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Do you give money to door-to-door charity canvassers?
The following post was written by guest contributor Jose Gonzalez who briefly worked for a company in Toronto that hired him to go door-to-door seeking donations for charity. He underscores that not all of these companies are bad, but that everyone should be rightly sceptical and do their research before handing over money at the door. We thought this post is particularly timely given the recent tragedy in Japan.
The toughest part isn't having someone tell you that they don't care about starving orphans or getting trapped in a conversation with an old racist man. The most dreadful part of work as a canvasser in a mulit-level-marketing company is the dirty feeling you get from lying to everyone you meet.
Not all canvassers are trying to mislead the people they talk to, but while working for a less reputable company, I did learn a few ways in which idealistic young employees are tricked into lying for what seems like a worthy cause. The campaign I was assigned to work on was a charity collecting for victims of hurricanes and earthquakes.
The pitch begins by being overly friendly, always wearing a smile regardless of the weather. Then you'll get a problem of some kind, in my case it was helping people in Haiti, and very casually that will be followed by a solution that usually involves you signing up for a donation plan.
Regardless of how many people anyone would talk to in a day, you'll invariably hear how helpful all your neighbours have been, a powerful psychological trick called the Jones effect which is designed to make you feel like you need to keep up with potentially more charitable neighbours. Other techniques are smalltalk, painfully scripted jokes, and even some flirting.
Of course, these are all old sales tricks, where things started getting weird was when I was encouraged not to let anyone know I was earning a commission. Obviously a red flag for a charity worker, so I was taught all sorts of half-truths to ensure no one would know I would make anything off their donation like saying "I'm currently working for free" before someone signs up, which is when I'd actually earn the commission.
The commissions were higher than the initial donations, but this would supposedly be offset by monthly donations over time. To improve our numbers and to earn a nice commission, we'd tell people to sign up for one month, and then cancel right away, meaning a huge portion of the donation isn't going to the charity.
One question I was constantly asked was if instead of signing up a donation through me, they could instead make it online. It'd obviously be easier to do that instead of giving financial info to a complete stranger, but I was instructed to tell them that by donating through me, a corporate sponsor would triple match their donation, which you couldn't do online. I later learned that this special promotion was just as available online, and I was essentially lying to improve my company's image through a lot of direct sign-ups.
Not all canvassers are out to trick you out of your money, but it's important to know what might be happening to your money if you choose to donate, so try to make sure anyone who comes to your door isn't working for a marketing group and doesn't have a commission at stake.
Do you give money to door-to-door canvassers? Share your experience and opinions in the comments below.
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Now again, my former employer may have their flaws, but when it comes to the ethical standards of their fundraisers, and their genuine passion, trust me when I say there's a big difference between them, and the commission-based companies out there (if someone from Public Outreach interacts with you, listen to them - they are the only non-commissioned based company in the city, truly) I went door-to-door for three years, so I know the business.
As a donor myself, just ask questions. I still work with charities and every single one will tell you they want long-term commitment, and that ultimately means being respectful of the donor (which is why commission-based fundraising doesn't work) Ask about the company the canvasser works with - they should have the company name on the badge, so if you're engaged, call the number (definitely call the charity as well - they'll be happy to speak with you) A good canvasser will WANT you to do that - a good canvasser will be patient, respectful, understanding and not guilt-trip you, and whether or not you can or wish to give, it doesn't hurt to listen.
Hope that helps!
Me: (lying) I already do.
Canvasser: Oh.
Me: Bye bye.
The end.
Not only does the marketing company that sends them forth take a huge chunk of whatever you donate (don't bother asking them, the door to door or street people are told to lie) but I can't walk ten feet without somebody trying to flag me down for yet another cause.
Not to mention that everywhere you donate to sells your info to others so they can all go after you for money. (if you've ever wondered why you donate to UNICEF and then get direct mailings from eight other charities, that's why)
As a result, sadly, I no longer donate to charity in any way shape or form.
If I had the money, I think I would have actually signed up through her, if I was able to provide payment securely, which is the major barrier for most I think.
Charities that sell my address never get another dime either.
There are way too many questionable charities often mixing personal interests or political goals with their good works. I will only donate when I have direct knowledge what the money will be going to.
In terms of payment security, the three digit code on the back of a credit card is never taken, and some companies do have electronic sign-up devices (something you'd use at any store) Donor security is of a high priority.
I can understand hesitation, but again, there are perfectly legitimate, effective operations out there doing this kind of work, and if you go to the charities directly, they'll tell you in crystal clear detail the positive reasons for this kind of outreach (and even show you numbers/data to prove it) At my previous company, one lie to a donor would be enough to merit dismissal.
For me, I couldn't hire someone unless they were passionate about the causes they'd represent. I wouldn't want anyone to 'fake' it. I knew that those people would be genuine, and represent with integrity. It doesn't mean there aren't bad experiences and bad fundraisers with low or no ethics out there.
For all the bad ones, though, there are genuinely good ones, doing honest work, and helping.
Again, be informed. Of course be critical, but if you're genuinely interested in giving, talk to the charities and they'll be happy to dialogue with you about any matter related to fundraising.
Honestly, if anyone is considering getting into this, do your research. I quit my job and moved to Mississauga for this job because they were so convincing. Instead of what they told me I was going to do, the job turned out to be going door-to-door and begging people to sign up to sponsor whatever charity (i.e. Sick Kids). They dropped me off in a suburb in Mississauga and came back 8 hours later to pick me up. I also was told I would get paid 40 dollars whenever someone signed on for the year. This was all the money I would be paid, so if I didn't get anyone to sign up, I would get no money.
I was told that if someone said they already donated to the charity, I had to say that someone down the street also already donates but decided to donate double the amount in order to guilt them into it. Needless to say I never came back after that first day...
It was such a scam, for me, for the people donating, and for the charities.
I have on occasion turned down someone at the door and after further investigation made a donation.
Generally I try to turn the solicitor down gently as in general I don't approve of door to door solicitation.
my multi-level government is good at writing cheques to those less fortunate; so I can be sure that my taxes are going to pay for something somewhere in the world.
be it through TCHC or Haiti relief efforts, the government is always there willing to write cheques on my behalf. thanks government!
GG Cookies and Scout apples are always welcome at my house so long as a child is the "vendor" at my door.
After that, I don't answer my door if i don't know who you are.
Leaving flyers behind if I'm not home is littering in my mind.
No matter how you sign up (commission vs. non-commission) KEEP GIVING. Don't sign up if you don't believe in the cause, and don't sign up if you're unwilling or unable to keep doing it. Charities NEED money, and helping people in need is a very important thing to do. People around the world die everyday needlessly and it's very sad to read some of these comments. Everyday, children die from Diarrhea you know...
Of course the person who didn't make money for the charity for a month no longer had a job...that would negate the idea of cost effectiveness but the happy and relaxed fundraisers that come to my door still look like they are having a pretty good time even if there's a conversation, an offer of a drink of water or tea and I still say that I am not interested in donating.
The Canadian Revenue Agency has guidelines for how much a charity can spend on fundraising and administration - if charities do not abide by the rules, they loose their charitable status. Also, all registered charities are required to disclose their financial data on the Canadian Revenue Agency website. If you're unsure about a particular charity, look them up.
I realize this may be difficult to do with a canvasser at your door, but that could be part of the process. The canvasser could be the initial outreach that gets you acquainted with a particular charity. After speaking to them for a while, get their information, research the charity online, then make a donation to the charity directly – make sure to referr to the canvasser who started the whole process.
If it is not a scam, and is a real door to door charity like Greenpeace or the Wilderness Committee, they will have your past supporter information. So you can't say "I already donate," because they will know you are making it up.
Why not just say no? Passive agressive people have issues!
Found this article via searching "windsor ontario sick kids door to door canvassing"
I have an interview with Pubic Outreach soon too! Not sure if it's worth going for seeing so many scam marketing companies like Vector and Simple Concepts. Please let me how it went and whether it's worth to invest my summer in! :)
I sent you a response to your e-mail address, check it out.
I did not get the opportunity for street and door-to-door fund raising with Public Outreach they had so many candidates that they just chose the best ones, but I was told that I could re-aply. I am passionate about raising money for causes that help people directly causes such as Because I Am A Girl.
Seeing as you have worked in this field for awhile do you have any advice and information for me on how to get started in something like this? I started my own faith based outreach in August 2011 to women in Toronto Canada, and the surrounding area, who work in adult establishments who want to leave the industry and turn their lives around. I also desire to reach out to victims of human trafficking.
Thank you!
Sorry about the misunderstanding I thought that I was responding to your e-mail address.
I was not chosen for the opportunity at Public Outreach, I did not get to research them as much as I would have liked to but to the best of my discernment they look legitimate. See if you can talk with people who have worked there (try looking on linkedin and if you are not on there yet I recommend setting up a profile it's exclusively for professional networking). Do a google search on them and check youtube as well to see what people are saying. After doing these things if you like what you see and hear then definitely go with them for the summer.
As for the interview it was a group interview, it was relaxed and casual. They are looking for candidates whom they are confident will have no problem flagging down people on the street to enthusiastically tell them about the cause for which they are fund raising. On the application form they ask you which causes you would like to do fund raising for as well as the ones you don't want. We were given a test at the close of the interview to go out on the street to collect signatures for a petition: the goal isn't to see who can get them the fastest but just for the recruiter to see how you interact with people.
I hope that I have been helpful to you!
Thanks!
Did they tell you that they would call you back as to whether you are hired or not or did they say that they would call you to begin training? If they did not mention training specifically for you then they will call you to let you know if you were hired.
I did not get a call either and had to call their hiring office to see what was going on: in my case I was not hired because they had so many applicants to choose from that they just chose the best ones. I never did face to face fundraising before so I chock it up to my lack of experience that put me at the bottom of the many people to choose from but then it could have just been someone who really was better than me, who knows? The guy on the phone at the recruiting department told me that they chose the best applicants and that they choose ones who they believe will have no problem flagging down people to talk with them about the cause and do it with enthusiasm.
I am still going to look into face to face fundraising opportunities, I'm sure that someone will want to bring me on board and train me. By the way if you want to include me in your list of professional networks I have a linkedin profile here's my link http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcarlyfournier
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