I am a sucker.
Meaning, if you are from a charity and either come to my door directly or call me, I will most likely give you maybe $5.
I have donated to Paralyzed veterans in return for their labels (They don't call, right? RIGHT?! more on that later...)
These guys. This is their logo:
And I have also donated like 3 times to some CA Police/Firemen association that calls me maybe once a year. They ask for $20 every time, I give $5, and even that kind of hurts me because I live paycheck to paycheck. (my paycheck is 40% rent/utilities, 10% weed, 10% savings, 20% paying off a card, the rest to groceries.) The PD mails me a sticker I planned put on my car because I thought it would make them less likely to pull me over. I never got around to putting it on my car, and I also have never been pulled over. Whatever.
Anyway, It is 9am on Saturday!
I was ASLEEP
I got a call from some "Local" (they didn't say local to where) paralyzed veterans "charity". They really pressed the "local" thing- They said they helped out homeless paralyzed veterans, which I thought was odd because I'm fairly certain that if you have medical injuries while serving you receive free treatment in the military hospital. If you don't get a lifetime of medical care for the injury you received serving your country, then that is fucked up. (if that is the case, I would help this cause if I get the opportunity to. I just won't under these circumstances. They're fucked up.) Also, you would be getting disability/social security, so that is enough to eat at the very least. Furthermore, I thought there were lots of places that give low-income housing to people who qualify, and it seems like these people would.
Also, it occurred to me that....
homeless: check,
paralyzed: check,
veterans: check.
It seems like they're hitting every possible sympathy mark with this combination. And as I said, I'm not denying that these people may help, but there are lots of resources for them to find assistance, not including this one "charity".
Now, as I said, if I think you're a legitimate charity, than I will most likely donate. I heavily doubt that these guys are real. The guy who called me, ON SATURDAY AT 9AM, was working in a call center. Yes, volunteers are most likely in call centers, but so are telemarketers.
This is the SECOND call I have received from an organization like this within the last 5 months or so. I told him that. He said that it must have been another charity and not them. At first I also thought they may be the the Paralyzed Vets. Of America (the ones who send you free address labels.) and he said that they weren't. I said that I didn't believe they called people, anyway.
So after all that he asked me if I wanted to make a "local" contribution and didn't specify what "local" was. He then wanted my info, but I don't think he would already have had any of my information (like the city/state I live in, even though he's supposed to be a local dude helping out a local charity which should have the same local info as me!)
Then, I said that I couldn't afford to since I had already donated to that other charity with the same pitch.
Before I could finish, he hung up on me. That motherfucker.
So, let me finish the first sentence here:
if you are from a charity and either come to my door directly or call me, I will most likely give you maybe $5 if you do not wake me up by calling me at 9am ON SUNDAY when 90% of the people in the world, including me, are ASLEEP... AND ESPECIALLY IF you do NOT hang up on me. FUCK YOU.
Needless to say, I will never donate to them. Ever.
I will also no longer donate to PVA, just in case they are affiliated with this bullshit.
Thanks for the address labels, suckers. I've given you like $50 over my life, so I think that maybe a lifetime supply of labels is a fair trade. Maybe you shouldn't send them to me for free if you don't want me to have them for free. (I also read that they spend like 80% of their donations on address labels for people who never donate. Maybe that isn't a good way to run a charity.)
There is a special place in hell for people who make a buck off of other's good will/sympathy/empathy. There is also a special place in hell for anyone who calls me at 9am on Saturday when I had work last night and will work again tonight.
This is bullshit. Fuck them.
Look, I am a fairly generous person. I make a point of it to give back to my community. Not because I want to say "Im so generous and a great person lookit me!" in a blog that no one reads. I do this for myself because I feel like its a worthy thing to do.
I volunteer 3+ hours a week at the library helping an ESL student learn English and to learn how to read... and have for the past year. I've donated 10 hours in 1 week to that same program. I've been a member of lots of clubs in college, including shit like "students for social justice" etc, where I donated time to advance that cause and help local people out. I have donated to a number of other charities as well.
As I said, I will most likely give you money if you're a real charity. (in before the 1 person who reads this blog pretends to be a charity. I can read your mind. I know what you'll do.)
But calling at 9 on Saturday, when people are disoriented and waking them up for a donation is bullshit, even if you're a real charity. It's even more fucked up if you're a fake charity.
