Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Grousing. Because I Can

I am really frustrated right now. Here we are, coming up on the holidays. The economy is in the shitter and I get multiple calls a day from non profit organizations wanting a handout donation.

First, Thanksgiving is next week. My niece's birthday is in December, along with that little holiday we know as Christmas. Then, Buddy's birthday is in January and Sissy's is in February. Hellloooo?

Can you guess we're broke from November through March?

Why do these corporations solicit for donations around the holiday? Don't they realize everyone is in a tight spot right now.

One, in particular (and I won't name names), is very persistent - calling up to 3 times a day and finally calling my house at 8:45 pm! Of course, I see the caller ID. And, I don't answer. I don't answer any of them.

Except I made the mistake of answering a call - it was a cell number that seemed familiar. It was Marshall University Alumni Association. It was Sissy's bathtime, so I begged off by saying I was busy (I was), but seriously? My dad paid for every penny of my education....I think they got enough of his money that I should be off the hook forever.

And, it's not that I don't WANT to give.... I would love to. I would love to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, or the animal shelters or breast cancer research, the list goes on and on. But, we are a single income family. We live simply, but we don't have loads of extra cash to be handing out to every charity to call or send mail, etc.

It makes me feel like a grinch. :-(

26 comments:

  1. You aren't a grinch. I hate walking by the bell ringers and not dropping in any money. We're single income as well and I'd be much more likely to give in, say, June. The holiday season is just too tight!

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  2. I know how you feel...we actually had our home phone disconnected when I stayed at home with the kids and went to cells only to stop all the phone calls.

    We are in the same boat with all holidays, anniversary's, and birthday's falling Nov-Feb. I have to save all year just to make it through without going negative!

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  3. It's a shame, federal funds are drying up for these causes and so they ramp up the donation calls to the people. So many do great things but things are gonna be tight this year. NPO's have a hard enough time becaus ethey have to jump through so many goberment hoops to get a few pennies. I am by myself but I have so many expenses now that I have to look at every penny I spend and make sure I'm getting the most out of it. Donations are going to be few and far between this season. Bah humbug!!!

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  4. During the holidays I tend to feel more generous than the rest of the year. I do donate to my alma maters - high school, college and law school. I like to see improvements to campus and programs so I give what I can. Also the high school that I attended is over $10,000 a year now so my donations can help scholarships. I also donate to things that touch me - autism, leukemia and lymphoma and my church.

    I lost my job, yes, but the downshift in the economy hasn't hit me like it has hit other people. I think this is the most important time to donate what you can becuase so many people won't. If you feel strongly about a charity, can't you donate in lieu of giving an actual gift?

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  5. The one that gets me maddest is the one that calls and says they are collecting for the police officer's (or trooper's) fund and gives you a guilt trip if you don't donate but when you ask them to mail you something they won't because it's mail fraud. Why? Because they aren't really sanctioned by the police department. Grrrr.

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  6. I feel exactly as you do, especially when my college calls. My mom and dad gave them enough $$$$ during the 4 1/2 years I was there, plus they doubled the tuition costs in my junior year - for which I've never forgiven them.

    I'd love to be able to donate to every group who needs it, but retired people on SS can't throw money around tht way!

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  7. I know how you feel. i would love to be able to donate to a ton of great organizations. But it is impossible when you live paycheck to paycheck.

    Besides, if I had extra money around The Husband and I would be in Jamaica!

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  8. I have my pet charities and try to give as much as I can. What kills me is that it is never enough. You send a check, they want more...you send another and they are calling for some dinner or another.

    It makes me want to not give a darn thing to anyone.

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  9. I'm with you, catch me mid year when I'm not freaked out about money.

    I'd love to give more, just can't happen right now.

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  10. Don't let them make you feel like the Grinch. There's only so much that people have to give, and the more you give the more they want.

    I'd rather throw donations in the Salvation Army's red buckets than send stuff off through the mail.

    I do tell them that "my husband makes all financial decisions and he only does so through the mail" then I give them the PO Box and ask them to place me on their Do Not Call list so their workers don't waste precious phone time. Unlike TICAN, I never got anything from one of them addressed to First Name Immabitch either. A lot of them stop calling.

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  11. You're smart, not a grinch. One deposit to a non-profit and you're forever on their mailing list. It's shocking to see how much waste their is in their multiples of mass mailings!

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  12. When my husband's college calls for donations, we always say no, but I feel like telling them we donate every month - In the form of student loans!

    I do feel that we need to do SOMETHING around the holidays. Yesterday my son chose a tag from a local angel tree and we will be buying a gift for a 7 year old boy.

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  13. I agree with everyone. These are definitely "hard times" at the moment. I live on a fixed income, and when some of these callers get persistant, I am forced to just hang up the phone. I wonder, are these callers so independently wealthy and out of touch - they don't understand the word NO? Most of these people have quotas to meet, but please - I wish they'd take me off their lists.

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  14. I don't like the calls one bit either. I guess it is still profitable for them to call, but I cannot imagine how.

    It would seem to me that folks who give to charity are already doing that and that only a small number of folks do anything just because it is the holidays...maybe i am wrong...

    Anyhow, I am with you on this one for sure!

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  15. I always feel like crap when I can't donate when I'm asked. I so agree, calling around the holidays should be a big big NO-NO

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  16. You are NOT a grinch! It's just that those "donation getters" just try to capitalize on your generous feelings around the holidays! don't let it get you down!

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  17. I usually try to give a little bit when I can. I like to show the boys that it's important to help others, no matter what your situation.

    That being said, I understand what you're saying!

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  18. You only need to donate what you are comfortable giving and on your own terms. There is nothing wrong with that. Unsolicited calls are an automatic "no donation" with me. And IF I answer the phone in error for one of these calls, that is exactly what I tell them and please take me off their list.

    We DO donate to local charities. I would rather see my funds going to people in my area that need it rather than the national organizations. In fact, we were just at a Christmas charitable function tonight...admission was $20 a person or an unwrapped toy. I bought $100 worth of toys at the Mart of Wal yesterday. For that admission price, the 5 of us get to sample food from about 20 local resturants. There are basket raffles, a Christmas tree raffle, a fire pit raffle and the local pet shelter has a drawing for 2 dogs and 3 cats, It's fun, we all eat way too much and I'm happy to donate toys to kids in need.

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  19. I hate phone solicitation but you gotta feel sorry for the people who have to take that job for survival! Thank goodness for caller I.D. I never answer either but now that it's on my brain, since we switched to Vonage more than a year ago, I can't remember receiving one :)

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  20. I really hate how the cashiers at the register ask if you'd like to give a $ to some such charity or another.

    I do get a guilt trip and say yes occasionally, but if I Said yes everytime I'd be more broke than I am!

    I think donating time and/or goods is just as valuable as money. I'm trying to get involved with a local charity here.

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  21. I always tell them I do not accept phone solicitations. I support my local community in as many ways as I can. I am sure you do too. You support Buddy's school, other Moms, you share with all of us. Feel no guilt.

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  22. I'm joining the Grinch side of things here as I'm single income, Scooter refuses to pitch in at all. I mean if I call all these "Charaties" and ask for money they ignore me so why should I pay them anything??? I do sporadically give to Bell ringers or Feed the Hungry sort of things when I spot them though.

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  23. I hear ya, Grinchy! Lol. We are a single-income family while I go back to school, AND our single income source just informed us that they will be closing down next month! Great. Right in time for holidays! Thanks, guys! We will somehow manage. Now I just need to figure out what that "somehow" will entail.

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  24. I hear ya! My son, my nephew and my brother's birthdays are in Dec, and my sister and my nephew's are in Feb. It's the most wonderful time of the year ;)

    I give a little to three or four charities all throughout the year, and I usually adopt a family for Christmas, but it's going to be rough this year. My broken tooth blew the motherload!

    I never, ever give money to anyone who bothers me on the phone. If you want money from me, do not ever call me!!!

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  25. Know how you feel, read about little Lucy Waldesien who had a benefit raffle raise $25000 thanks to the Black Powder Cartridge Rifle shooters in the American West with the winner getting a really nice custom rifle from Montana Vintage Arms where her father works. I wanted to pick up the phone and set up a $250k trust to cover all the expenses of her rare form of cancer. The problem is my pot's empty and I'm darn lucky to have a pot at all. I'll send something, but when I get all those calls, I usually just hang up since our local church does a lot around here and I give through them.

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  26. Want to get them off your back? Ask them if there is a site on the web that is public (for public scrutiny) that justifies where the donations go.

    Ask them how much actually goes to the cause.

    What you will find is that many of the donations that are asked for goes to pay salaries of particular individuals and not the actual cause.

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