Was NSPCC volunteer on Fargate correct?

[cosywolf]

Firstly, I absolutely agree that having people accost you rudely in the street is totally unacceptable. It does no good to the charity they are collecting for, and is unexcusable.

Therefore, when this happens to you, if it annoys you enough to say something on here, please contact the charity for whom they are collecting - they will want to know, and will be mortified. They can also do something about it.

 

However, there are those of you who seem to think that a charity should sit back, keep their mouths shut, and hope that someone realises they are there and comes to support them. It simply cannot happen like that.

 

Charities are under increasing pressures these days:

**there are many of them

**government funding is extremely low if present at all

**grant funding is dwindling hugely (you know those nice Olympic Games? Where do you think the money is coming from? It's not the only reason, but a BIG one)

**European money that could previously be accessed by the UK is now being diverted to newer, poorer countries coming into the European Union

**and the national financial situation is hitting us all in our pockets, making us think twice before we open our wallets to anyone except our nearest and dearest

 

In this climate, if a charity sits back and hopes to be noticed, they will go under.

 

Door to Door and Face to Face recruitment is proven to work, that is why charities use them. They are cost-effective and bring in more new members than you can hope to get by placing collection boxes on counters. And members are so desperately important to the survival of many charities...the vast proportion of grant or government or project money is just that - tied to a specific project, and it frequently isn't enough to cover the cost of that project because funders often seem to think a charity should do everything at a lower price than it would cost anyone else to do, meaning the charity is already working at a loss. Membership gives membership charities something called 'unrestricted funding', which allows them to cover the cost of those projects, and do other projects, as much needed, that they can't get funded elsewhere because it isn't the 'celebrity cause of the day'.

 

Unrestricted funding also gives charities the opportunity to pay for overheads - yes, they do have to pay for buildings, lighting, heating...do you expect them to do anything useful and productive from the back of Grandad's shed?

It also helps to pay for essential staff. And please don't say staff of charities shouldn't be paid - who is going to do the important work, the work on the ground, answering YOUR calls, implementing projects on YOUR doorstep, looking after YOUR loved one? Would YOU be all right to take an unpaid job tomorrow, just because it's for a charity? Remember, the Job Centre will regard you as unemployed and send you on all their schemes and insist on you signing on and looking for alternative work - will you be able to do a good job for your chosen charity under these circumstances?

Or would you prefer that some of the money you donate goes to paid workers (usually low paid, thanks) who have the skills and expertise to make sure that every penny of your money is used wisely and for maximum benefit of your chosen cause?

 

A similar argument can be used for paying collectors: they bring in more money than is spent hiring them. Because they are paid they are (for the most part) more committed to doing a good job for you, less likely to hop it with your donations or run scams, regulated by an employer who can slap their hands effectively for doing some of the things mentioned on this thread.

But let me reiterate for those who think less of a charity for using them: They bring more money into the charity than it costs to hire them. They are value for money and often are invaluable.

 

As for Fargate - I agree, there are too many. It should be better regulated.

 

Long rant, but I hope that cleared up at least some concerns about charities using these types of recruiter. The charities are being squeezed from every side, they rely on being proactive, they rely on being recognised. Without that, they are gone.

[birdsandbees]

One day when I had my granddaughter with me in her pram, (screaming because I wasnt quick enough getting to mothercare to change her) I was stopped by a NSPCC collecter, I politly declined as I was in a hurry, this was followed by "what if it was yours, wouldnt you like to support us at all" I smiled and offered my granddaughter as a donation. she quickly went off red faced.

 

I donate by wage donations, I also sell raffle tickets to work colleagues without pressure, through work we have a dress down day once per month and the proceeds go to the monthly charity

[Swan_Vesta]

I got stopped by an NSPCC chugger who tried to get me to sign up, upon declining he asked me "Don't you want to help the children" and then looked slightly crestfallen when I cackled and replied "No, I hate kids"

[SallyLaLaLa]

He is getting paid to do that. They are NOT volunteers.

[segasonic]

Charities are under increasing pressures these days:

**there are many of them

 

Maybe thinning the ranks would be beneficial for all concerned then? Not like there's anything to lose for em, as they don't make a profit of course .

[bus man]

Apologies if this as already been on the thread but he may not have been a volunteer as some of these collectors are paid on a commison basis

[art_no]

headphones on.......its great when you look in a dream world, even if its switched off, makes you look unapproachable. i know its a sad way to be ignorant but i am never down fargate for pleasure, always in a rush.

[Treatment]

Are these the youngsters that hang around carrying clipboards ? I just presumed that they were doing Market Research. Collaring people in the street to sign direct debits is unacceptable in my book.

[madowl]

I always just walk past these so called do gooders:gag: if i want to give money to any charity id be doin it through my own choice and decision, these gits with clipper boards are no more than beggers to me, same as the door to door collectors....

what ever happened to freedom of choice?

scum like these are tackless thoughtless and outright rude!!

[hillsbro]

As it happens, the NSPCC is the only charity to which I make donations on a regular basis. This charity worker should certainly be reported to the organisation, and told to abide by the rules which are carefully explained to every legitimate collector.

I worked in the city centre for over 30 years, during which time I became sick and tired of being accosted by all kinds of people in Fargate etc. Sometimes they were simply begging. Sometimes they pretended to be doing a survey when all they wanted was to sell you something. At first I used to listen to them, but eventually I got fed up. Now my standard response is to say "Простите, я не говорю по-английски". That usually shuts them up.