Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Red Cross door to door collections?
Now I know they use chuggers, both street and phone, but is this a new tactic? I'll ring em tomorrow and find out. But it just don't seem right. they are on Pemberton at the mo.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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We had a young woman from the Red Cross round tonight. Seemed bona fide, but I would never sign up to something on the doorstep.
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They don't ask for cash on the doorstep any more, but want you to sign up for regular monthly donations. I remember doing a little envelope collection for Oxfam when I first moved here in the 90 but don't think anyone does them these days.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I regularly get 'door to door chuggers' calling, today the Red Cross and last week Amnesty but like Maddy I don't sign up to things on doorsteps. I think most of them are probably legit, my husband signed up to support the VSO from one of these cold calls (so obviously these tactics do work) but as with anything, exercising a bit of caution and giving a ring to the organisation is probably an excellent idea
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Permalink Reply by JB on
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yes they rang my door bell yesterday. seemed genuine but i had some doubts too.
i don't sponsor charities this way as i don't want to encourage these strategies by charities to get donations - like the people who accost you on the street asking you to sign up for donations. I donate online when I choose to instead.
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With the demise, dissipation, dissolution, destruction of the NHS, the Red Cross and Medicins sans Frontieres are to set up field-hospitals and clinics along the Ladder. The Red Crescent is to supply 'barefoot doctors' for Wightman Road. St Anns Hospital is the triage centre for all three. Please give generously or sign up as a Ladderette volunteer.
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They were on Burgoyne yesterday - all ID, direct debit forms and thankyou set of teabag and tomato plant seeds (!) are as they should be, having shared a house with a guy who did the same job, last year. As ever, caveat emptor, but these guys seem to be bona fide.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Collecting cash this way seems almost legit, as they cant collect cash on the street. But if they are chugging for direct debits, they can %^&^%$%££ off.
Actually why can't they collect cash on the street? Used to be OK. UCKG still do it all over the place.
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Permalink Reply by RNM on
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The Red Cross were on Fairfax last week too. They are genuine - I emailed them to check as they annoyed me by calling really late and waking up my child and I thought it was a bit dodgy to knock so late on people's doors.
The RC says the door-to-door folks work up till 9pm to get the post-work crowd but after I sent them multiple links from HoL and explained how many scams we get door-to-door here, the RC said it may well review using it in this area in future. Or not.
Um, so there you go.
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Permalink Reply by Abi on
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We've had the Red Cross guys on the N4/N15 border - perfectly nice kids, and most probably legit. But I was pretty clear with them about not wanting to sign up on the doorstep and noticed every one of my neighbours who was in doing the same! I'm not sure what they're getting out of it, tbh. Most people find it pretty intrusive and even if they do get a handful of signups I think stats have shown that the majority withdraw after not very long anyway.
Shame, as it's a really good cause. Made me consider looking into it online, which I guess is a result for them of sorts, but it really annoyed me being 'doorstepped' like that
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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I saw Liz's comment about signing up on the door step in response to approaches like this, I read somewhere that only about 15-20% of what is paid in the first year of any donation raised via a chugger will go to the charity, the rest going to pay for the chugger- they don't do it for free.
I tried to find something to reference this made up statisic, and could not find the article, but I did find these below from a recent article.
"Shelter, which helps the homeless and badly housed and which has a street fundraising presence in Greater Manchester, says that “47 per cent of our active regular givers who were recruited through face to face fundraising.” That, it says, is a little over 50,000 supporters.
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The British Heart foundation told Newsnight that it paid the equivalent of £136 for every signature secured by door-to-door fundraisers, with Cancer Research UK saying it paid £112 to recruit each donor."
If you feel the need to respond to a chugger then my suggestion is go to the charity direct. My wife was accosted by one a few years ago and signed up. I immidiately called the charity to cancel the donation, and immidiately reset up a DD with them directly- the chugger had not told my wife that they were a paid agent, and that her donation would go (partly) to them... I was furious! This way I made sure the chariry, one we wanted to support anyway, got the benefit.
I hate Chuggers! I hate them because the are essentially mecenaries. They do not raise money because they beleive in the cause, I hate that they knock on my door when I am putting my kids to bed or in the middle of my dinner, I hate that they pretend to be my friend to get something from me. Sadly thought they seem to be a bloodline for charities....
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When I was young, which is soooo many years ago, I did door to door fund raising and received a (very poor) commission. I did it because I was unemployed, I couldn't get any other work, it kept me going until I did find work, and it kept me from going on the dole. Most chuggers are young and are just answering adverts for casual work to earn a bit of money they are not evil, they are not plotting to rob and pillage, they are just trying to get by. I don't like them calling at my door either but I blame this system of collecting donations and the charities, but then they are just trying to raise money too. There are enough things in this world worthy of 'hate' e.g. I hate the super rich who are making money at the expense of the ordinary people, I hate that this world is so unequal that there has to be charities at all. Chuggers are small fry, if you don't like them calling then complain to the charities, maybe if enough people complained then they would change tactics. Also simply putting a 'No Cold Callers' sign on the door seems to work and will save getting furious. Enjoy the day
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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I had a nice chat to one young man yesterday from the Red Cross. I already donate on a monthly basis and we were talking a bit about their new focus on social care and elderly that is coming up. So, yes, these are legit people trying to get more to sign up. It is annoying to be disturbed at home- I only spoke to him cus was outside polishing my boots. It's a job for them though- better they are in work of some kind than being on benefits or ransacking mobile phone shops? Red X and other charities rely so much on volunteers but sometimes they have to pay some people to do some of the work.
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