Anti-Chugger Campaign
They're springing up all over the place. They wear plastic bibs (usually blue), stand on major streets, carry clipboards, and try to guilt you into signing a standing order and giving £/€10 or more each month to their cause. The charities prefer to call them face-to-face fundraisers; the term I prefer is "chuggers", standing for "Charity Muggers".
I feel I should stress that I am in no way against charities and I give myself on a regular basis by sending a cheque in the post. This has no cost to the charity (bar a possible bank fee on my cheque) and means a much higher percentage of my payment goes to the causes that need it.
The truths that they don't want you to know
- The vast majority of chuggers are paid employees, earning £8/€12 or more per hour. They're employed by one or another agencies, who bill the charity steeply for each standing order they send in.
- Some chuggers are on commission, although most deny it.
- It takes up to a year from when you are signed up before the charity starts to benefit from your standing order, due to the amount they pay to the agency.
- Chuggers are unregulated, unlicensed, and unpopular with businesses who say they negatively affect revenue due to people taking drastic steps to avoid them.
- According to the UK organization Charity Check (leaflet CC20), chuggers are obliged to tell you that they are paid and what proportion of your donation goes to them or their agency. Most do not.
- Chugger agency Fruitful Fundraising cost charities including Barnardo's, Scope, and the Children's Society a total of £800,000 (€1.2m) when it went bust last year.
Positive ways of dealing with chuggers
- Tell them that you will give them a cheque or a cash donation. (This they will refuse because they aren't licensed to accept them.) Then say that you're not willing to give otherwise.
- Say that you don't have time to talk to them.
- Ask how much of the money goes to the charity. If they say it all goes, tell them they're lying and give them this website address. And otherwise you can excuse your decision not to support them.
It's worth noting that you can still set up a standing order if you want to benefit the charity that way. Ask for the charity's bank details, then send a letter to your bank asking them to set up the standing order from your account. This way, the charity gets all the amount you send and isn't hobbled by the commission paid to the agency.
If you've been chugged
Needless to say, you are under no obligation to continue giving. You can cancel a standing order or direct debit at any time by giving written notice to your bank. You do not have to notify the charity, although it's probably polite to. You can also use the letter to require the charity to take you off their mailing list.
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