and cannot (and will not) make that commitment on the spur of the moment.

I was going to book a restaurant for lunch tomorrow but saw that money was automatically added to your bill for a chosen charity, you had to opt out not in!

Charity donations should be voluntary, I am sick of being asked at checkout to donate.

Like Monica we support various charities and I find it increasingly hard to say no but I draw the line at money automatically being added to my bill.

We had someone knocking on the door the other day on behalf of one of the charities we support. I was a bit disappointed about this, as I don’t like people being mugged on their own doorstep, which is what it sometimes feels like. It’s a great charity, but they did go through a phase of ringing every few weeks, “to update us on how our donation was being spent” and to ask us to increase it. In the end I said if they rang again I’d cancel the direct debit. To their credit we’ve only had the occasional posted “update” since then. I do feel that pushy tactics might lose charities donations rather than bringing in more.

Our town no longer gets the chuggers in it and hasn’t for some time, nor have I had anyone knock at the door for charity for many years I do not like this very overt way of making people feel guilty
I also don’t like the envelopes with silly sticky address labels and things in

Food hall not football!

We had GOS at the door recently too. I would happily give a one-off donation, but they can never accept it, which I find very strange and annoying.
The same applies to the Air Ambulance who frequently lurk outside a local M&S football.
I’m usually wearing my charity polo shirt advertising the organisation that I work for, and they tend to leave me alone.