as i make more friends through running, cycling and triathlon, suddenly i’m getting barraged with fundraising efforts. i hate to say no, but it’s getting outta hand. i already donate generously to many charitable causes and ytd, i’ve given c-notes to 8 acquaintances/friends running for this or triathlonning for that.
i’m no scrooge, but what’s a polite way to say no? it’s kinda awkward with emails in particular. if i answer every email and then ignore a “fundraising” email, isn’t this rude to a friend? and is $25 considered cheap? i’ve been giving $100.
Ugh…I hate being asked for money. If they are a good friend, donate the $100, if they are someone you see occasionally but still consider a friend, give $25. If it a friend of a friend or a tenuous relationship, don’t give anything. You can always tell them you’ve committed to supporting someone else’s fundrasing efforts for the season.
When I get calls at home from charities I always tell them I give my time and money to a non-profit already and they usually can’t argue with that.
Ok, try this, make a challenge out of it for them. Tell them that you donate depending on their race performance. $100 for an age group win, $50 for a second place age group finish and $25 for third. Nothing for not making it to the podium.
So it’s really their fault if they don’t raise money through you. Just don’t have any fast friends.
I have been on both the receiving and sending end of those emails. If I get them and I like the cause, I contribute, if not I ignore the email.
As a sender, I would hope my friends would feel like they can do the same and not donate just because they feel they have to. I would just ignore it though.
I give $25 to almost anybody who asks me escpecially if they ask me in person rather than via a letter or email.
I give $50-100 for those I consider friends and some relatives.
Highest I ever donated was $500 to my sister’s efforts for cancer research. She ended up raising $15k, so I thought about asking her for the $500 back (just kidding).
FWIW, I also give to every girl scout selling cookies who comes to my door, every boy scout who wants to take away my tree at Christmas, and every school and organization I belong to or once did.
I do draw the line, however, with unsolicited calls I receive during the dinner hours or on weekends. In those cases I will politely tell them that what they are doing for the community/etc. is great, but that I have already allocated funds for the year to other organazations, so that they should try me again next year. They almost never do because the folks doing the fundraising are only interested in my contribution if I make it right then while on the call.
It definitely seems out of hand some time. My pet peeve is when I am approached at a club meeting and handed a card for someone who is fundraising - - at least you can simply ignore an email. The face to face can make it awkward. I usually accept the card and say something polite with the intention of giving them a few bucks but more often than not I forget and then when I do remember that I forgot I wonder if the person thinks I’m a prick for not donating to their cause. I sure hope people who fundriase aren’t judgemental!
I give to people I know, causes I like etc. Realize that if they are emailing you, they probably are emailing a lot of people and won’t even notice if you don’t respond. Also, since I’ve frequently been the offender here as well I can tell you that I don’t expect donations. I ask, via email, so that the person can choose to ignore it. I am actually more surprised when people give at all - - especially since they, like me, are probably bombarded with fundraising requests.
a simple “no thank you” usually works. If they give me a funny look, then I explain we have our own charities that we give to and I appreciate them thinking of me as a caring person enough to ask.
When my sister raised the $15k, one of her contributors asked her the most recent PR she had for the race (NYC marathon), her goal time, and a pie in the sky time, and he put $$$ into each level she reached. He pledged about three months out, so she reminded herself of the various levels every time she wanted to back out of a workout or didn’t feel like pushing.
In the end she did not meet the highest goal, but the guy gave her the $$$ anyway.
Like the previous response, the Delete button works wonders for such messages but I find that e-mails with links at the bottom promoting the charitable cause are less obtrusive. Sending me a long winded boiler plate fund raising proposal from a contact or distribution list is a quick way to end up in my e-mail SPAM filter. As for telemarketing fundraisers, while some charities are exempt, taking advantage of the “one-stop” opt-out option by calling (888) 567-8688 or visiting the https://www.optoutprescreen.com web site which prevents the major credit reporting agencies from selling your credit information to companies such as those making pre-approved offers of credit or insurance can also go a long way towards reducing the amount of fundraising telemarketers. The pitfall to this is that if you have made a dontation to the calling organization in the past, that contribution constitutes a pre-existing relationship and if not already so, exempts the charity from the FTC opt-out and do-not-call list rules.
I had a similar problem with a former business I owned where we were always being asked to support various causes. Here’s what I’d suggest…
When asked to support someone explain that due to the large number of requests that you get, you have decided to plan your support each year. This year you have already allocated your support, but if they’d like to have your support next year they should send you an email pleading their case. You’ll then take a look at all of the requests at the beginning of the year and decide who you’ll support and at what level. In the meantime, you can set aside a little money and give each of them say $5 as a gesture of your support and encouragement.
I realize that this approach worked well for me as a buiness owner and may be a little more akward when dealing with friends, but it’s an option to consider.
I work for a non-profit and have been in charge of numerous campaigns. With that, I never give to charities who don’t make the effort to get an individual person from my community to make the plea in person. In all the campaigns I have completed, I have had to build networks of people who truly believed in the program and made the effort to promote what the organization was doing, on top of asking for financial support.
If all an organization cares to do is e-mail, telemarket or send a letter, then they are not making a proper, professional effort to gain your support.
If there is one thing that people who raise money for charity are used to, it is people saying no. They will not take it too personal.
I too work in the not for profit sector. For most of my career I have worked for or with non profits on various campaigns and events ranging in size from hundreds in funds raised to millions raised. I realize the importance of having those involved with your organization being committed and personally invested and agree with the points you made.
The intent of my post was not to say that you should encourage people to simply email you for support. The OP referred to friends who had already made a personal plea for support. My suggestion of having them email or write to you to make a case for why you should support was simply the next step. In my experience, those who are truly committed will take the time to give you the information you need to decide how important their cause is and whether or not it is something you are interested in supporting. This acts as somewhat of a filter to weed out those not invested in their campaign or case for support and also give you the info you need to make an informed decision.
My first question is “What portion of my donation is going to the charity?” If they can honestly tell me that 100% of my donation is going directly to the charity, then I consider donating. If, as is often the case with TnT folks, 75% of the donation is going to the charity and 25% of the donation is going towards paying for transportation, hotel, entry, and pre-race meal for the “fund-raiser” then I tell them no thanks. I don’t give to charity so that you can have a free race. I’ll gladly support Leukemia and Lymphoma research, but there’s no reason I should give you a 25% cut…
Sorry, but I think TnT is very deceptive and I wish they had to be more clear about how the funds are used.
Just tell them that you like to help out as much as you can, but you’re already over your limit for the year. Tell them to get to you earlier next year.
*By the way, would you consider a donation to the Homeless-Korean-Veteran-Amputees-With-Epstein-Barr-Syndrome-Fund? *
$25 is fine no matter how much money you make or have. If you want to give more because the person is a good friend go for it. But, ignoring the request or giving nothing is a problem in my mind. After all, its for a good cause. Its a little silly to think that the person requesting money is doing something extremely unselfish and your response is to be selfish. Especially when you see that person at the training ride after their race and you just bought a new powermeter, wheels, or whatever else.
I go by the Colin Cowherd (Espn radio) approach. If you say it out loud and it doesnt sound right, something is wrong. So say this out loud.
“Rather than donating $25 to the children with brain damage fund, I bought myself a powertap for $1500.”
