A few years back, the football club MONT follows engaged an organisation to help it raise funds...they had people approach you while walking into the stadium to sell you a raffle ticket....but when I asked what the money was going towards I was told it was the players' end of season football trip! Now I don't mind helping people out...but many of them earn more than 10 times what I do, so that was a NO.
Then a little while back I answered a knock on the door to a really nice girl raising money for Medisan Sans Frontier (Doctors Without Borders) It's a wonderful organisation and so I went to get my purse, but was stopped short and told she couldn't take cash, but that I had to "sign up" and give them my credit card details to have money deducted from my account each month. Ummm that would be a no, thank you
The other day, another person came to the door looking for a similar style of "giving". I had to hand over my credit card details to not just donate, but become a "sponsor"... At the supermarket recently, the Paralympic movement won't take small change donations, they have a system where it's a minimum amount and yes, they'd like you to hand over your card details.
I was telling a work colleague about these incidents and he relayed a similar experience. He was approached, outside a supermarket by people raising funds for Surf Life Savers...again, another great organisation, but when he offered them $5, they said no, it was a $10 minimum!
The other day I took a phone call for MONT while he was driving, it was the football club again...wanting us to help out "our boys". Thanks but no-thanks.
Is it just me or is this the way of the world now? Organisations dictationg how much and how often you "give"
I have become very much a no thank you girl recently though the Special Olympics can always talk me out of a bit!!!! It has all become big business and only a small share of what you donate goes to the designated organisation!!!
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