Appeal asking you to donate by SMS? Might be better to donate online. When you donate by SMS, you get a follow up call from a “professional fundraising company” who will do everything possible to convince you to set up a standing order (because that’s how they get paid).
I understand that charities have to do whatever it takes in difficult times, but my wife said my face had turned purple by the time I’d finished on the phone with them.
My guess is that the SMS is not so much about making donations easy, as getting a foot in the door. Next time I won’t make the same mistake.
But the fundraising professionals are not alone. A lot of charities now follow up donations with a plea for more, even when you’ve given all that you can afford, in some strange belief that you’re not doing enough.
Of course I know the situation on the ground… that’s why I donated in the first place… please don’t emotionally blackmail me…
Honestly, it all leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. Today’s charities need a lesson in manners, if not ethics.
Last modified: 10 December 2014
