In town on Saturday...

blondie83

...was walking down Grafton Street and saw a fella collecting for PAWS animal charity. Bought a little sticky thing off him for €3 (they were €2.50, but I didn't have 50c on mw so just gave the 3), as I think they do good work, and I like to give to animal charities. Anyway today was browsing and saw an advert on a job-site looking for people to work for PAWS collecting in the City Centre. Now this annoys me, because charity collecting tends to be commission based, and I thought I was giving the money to the charity itself, not to the guy collecting for them! I might be wrong here, as I don't know how they themselves work it, but I reckon ppl getting commission should have to say or something so you know where your donations going - what do you all think?

Takk

What town?

Dragan

blondie83 wrote: »

...was walking down Grafton Street and saw a fella collecting for PAWS animal charity. Bought a little sticky thing off him for €3 (they were €2.50, but I didn't have 50c on mw so just gave the 3), as I think they do good work, and I like to give to animal charities. Anyway today was browsing and saw an advert on a job-site looking for people to work for PAWS collecting in the City Centre. Now this annoys me, because charity collecting tends to be commission based, and I thought I was giving the money to the charity itself, not to the guy collecting for them! I might be wrong here, as I don't know how they themselves work it, but I reckon ppl getting commission should have to say or something so you know where your donations going - what do you all think?

If you knew charity collection tends to be commission based, why are you shocked the person you gave money too is getting commission?

mikom

Dogtown?

Blisterman

There's always one person...
The thread isn't at all Dublin specific Takk.

TheZohanS

Moved to Town Forum.

stovelid

Takk wrote: »

What town?

The only one that matters.

Clue: not Bogtown.

griffdaddy

Takk wrote: »

What town?

How can people from outside the pale here still feign outrage everytime somebody starts a thread relating to dublin? If anything it just furthers the stereotype of the small-minded parochial bumpkin even further

blondie83

Dragan wrote: »

If you knew charity collection tends to be commission based, why are you shocked the person you gave money too is getting commission?

I suppose I just assumed that he was collecting out of the goodness of his heart as it was Christmas, stupid I know! I didn't think anything else untill today when I saw the ad on the job website

Takk wrote:

What town?

Dublin town! :cool:

stovelid

Why does every thread that doesn't explicitly define Town or City Centre get shunted to DC because a few silage-encrusted nutbags start whinging? Can't they just edit the OP?

adamski8

thats why i always say no to them and feel zero guilt. if they pester me i say why dont they give some of their wages instead.

Danye

blondie83 wrote: »

I suppose I just assumed that he was collecting out of the goodness of his heart as it was Christmas, stupid I know! I didn't think anything else untill today when I saw the ad on the job website

Dublin town! :cool:

Something Similar happened to me a couple of years ago on the main street in bray, when I was working out there.

Approached by a guy, with a concern bib on, and I was very nearly going to sign up, I would be happy to help in anyway I could and it was only a fiver a week or something.

In anyway I started asking a few questions, because I have always been told that very little of the money actually goes to the people in need. As it turned out, he admitted that what I would be paying would actually be only paying his wages and NONE of my money would be actually going to the poor people that needed it.

Safe to say I didnt sign up.

bugler

So far as I'm aware, nearly all chuggers are working off commission, and don't really for for Concern/Oxfam etc. However I wouldn't have thought those collecting cash or selling small trinkets would be paid workers. There are a lot of those PAWS people around, so I guess it makes sense.

FYI, many charitable organisations, such as Threshold, use volunteer collectors only.

All that said, I think if you're serious about charitable donations then set up a standing order or even a once off payment to a charity of your choice, it doesn't matter how small the amount is. I don't give to charities on the street as a general rule.

As it turned out, he admitted that what I would be paying would actually be only paying his wages and NONE of my money would be actually going to the poor people that needed it.

That doesn't make any sense.

Danye

bugler wrote: »

That doesn't make any sense.

How does it not??

Blisterman

I think the lesson to be learned is to contact the charities directly to make a direct debit, rather than signing up off someone on the street.

weldoninhio

Danye wrote: »

How does it not??

It doesn't make sense, because if NONE of the money was going to the charity, he would basically be a begger in a concern bib.

As far as i know chuggers get about 70% of what they earn as commission. 30% goes to the charity.

Danye

weldoninhio wrote: »

It doesn't make sense, because if NONE of the money was going to the charity, he would basically be a begger in a concern bib.

As far as i know chuggers get about 70% of what they earn as commission. 30% goes to the charity.

Well maybe it was the way I worded it, but he explained to me that he would need to sign a certain amount up, just to pay his wages for the day, and anything after that would go to the charity.

And seen as do he was no where near the quota he needed, what ever I contribuated would be only helping pay his wages and not reach the people who I thought would be recieving it.

bubbly123

No that doesn't make sense. Sure if that was the case he'd make his wages and then head home. The 70-30% sounds more plausible.

actuallylike

They get a ridiculous amount of money for what they do. Went for a job interview a few years back for them. Didn't know it was the charity lads but their jobs.ie description was completely misleading. It says something along the lines of "calling all backpackers and thrillseekers", so I went down to their interview curious and when I saw what it was I was peeved to say the least. I let the guy know how bent it was to be so misleading just to get you in the door, I mean I missed my whole day making my way out to it. I only told him at the end though, wanted to sit in on the induction to get some inside information.

Basically, your first week, you get a fee of something pitiful like €200-€250 but if you make a weekly quota of something like 14 people signing up, you make up to €700!!! Absolute crazy money, then a few months later I bumped into an ex boyfriend of my mates who was the team leader of a bunch of them in town and he said he makes well over a grand a week!!! Scary money.