Chugger off? Give it Up!
It’s that time of the year when the holiday cheer
inspires philanthropy amongst other things like gift
giving! There’s also my own personal hope that
end-of-year tax will cause an upsurge in donations
even this year!
No matter how we choose to spread our wealth, we will pretend that all money flow this season is a consequence of our benevolence. What more? To cloud our buying decisions, there are more shopping sites making promises to funnel a portion of our spending to charity this year than ever before.
So come December, you are in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and abstaining from all the candy around you is highly unlikely! What you can do, like Charlie, is to sneak a candy just like the other kids, but otherwise be on your best behavior and hope that there is still a huge reward waiting for you in the end!
So, read up on the charity you want to donate to and how the shopping site proposes to direct a part of your money to the charity. You know all the dos and donts. May the force be with you!
Dupont Circle is full of chuggers distributing pamphlets and soliciting donations for obscure causes. They are usually young credulous students themselves, who don't really know who they are representing or what, but seem to think they are carrying out a very worthy task!
Thinking back to the days when I had to stand in the Alternative Gift Fairs all day and get creative with promoting my cause, I can only empathize with them. Given that there are hundreds of other nonprofits representing equally compelling causes, there is this struggle in finding a balance between promoting your cause and marketing it. However, at the alternative gift fairs, there’s one less thing to worry about. People who come there are eager to make a difference and are only looking to find that one exceptional organization that will inspire them to pull out their wallet and contribute. So the pressure is on the advocate! (Me and many like me!)
I mostly have positive things to say about alternative gift fairs, even though I question their long-term benefit to the nonprofit. The experience is especially overwhelming given how many incredible organizations you come across doing remarkable work that is vital and worthy of encouragement. Until that point, you didn’t even know they existed, and suddenly you realize how they are transforming the world unknowing to you. It reminds me of the the Grimm’s Brothers tale - The Elves and the Shoemaker, in which the Elves work secretly by night and produce the most flawless shoes for the shoemaker who wakes up every morning to find that new shoes have appeared magically out of nowhere! Not only that, the gift fairs put on show some of the most benevolent people you might ever come across in your life in the form of donors. The very notion that they want to celebrate Christmas by making a charitable donation is venerable. I can’t think of what would compel them to come to the fair on a cold weekend afternoon, and patiently listen to the work being done by the different charities and then donate to them.
Chuggers on the other hand face an uphill battle from the start. Most often than not, they have nothing to do with the charity they promote, even though they are legally collecting donations. They are paid per-hour or per-donor-signup by an agency (hired by the charity) that takes a huge cut from the donated money. They are told little to nothing about what they are promoting and are in it out of necessity than intention. This in no way should undermine the charity they represent, although it is not to say that all charities are genuine.
They then have to inspire compassion in disgruntled office-goers who have nothing but that blasted 9 o’ clock meeting on their minds.
If you want to support a charity, it would only seem sensible to do it directly through their website, rather than through a chugger (to avoid the chugger fee, poor guy!). Then why do the charities still use this disdainful method? Because they find it beneficial in raising money! (even if it is at the risk of creating a bad reputation for themselves). Especially at this time of economic recession, where nonprofits are even struggling to break even, any little donation is considered good fortune. My heart go out to all the great organizations working in spite of making a loss!
But, I dread walking in Dupont now, out of fear of being hounded by these aggressive young guys. I find them very invasive and have to keep reminding myself to see things from their point of view. So I give in to their unpleasant harangues every now and then out of frustration or guilt or both, and end up being subject to everything from political half-truths to religious propaganda.
Good arguments don’t ever come by, and if they do I think it is only fair that the chugger gets a reward for convincing me. But, this is as plausible or imaginary as heaven and hell. But if he manages to convince me and I donate to the charity online, I am depriving him of his earnings, which is not the most comforting thought!
But, I would still strongly advocate the need to train these chuggers on fundraising ethics. As the visual face of a respectable organization, some real knowledge of the cause they represent would be helpful too!
Happy ThanksforGiving!
No matter how we choose to spread our wealth, we will pretend that all money flow this season is a consequence of our benevolence. What more? To cloud our buying decisions, there are more shopping sites making promises to funnel a portion of our spending to charity this year than ever before.
So come December, you are in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and abstaining from all the candy around you is highly unlikely! What you can do, like Charlie, is to sneak a candy just like the other kids, but otherwise be on your best behavior and hope that there is still a huge reward waiting for you in the end!
So, read up on the charity you want to donate to and how the shopping site proposes to direct a part of your money to the charity. You know all the dos and donts. May the force be with you!
Dupont Circle is full of chuggers distributing pamphlets and soliciting donations for obscure causes. They are usually young credulous students themselves, who don't really know who they are representing or what, but seem to think they are carrying out a very worthy task!
Thinking back to the days when I had to stand in the Alternative Gift Fairs all day and get creative with promoting my cause, I can only empathize with them. Given that there are hundreds of other nonprofits representing equally compelling causes, there is this struggle in finding a balance between promoting your cause and marketing it. However, at the alternative gift fairs, there’s one less thing to worry about. People who come there are eager to make a difference and are only looking to find that one exceptional organization that will inspire them to pull out their wallet and contribute. So the pressure is on the advocate! (Me and many like me!)
I mostly have positive things to say about alternative gift fairs, even though I question their long-term benefit to the nonprofit. The experience is especially overwhelming given how many incredible organizations you come across doing remarkable work that is vital and worthy of encouragement. Until that point, you didn’t even know they existed, and suddenly you realize how they are transforming the world unknowing to you. It reminds me of the the Grimm’s Brothers tale - The Elves and the Shoemaker, in which the Elves work secretly by night and produce the most flawless shoes for the shoemaker who wakes up every morning to find that new shoes have appeared magically out of nowhere! Not only that, the gift fairs put on show some of the most benevolent people you might ever come across in your life in the form of donors. The very notion that they want to celebrate Christmas by making a charitable donation is venerable. I can’t think of what would compel them to come to the fair on a cold weekend afternoon, and patiently listen to the work being done by the different charities and then donate to them.
Chuggers on the other hand face an uphill battle from the start. Most often than not, they have nothing to do with the charity they promote, even though they are legally collecting donations. They are paid per-hour or per-donor-signup by an agency (hired by the charity) that takes a huge cut from the donated money. They are told little to nothing about what they are promoting and are in it out of necessity than intention. This in no way should undermine the charity they represent, although it is not to say that all charities are genuine.
They then have to inspire compassion in disgruntled office-goers who have nothing but that blasted 9 o’ clock meeting on their minds.
If you want to support a charity, it would only seem sensible to do it directly through their website, rather than through a chugger (to avoid the chugger fee, poor guy!). Then why do the charities still use this disdainful method? Because they find it beneficial in raising money! (even if it is at the risk of creating a bad reputation for themselves). Especially at this time of economic recession, where nonprofits are even struggling to break even, any little donation is considered good fortune. My heart go out to all the great organizations working in spite of making a loss!
But, I dread walking in Dupont now, out of fear of being hounded by these aggressive young guys. I find them very invasive and have to keep reminding myself to see things from their point of view. So I give in to their unpleasant harangues every now and then out of frustration or guilt or both, and end up being subject to everything from political half-truths to religious propaganda.
Good arguments don’t ever come by, and if they do I think it is only fair that the chugger gets a reward for convincing me. But, this is as plausible or imaginary as heaven and hell. But if he manages to convince me and I donate to the charity online, I am depriving him of his earnings, which is not the most comforting thought!
But, I would still strongly advocate the need to train these chuggers on fundraising ethics. As the visual face of a respectable organization, some real knowledge of the cause they represent would be helpful too!
Happy ThanksforGiving!
