Charities

[BlaqueKatt]

Okay, someone clear this up for me. I heard that SA was using some of that money to campaign against gay marriage. Is that true? I do not want any money I may donate to them going towards policies I find repugnant...such as discrimination.

all I could find was this

PFLAG has fake bills-The fake bills read: “I would have donated ______ dollar(s), but the Salvation Army decision to discriminate against gay and lesbian employees prevents my donation now and in the future.”

and this that may be the basis for the rumor

for the record I give money to help Tibetan refugees living in India.

[tabbyblack13]

I try to donate money to animal charities. I have had a recent weight loss and a lot of my clothing doesn't fit but it is still good so I donated it to Goodwill. I have given them suits, dress shirts, sweaters, jeans, and regular shirts.

[jackfaire]

I like the prom dress charity. I tried to get a friend of mine to donate her dresses.

[blas87]

HR at my work pushes HARD for people to donate every year to the United Way (that's their charity).

Somehow, people still pledge or have money taken out of their checks, even though our cheapskate company didn't give us raises this year and slowly keeps taking away benefits......

I remember a year ago at one of our meetings, and the lady from HR was practically in tears because that year (right about at the peak of the worst part of the bad economy) no one new had signed up that year and all of their stupid little contests and things they have for United Way weren't getting much support.....and that dumb bitch went on and on pretty much almost crying to make us feel guilty that we NEEDED to donate and this is the best cause and we HAVE to donate......

Fuck off. You're HR, you probably can donate.

Then to top it off, my mother told me that The United Way in the county my work is in goes for the AODA mostly. So no thanks. I don't have much sympathy for people like them. And yes, I can feel that way....my bf is an alcoholic and I have zero sympathy for him and what he's done to himself. Yeah, it sounds cruel, but I don't really like giving money to people who have destroyed themselves and others around them.

Although The United Way of the county I live in goes towards actually feeding and clothing people who are homeless or lost their jobs and stuff for reasons beyond their own control...I'd be more inclined to donate to them.

If/when I do have extra money to donate, I donate to the Humane Society or the ASPCA. I want to help speak for those who can't speak for themselves. Plus, at least when cats and dogs beg, it's cute!

[tabbyblack13]

...at least when cats and dogs beg, it's cute!

LOL. I like that response.

United Way is the supported charity of my company too. I've been pestered by HR to donate from my paycheck.

[gremcint]

Then to top it off, my mother told me that The United Way in the county my work is in goes for the AODA mostly.

Ancient Order of Druids in America?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient...ids_in_America

[MadMike]

That's how I see it too. That is, if you can afford a crapload of stickers, you don't need any more cash. Want to break-even? Quit sending out crap!

I made a few donations a couple years ago during a brief period where the money situation was a little less shitty than usual. Now I keep getting all these address labels, along with requests for more donations. I have so many labels I might not ever have to order any ever again. Hell, there's an unopened pack from last Christmas right here on my desk. Some of them even send along a nickel, asking you to send it back, along with additional money. I wonder how many nickels they pissed away on that?

I'm wondering how many people they've driven away with these pushy tactics (although I have to admit I'd rather they send me junk in the mail that I can discard at my leisure than having them harrass me on the phone.) I do know they've driven away at least one person. A close friend of mine, who places a lot of importance on education, used to donate money to public television. One time she sent in a donation, which may have not been a fortune, but it was what she could afford. Sometime after that, she got a letter from them requesting additional money, which strikes me as particularly rude. They also signed her up for a newsletter, which she didn't even want. A few weeks later, when they didn't receive any more money from her, they sent her another letter laying some huge guilt trip on her, and mentioning how much the newsletter that she didn't want was costing them.

Which brings me back to what I said at the beginning of the previous paragraph: she used to donate to public television.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I gave some money to the Red Cross after the big tsunami (which frankly, was probably throwing money down the toilet, but there you go).

Here is the exchange I had with someone who later called my house wanting more money.

Me: No, I won't be donating again. Now or ever.
Rep: Why not?
Me: Because when I dontated the first time, I did so with very clear, concise instructions that I would not be later called on the telephone by you. And yet, here we both are.

She didn't have much to say after that.

[blas87]

Haha, no, that's not what AODA stands for, silly.

If I came across as extremely judgemental, it's also because amongst my mother's 20some years of being a secretary, she spent a couple as the local AODA's secretary, and some stories of some of those characters are enough to make you not want to help them.

[AdminAssistant]

Haha, no, that's not what AODA stands for, silly.

It stands for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, in case anyone else was wondering.

[Boozy]

Me: Because when I dontated the first time, I did so with very clear, concise instructions that I would not be later called on the telephone by you. And yet, here we both are.

That kind of thing drives me nuts. And it's why no one ever gets my phone number.

I once had a sponsorship request from some guy who works in the same building as me. Normally I don't give donations if they're solicited, but this was a charity I would normally support anyhow. I filled out this form and gave him $20. He came back and said, "I need your address and phone number." I said, "Don't worry about it, I won't require a tax receipt for just $20." He said, "They require it." I gave him my address. They insisted on my phone number. I asked for my $20 back, and got it.

Do they not want donations from people without telephones or from those who don't want to be harassed?

[XiaoTortuga]

I cannot and do not want to give blood. And I am sick and tired of schools and workplaces that hold drives and then get judgmental as hell when someone doesn't give. My favorite blood drive story is my ex's.

He cannot give blood. So, work place blood drive, he does not go. People asked if he gave. No. Are you going to? No. Why not??? At this point he has 3 choices, be honest, lie, or tell people to fuck off. He felt no need to lie, these are coworkers he didn't want to offend by saying fuck off. (Are we allowed to say that here?) So he went with the truth. The truth is he was raped as a child by a man. That equals homosexual sex since 1976 which means you cannot give blood. He later got called into his boss's office where he was reprimanded for discussing such unsuitable things in the workplace. Apparently a few of the people who he had this conversation with went and complained.

That made me REALLY mad.

Now, on to charities generally. Yes, all the requests for money from charities are annoying. But, they make money off of them. Yes, people do send in the nickle and a bit extra.

Number one reason people give to charity? They are asked.

I do not give to charities that hire companies to do their asking. I give to charities who I feel are doing good work. Such as Paralyzed Vets of America (who do the nickle thing), who actually run all their own fund drives and actually help out the vets. (At least, it is my understanding that they do.)

[blas87]

Xiao, I understand completely.

There are lots of people who if they COULD give blood or plasma, they would.

I think it's perfectly acceptable that someone would not want to give blood, even if their reasoning is because they are simply just scared. Some people try to face their fear and give blood, and end up passing out before they even get the needle in! I would know, I was one of them back in high school.

Besides, as much as blood is always needed, you can make up for it in giving in other ways. You can select to be an organ donor upon your death, and while you are alive, there are plenty of other organizations to give to

[Slytovhand]

I have a standing authorisation for 3 charities*, and occasionally I'll get a phone call asking for more (well, used to before I moved 8000 Ks ). I don't give blood - for my own reasons.

But I hate the idea of someone trying to 'guilt' someone into donating in the ways that it is often done (blackmail, now there's an idea!!!)

But mostly, if my answer is 'no', then don't harrass me to change it - cos it's not going to change... other than get ruder!

As for Salvation Army, I once had time to use their services. While it's good that such a place exists, I'm not overly happy with the religion aspect being used ... (on weekdays, out by 9, don't come back til 3. on Sundays, if you go to church, then you can stay in all day.. otherwise, out by 9, don't come back til 3.... so, imagine when it's bad weather...).

When I left for China, I gave away a stack of clothes and other stuff. Apparently, my old computer was going to go overseas before I was (to Africa...)

(*FTR - Sporting Wheelies and Disabled - for those who could be depressed and bad after bad accidents, this can be a great way to get back into life; Surf-Lifesavers - for risking their lives to save others... while volunteering!; and MSF - Medicin Sans Frontier - who go places before most other disaster relief has even thought about it (well, so I'm told))

[Savannah]

I figure if you have enough money to send total strangers unsolicited personal crap, such as mailing labels, then you hardly need any money from me. Clearly, you have a surplus.

What a blatant misuse of funds. Not to mention a blatant attempt to manipulate me...which is a foolproof way to end up on my shitlist.

Actually, they're using a well documented psychological principal: if you give someone something, regardless of whether they wanted it, they feel obliged to give something back. For the money they spend on the mailing labels, it's probably a very good deal. That said, you're totally right about it being an attempt to manipulate you.

What really gets me about these charity things is that people all donate at Christmas, which is great, but people hardly ever donate in the rest of the year. I know the animal shelter I volunteer at really has to ask for food towards the late summer and early fall. So I make a point of donating around then, and so far no one has given me grief about not donating around Christmas.