Do They Think We Are Wealthy?
By hvedra
@hvedra (1619)
October 15, 2010 9:40am CST
We get a lot of charity collections in our neigbourhood. At least one and sometimes more than one bag or leaflet put through the door asking for donations of clothes or other househould items.
We also get door to door collectors asking you to sign up for a monthly donation and some of these are annoying. Often they are paid "sales persons" rather than anyone interested in the actual charity they are collecting for. I find that particularly irritating when they neither know or care anything about the charity's work other than learning a spiel. Sometimes it can be entertaining because I start asking them about their ethical stance or want to discuss the key issues about their cause and they start to get flustered.
The thing is that this isn't an affluent neighbourhood, plenty of people around here on minimum wage jobs who struggle to survive.
It also bugs me when you get the odd one who is particularly rude and tries to lay a guilt trip on me. We don't have much money so we often donate time to local charities. It particularly grates when THEY are getting paid to solicit donations.
Do you have charity collectors like this in your area? Have you found that they seem to concentrate on areas where people aren't really wealthy?
2 people like this
16 responses
@greenfeathers (1206)
• United States
15 Oct 10
Rarely do I donate money to the various charities that pursue me. Instead I donate goods to thrift shop charities like Goodwill and St Vincent de Paul..As to concentrating on the less wealthy neighborhoods..hmm..perhaps the notion is that the folks in such neighborhoods better understand than the better neighborhoods.
As a for instance, when I was younger stuff I worked for a fella who had two paper routes. One in suburbia (middle-ish class) and one mainly poor folk who lived closer to downtown Cincinnati. As it happened, I received more support..little Christmas bonuses, hot coffee or cocao in the winter, cold water or iced tea in the summer, a place to set out of the sun a spell..from the folks on the poorer side of town. Tho less able financially far more generous than the middle class folks.
I do, tho, give money to a couple homeless folks in the area which, I've been told, I shouldn't do because it could get spent on something misappropriate..Like spending money on folks to beg for a charity is appropriate!?..
ENJOY!
1 person likes this
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
16 Oct 10
Love it, great answer!!
I used to have a regular homeless guy where I used to live who sold the big issue, it was when the big issue was £1 so I always gave him £2 but I would buy him a pastie and mug of coffee too, at Christmas I used to put £5 in a Christmas card for him.
He seemed a decent guy and was really appreciative of it, I often wonder how he is now, I hope someone is is looking after him!1 person likes this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
2 Nov 10
We don't get too many people collecting for charity here. The only one we get is the mail carrier leaving a bag to collect for the food pantry and they only do that once a year. Otherwise I get the occasional solicitation for the rescue mission or a national charity in my mail.
Though I do get people soliciting to do work on my house. If I could afford it I'd have the work done but since I can't it will remain as is.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
17 Oct 10
The door to door charities in my area are usually for diabetes or cancer and they generallly go away if you give them a dollar. Another that we just give a dollar to are the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormans. So illnesses and religious organizations who you just give them a dollar and they leave.
All other charities have bake sales, church suppers, raffles, fun days, drop offs where you can drop off clothes or extra food.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (167071)
• Boise, Idaho
16 Oct 10
We have associations that call for donations usually of household items and such. This has been going on all over town. I live in a capitol city and I don't see a problem with it. I would be careful of scams. I wouldn't give money and if I did I would check with the BBB. Any more you just never know. I wonder if they do it in more afluent areas. It all points to a scam.
1 person likes this
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
20 Oct 10
It's a well known fact that non wealthy people are much more giving than wealthy. That's probably why charities come to your neighborhood. We get charitable request in the mail.
@derek_a (10874)
•
15 Oct 10
Yes, we have plastic sacks pushed through our door every day, sometimes 3 or 4 of them. I have given to charity from letter that come now and again, and now it seems as if my name has been passed to 20 or more charities, because I get a stream of letters coming through the door that is very annoying. I have decided now that I will only send to 1 or 2 of them, and will give to charity boxes I see when I am out and about.
I have grown sceptical about these charities, and I've heard that some of them have a large amount of funds that are not finding their way to the people who are need. I would like to know what they keep this money that has been give so generously by ordinary people all over the world. They never seem to answer this though. 
_Derek
_Derek1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
15 Oct 10
No, we do not have people doing that here, thank heavens. That really wouldn't set well w/me at all.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
16 Oct 10
Hi hvedra~ Why would charities pay people to help them? Isn't
that defeating the point of the charity part? I don't trust
anyone who solicits "door to door". I don't like solicitors
and I will only once in awhile buy a chocolate bar from the
kids selling them for school. Otherwise, I prefer to put clothes
in the recepticals that are down the street or give them to
my friend who will take them to a place to be distributed
to a Salvation Army or Shelter.
1 person likes this
@MagicalBubbles (5103)
• Canada
15 Oct 10
They are paid? Are you sure they really work for a Charitable Organization?
I never give money to anyone coming at the door. I tend to give food, clothes, furniture and things like that but never money.
We dont have people going door to door here and most people working arent paid, they're all volunteers.
I live in an area where you find all kinds of people...rich, poor and middle class.
If you cant give money, dont let them threaten you. You have nothing to feel guilty about and they are the rudes one.....why not report them?
1 person likes this
@TeamCholent (2832)
• United States
15 Oct 10
Some of the charity collectors might be arriving in your area based purely on them living around the area so they don't have to venture far for donations and also they hope the people in your area are more caring and sensitive to the cause since many of them might know the feeling to be below the poverty line etc.
The rich might only give to causes which are tax deductible which will disqualify many local and smaller charities from receiving such funds.
1 person likes this
@Subhan27 (2)
•
15 Oct 10
Honestly, I found many of them too on my neighbourhood, sometimes they've made me angry especially when I was in a bad situation.
I do hate them, especially when they asked donation to every people without figured out about our condition first.
Well...on my mind, I prefer to close my door when there was a collector like this have came to my home, it was better for rather than I opened my door and scold the collector.
1 person likes this
