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What’s on your mind?

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DaveFromCampbelltown said:
You're not paranoid. We really are staring at you.
OTOH, were you to remove the parrot from your shoulder, we might stop.
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Since I'm not sure you're listening to me, I need the parrot to parrot my statements. Using the ventriloquist's dummy just wasn't clever enough. The only real problem is that I have to do some extra work on my shirts before I put them in the wash. The dummy was much cleaner.
 
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While out shopping for groceries yesterday, I was approached to make a donation for a charity. The conversation was a fairly long one, and the process of signing up fairly cumbersome as well (had to go through several pages of disclaimers, then key in my payment details via a tablet with a cracked screen and a fairly unresponsive touchscreen). Maybe there were processes here that could be streamlined, but I assume everything is being done that way for a reason.

Then when I turned on Youtube, I found that a vTuber, Nimi Nightmare, was running a charity stream to raise funds for cancer treatment and her community smashed the $250,000 goal in under 10 minutes. It got me thinking about the stark difference in terms of efficiency between the two.

On one hand, the latter is a fairly established online presence with her own rabid fanbase, so eliciting funds from them is generally not an issue, and I suppose there is this trust that the money is indeed going towards a worthy cause. That said, I have no idea how much money actually goes towards the charity, vs being deducted as overheads, but I assume St Jude's will get the bulk of the funds. By going through the internet, you are also able to reach out to the entire world, and I am pretty sure her audience hails from all manner of countries.

Then you have what I presume to be either volunteers or social workers standing in public for pretty much the entire day, approaching strangers who generally can't be bothered to give them the time of day (seems like everyone is either in a hurry to go somewhere, or on their phones these days, myself included). Then there's the lengthy process of striking up a conversation, overcoming their initial reservations, explaining their mission and then convincing the person to make a donation. Rinse and repeat for every pedestrian on the street.

I don't mean to demean anybody's efforts. In a way, it feels reminiscent of the whole "do Girl Scouts still need to go door to door to sell cookies when you already have a Facebook presence?" argument. Perhaps there are intangibles I am not seeing, like raising awareness. I really don't know what to make of it. The contrast just struck me, and I just wanted to share about it, and well, I don't really have a social media presence. 😛

Thanks all for reading and listening. 😬
 
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Abazigal said:
While out shopping for groceries yesterday, I was approached to make a donation for a charity. The conversation was a fairly long one, and the process of signing up fairly cumbersome as well (had to go through several pages of disclaimers, then key in my payment details via a tablet with a cracked screen and a fairly unresponsive touchscreen). Maybe there were processes here that could be streamlined, but I assume everything is being done that way for a reason.

Then when I turned on Youtube, I found that a vTuber, Nimi Nightmare, was running a charity stream to raise funds for cancer treatment and her community smashed the $250,000 goal in under 10 minutes. It got me thinking about the stark difference in terms of efficiency between the two.

On one hand, the latter is a fairly established online presence with her own rabid fanbase, so eliciting funds from them is generally not an issue, and I suppose there is this trust that the money is indeed going towards a worthy cause. That said, I have no idea how much money actually goes towards the charity, vs being deducted as overheads, but I assume St Jude's will get the bulk of the funds. By going through the internet, you are also able to reach out to the entire world, and I am pretty sure her audience hails from all manner of countries.

Then you have what I presume to be either volunteers or social workers standing in public for pretty much the entire day, approaching strangers who generally can't be bothered to give them the time of day (seems like everyone is either in a hurry to go somewhere, or on their phones these days, myself included). Then there's the lengthy process of striking up a conversation, overcoming their initial reservations, explaining their mission and then convincing the person to make a donation. Rinse and repeat for every pedestrian on the street.

I don't mean to demean anybody's efforts. In a way, it feels reminiscent of the whole "do Girl Scouts still need to go door to door to sell cookies when you already have a Facebook presence?" argument. Perhaps there are intangibles I am not seeing, like raising awareness. I really don't know what to make of it. The contrast just struck me, and I just wanted to share about it, and well, I don't really have a social media presence. 😛

Thanks all for reading and listening. 😬
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Sadly, if someone is in front of a store, I avoid them. If the store is running a promotion to help (e.g. literacy) I'm willing.

I'm a skeptic about where the money is going, no matter the presentation. I do a web search to find anything that might be wrong.
 
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bousozoku said:
Sadly, if someone is in front of a store, I avoid them. If the store is running a promotion to help (e.g. literacy) I'm willing.

I'm a skeptic about where the money is going, no matter the presentation. I do a web search to find anything that might be wrong.
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I happen to be aware of said organisation, so I believe it's legit. But I totally understand your guardedness, given I have been a victim of a scam in the past.
 
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Abazigal said:
While out shopping for groceries yesterday, I was approached to make a donation for a charity. The conversation was a fairly long one, and the process of signing up fairly cumbersome as well (had to go through several pages of disclaimers, then key in my payment details via a tablet with a cracked screen and a fairly unresponsive touchscreen)
Click to expand...
bousozoku said:
Sadly, if someone is in front of a store, I avoid them
Click to expand...

For anybody unfamiliar with how the “charity mugging” business works, here are some details I learned when I researched the industry:
  • The “chuggers” are employees of private, for-profit fundraising companies, not volunteers or people working directly for a NGO or non-profit organization.
  • Your banking and/or credit card details are held by the chugging company, not the (eventual) recipient charity.
  • The first 11 months of your donation go to the fundraising company, typically, as its payment for conducting fundraising activities. Only the very last (month 12’s) donation goes to the charity. If a donor cancels before the 12th month, the charity gets nothing.
  • The CEO of one of the largest chugging firms, DialogueDirect, has become a $USD millionaire through for-profit fundraising activities.
  • Many non-profits that hire chuggers rank very low in the percentage of donations that are used for their missions. In other words, the majority of funds donated go to overhead expenses, executive salaries and bonuses, political lobbying, and further fundraising efforts, including galas and marketing.
In the United States, I always recommend checking donation recipients’ tax-free status and financial reports at the Internal Revenue Service website and looking up donation efficiency statistics before giving money.


—————
ETA: if I did decide to support an organization that came to my attention via chugging, I would make my donation directly to the organization, not through the chugging corporation, so that 100% of the funds I committed would reach the non-profit/NGO.
 
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@KaliYoni Thank you. I will keep that in mind. I have verified that this is a legitimate registered charity in my country, but the person who approached me was possibly someone hired for the specific purpose of fundraising (ie: they likely get a cut). It's not a huge sum, and I don't think I will want to retract my donation, and I will take it as having learnt something new, and well as being more wary in future.

Thank you for all your responses. 😊
 
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Abazigal said:
I don't mean to demean anybody's efforts. In a way, it feels reminiscent of the whole "do Girl Scouts still need to go door to door to sell cookies when you already have a Facebook presence?" argument. Perhaps there are intangibles I am not seeing, like raising awareness. I really don't know what to make of it. The contrast just struck me, and I just wanted to share about it, and well, I don't really have a social media presence. 😛
Click to expand...
Bruh I see so many Girl Scout cookies vendors from Girl Scouts troops every spring! Y’all still have to verify if they are legit. Ask them to see their Girl Scouts badges or patches they wear on their uniforms.


KaliYoni said:
For anybody unfamiliar with how the “charity mugging” business works, here are some details I learned when I researched the industry:
  • The “chuggers” are employees of private, for-profit fundraising companies, not volunteers or people working directly for a NGO or non-profit organization.
  • Any banking and/or credit card details are held by the chugging company, not the (eventual) recipient charity.
  • The first 11 months of your donation go to the fundraising company, typically, as its payment for conducting fundraising activities. Only the very last (month 12’s) donation goes to the charity. If a donor cancels before the 12th month, the charity gets nothing.
  • The CEO of one of the largest chugging firms, DialogueDirect, has become a $USD millionaire through for-profit fundraising activities.
  • Many non-profits that hire chuggers rank very low in the percentage of donations that are used for their missions. In other words, the majority of funds donated go to overhead expenses, executive salaries and bonuses, and further fundraising efforts, including galas and marketing.
In the United States, I always recommend checking donation recipients’ tax-free status and financial reports at the Internal Revenue Service website and looking up donation efficiency statistics before giving money.
Click to expand...
Great strategy to cross check anyone who is a real non profit or charitable organisation. Y’all heard of better business bureau before? BBB does certification for legitimate companies and also had reviews to show how it is good or bad.
 
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The Clark said:
Just returned from a really nice hike with an ex of all people. I really enjoyed getting out today and will need to make that a priority going forward.
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During the pandemic, my folks and I would go out for a hike or other outdoor activity at least once a week. When stuff started going back to "normal," it became a little more difficult. I really miss that, to be honest.
 
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rm5 said:
During the pandemic, my folks and I would go out for a hike or other outdoor activity at least once a week. When stuff started going back to "normal," it became a little more difficult. I really miss that, to be honest.
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It's been raining heavily this week, so I pretty stayed at home for the entire week (we currently have a 1-week term break). I probably should get out more too, but it's also just so nice lazing at home...😛
 
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rm5 said:
During the pandemic, my folks and I would go out for a hike or other outdoor activity at least once a week. When stuff started going back to "normal," it became a little more difficult. I really miss that, to be honest.
Click to expand...
Then change it. I go for a walk most days. Did 3.5 miles before breakfast with Mrs AFB this morning. Saw a nice collection of birds and animals in the countryside.
 
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Abazigal said:
It's been raining heavily this week, so I pretty stayed at home for the entire week (we currently have a 1-week term break). I probably should get out more too, but it's also just so nice lazing at home...😛
Click to expand...
I’m the opposite. I have a shoulder injury and it’s limiting my ability to run etc. but I still get out for a walk most days. A bit of rain this morning, so just put on my waterproofs.
 
goldmac2006 said:
Bruh I see so many Girl Scout cookies vendors from Girl Scouts troops every spring! Y’all still have to verify if they are legit. Ask them to see their Girl Scouts badges or patches they wear on their uniforms.



Great strategy to cross check anyone who is a real non profit or charitable organisation. Y’all heard of better business bureau before? BBB does certification for legitimate companies and also had reviews to show how it is good or bad.
Click to expand...
Since I'm not retired yet I buy Girl Scout cookies from trusted sources, fellow employees at work who I've know long time and support their kids. I also buy at local food stores, ask the girls / their leaders about their troop, activities they are involved in etc.
I was a Cub Scout Cubmaster 4 years, my wife a Girl Scout leader 3 years.

I can't blindly throw money at some charity for this or that, just not sure it's end use, lack of oversight, reporting back to donors how their $$'s are used, etc.
Maybe it's me, my engineer mindset, fix the root cause not patch the problem mindset.

Yes, everyone deserves some safety net to get them thru hard times, etc, 100% agree and support.
Sooner or later that safety net needs to be pulled back, scaled down, or reliance to it sets in.

I have first hand witnessed that with family members, abusing the system for their gain.
Understand, I have given many times to 1-time causes, flood relief / hurricane relief, etc. and will in the future.

Thru church donations, LACASA donations, etc, I do choose where to donate $$'s to trusted charities.
 
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Abazigal said:
While out shopping for groceries yesterday, I was approached to make a donation for a charity. The conversation was a fairly long one, and the process of signing up fairly cumbersome as well (had to go through several pages of disclaimers, then key in my payment details via a tablet with a cracked screen and a fairly unresponsive touchscreen). Maybe there were processes here that could be streamlined, but I assume everything is being done that way for a reason.

Then when I turned on Youtube, I found that a vTuber, Nimi Nightmare, was running a charity stream to raise funds for cancer treatment and her community smashed the $250,000 goal in under 10 minutes. It got me thinking about the stark difference in terms of efficiency between the two.

On one hand, the latter is a fairly established online presence with her own rabid fanbase, so eliciting funds from them is generally not an issue, and I suppose there is this trust that the money is indeed going towards a worthy cause. That said, I have no idea how much money actually goes towards the charity, vs being deducted as overheads, but I assume St Jude's will get the bulk of the funds. By going through the internet, you are also able to reach out to the entire world, and I am pretty sure her audience hails from all manner of countries.

Then you have what I presume to be either volunteers or social workers standing in public for pretty much the entire day, approaching strangers who generally can't be bothered to give them the time of day (seems like everyone is either in a hurry to go somewhere, or on their phones these days, myself included). Then there's the lengthy process of striking up a conversation, overcoming their initial reservations, explaining their mission and then convincing the person to make a donation. Rinse and repeat for every pedestrian on the street.

I don't mean to demean anybody's efforts. In a way, it feels reminiscent of the whole "do Girl Scouts still need to go door to door to sell cookies when you already have a Facebook presence?" argument. Perhaps there are intangibles I am not seeing, like raising awareness. I really don't know what to make of it. The contrast just struck me, and I just wanted to share about it, and well, I don't really have a social media presence. 😛

Thanks all for reading and listening. 😬
Click to expand...
The charity discussion that you started is fascinating.

For my part, I will readily give a donation (in a collection box) to someone collecting for a legitimate charity - which will depend on the charity, for example, I will always donate to charities collecting for cancer, the local hospice, (which was brilliant in its support of each of my parents), anything to do with women's aid and/or issues, guide dogs, and so on - and this is something that I've done myself, as I have both donated, and have also, stood, as a volunteer, - on a number of occasions - with a proverbial collection box, .

However, I utterly detest being approached by chuggers (that cheerful bonhomie really irks me, as do cold approaches from strangers who want my bank details) and will never sign (or disclose bank details) for such a purpose; as another poster has remarked, I did that once, over twenty years ago, and never again.

Nevertheless, you have raised some very interesting points.
 
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