Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Next Time Be Sure to Ask This Question

Tip of the Day
The next time a tele-marketer calls and asks you to donate $$$ to what you perceive as a deserving charity, i.e. veterans, law enforcement, fire fighters, ask one simple question.

And this is the question you should ask: "If I donate money to you, can you tell me what percentage will go to the charity?" They HAVE to answer that question and you may be surprised when the response is a mere 5, 10 or 15 percent and when you get that kind of answer, it will be painless for you to hang up the phone.

Many times paid professional fundraisers eat up to 90 percent of the donated dollars.

So next time, ask! And if you still want to donate that $100, mail a check directly to the charity.

5 comments:

Glynis said...

That's good advice. I am always getting calls for this, that and the other so this is a good question to be equipped with; thanks for that. Hope all is well on your end! Cheers...x

Diane said...

If you currently give to a 501(c)(3) charity, you can also get that information, and a lot more. They are required to make their 990 tax returns publicly available. That will show you how much they spend on the actual program services, how much is spent on management/general expenses and how much on fundraising.

Some are available on-line - Charity Navigators is one organization, as is Guidestar. You should be able to google both.

This reminds me - I need to go renew my status on Wisconsin's do not call list!

McVal said...

We don't give $$ over the phone anymore. We've just made a rule and if someone calls, we just say, "I'm sorry but we don't give money to anyone over the phone anymore." They usually say that they'll send a pledge card, but I say, no thank you and hang up quick.
If someone calls and mispronounces our last name, my husband says that there's no one here by that name. Somehow our name got screwed up on some mailing list and it went around.

cinnamongirl93 said...

That's a great question to ask. I never thought of that. I don't answer my phone if I don't regognize the number. Too many people trying to waste time selling stuff I don't want.

Sarah Mae said...

I always ask that question - great advice!

By the way, I received your comment before you deleted it (why did you delete it? It was very valid!) and I responded in the comment section. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough - I agree with you with my whole heart that we should NOT stay under the same roof with a physically or sexually abusive man (or woman, for that matter). To hear the rest of my thoughts, please read my response!