Charities: research them first

Do you know those people that approach you in big cities asking you to donate money to a cause or to sponsor a child? Have you ever stopped to talk to them and actually listened to what they have to say?

Usually people simply walk by, if you don't make eye contact then they won't start talking to you right? Not always as they are usually paid by how many people they are able to sign up, so they will be trying to get your attention unless someone is actually interested in them.

I've been one of those annoying people who approaches others on the street to try and sign them up for a charity. I got lucky while in Australia and got on with a company that paid a set hourly wage no matter how many people you signed up, though I quickly became disillusioned with it.

I was attempting to get signatures for a petition. I personally wasn't asking for any money from anyone and didn't have to take down credit card numbers, which made me feel better about having the job; but, something was still off.

After going through the interview process and having to sell them on why volleyball was superior to all other sports I was hired and began to go through training. It was actually during training that I realized what it was these people on the street do. Now my job was slightly different because I wasn't looking for money, I was looking for the most signatures possible; so, my presentation wasn't nearly as long as the other peoples whom I was training with.

I was still taught the same basic idea of what to do to get people to sign up. Ultimately, if someone is willing to listen you're supposed to take them on an emotional journey. You describe what is happening, and then you are to make the person listening sad. Once they become saddened by the injustices of the world you are supposed to make them mad, why isn't anyone doing anything about the situation? At this time you level out and make them glad. You tell them they can do something about it, that they can be the change.

Once they listen to you and begin to say no explaining they cannot afford it you are supposed to guilt them by saying, "The way I see it is you're paying the same amount as a cup of coffee a day." You are to try and make them see the smallest amount possible, so they are not deterred by the bigger number.

I cannot say how happy I was to simply be going for as many signatures as possible for a quite widely known group. I, however, quickly became disillusioned with this and not simply because people would swear at me and tell me to go away.

These people were actually few and far between, most people I stopped would be more than happy to sign the petition; but, I needed to get information out of them as well. For example, if I got two phone numbers and an email I would actually be paid a bonus. If I didn't get all of the information I was told their petition wouldn't count. If I didn't get certain information, like an address, their signature was invalid because the group couldn't contact them later. These people who thought they were doing something good, helping with a signature, didn't know I then had to throw away their signed petition because they gave me their phone number, but not their address.

So, as people questioned why I needed their email, their phone numbers, and their addresses I had to come up with an explanation. Ultimately I told a half truth and explained it was so this group could verify they were a real person as to make sure the signature was valid and I wasn't simply making them up. They would then be contacted by the group in the future. This was a half truth because someone from the group would be contacting them later, only it would be for donations not for confirmation they were real people.

Most people took my explanation as valid and would then give me some form of the information. It's safe to say it made me feel badly about signing people up to be asked for money at a later date.

I lasted three days at this job. I felt as though I was compromising my integrity, somehow working for a human rights organization was making me feel terrible. I couldn't believe that these petitions would become void if the person was a student in university because the group knew they couldn't get money out of them later even if they provided me with all of the information. It was ridiculous in my opinion, how someone who wants to help is ignored and doesn't count because they don't have money. It made me question if the petition was even real.

Now I'm not saying don't give to charities and don't sign petitions you believe in. What I want people to take away from my experience is that they should research the company they are giving money to or are signing petitions with. How much of an administrative fee do they take and how much will actually go to those in need?

I'm all for helping others and doing things that will benefit those who may be in need; but, there are definitely better ways to go about helping than some other ways. Some charities in fact take about a 70 percent administrative fee meaning only 30 percent of what is given through them makes it to the intended destination.