I think fundraisers do an outstanding job, and even though there are days when I get stopped on the street and I'm in a bad mood and being stopped exacerbates the bad mood, I do have to tell myself not to take it out on them because they are working for amazing causes.
Occassionally you'll get a bad apple - I was walking through Cambridge the other day and got stopped by an NSPCC fundraiser. They're one of the most important charities around IMO and I have given them much of my time and money and support in the past. On this occassion I kept walking. The guy followed me into the shopping centre [where the library is, incidentally, which is where I was headed], ordering me to stop, and when I didn't, yelled at me for 'spending my money on shoes and having no time for abused children'. He also called me some rather derogatory names, one of them being 'bitch'. I stopped, to calmly explain that I was headed to the library, that I had £20 to last me the rest of the month, and that I was training to be a therapist to in fact help abused children and adults, and I got more insults hurled at me. The encounter shocked and upset me quite badly, and I was actually afraid of charity fundraisers for a few days because of it.
I currently am budgeting strictly, but I give my time to charities and I make sure I buy a Big Issue once a month. Not much in the gran scheme of things, I know, and it sounds like I'm making excuses for myself. My main argument is that currently my money is not mine to give, because my parents are funding my living expenses and they do give money to charities each month, so it's not fair of me to give their money. But when I was earning last year I donated, and as soon as I am earning again, I will start donating again.
In the meantime i think fundraisers do an amazing job, and my hat goes off to you because I know for a fact i couldn't do it. :)
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Occassionally you'll get a bad apple - I was walking through Cambridge the other day and got stopped by an NSPCC fundraiser. They're one of the most important charities around IMO and I have given them much of my time and money and support in the past. On this occassion I kept walking. The guy followed me into the shopping centre [where the library is, incidentally, which is where I was headed], ordering me to stop, and when I didn't, yelled at me for 'spending my money on shoes and having no time for abused children'. He also called me some rather derogatory names, one of them being 'bitch'. I stopped, to calmly explain that I was headed to the library, that I had £20 to last me the rest of the month, and that I was training to be a therapist to in fact help abused children and adults, and I got more insults hurled at me. The encounter shocked and upset me quite badly, and I was actually afraid of charity fundraisers for a few days because of it.
I currently am budgeting strictly, but I give my time to charities and I make sure I buy a Big Issue once a month. Not much in the gran scheme of things, I know, and it sounds like I'm making excuses for myself. My main argument is that currently my money is not mine to give, because my parents are funding my living expenses and they do give money to charities each month, so it's not fair of me to give their money. But when I was earning last year I donated, and as soon as I am earning again, I will start donating again.
In the meantime i think fundraisers do an amazing job, and my hat goes off to you because I know for a fact i couldn't do it. :)
can has cookie?