Street Fundraising - Criticism

Criticism

Frequent complaints about paid street fundraisers include the use of aggressive or deceitful tactics, lack of knowledge of the charity, refusal to listen to a person who doesn't want to stop, the use of sarcasm or other negative language intended to make a person feel guilty if they decline to stop. Paid street fundraisers are sometimes known as chuggers because usually fundraising is viewed as aggressive or invasive (a portmanteau of "charity" and "mugger"). It became popular as a way of referring to street fundraisers after several articles appeared in British newspapers which pointed out the negative image of the people doing the job.

Sometimes the sheer frequency of fundraisers in a certain area will lead to frustration, a survey of four roads in London during 2009 found 500 of them working on four roads over a six-week period. However, those in the charity sector see street fundraising as an invaluable method of raising brand awareness, and recruiting younger donors under the age of 35 who are "like gold-dust for a charity because they will give over a longer lifetime".

Opinion polls suggest high levels of public hostility towards street fundraisers, with as many as 80 per cent of those interviewed being against them. Under present UK law, street fundraising is legal as street fundraisers are not themselves soliciting cash donations, but rather Direct Debit agreements.

The fundraisers may be employed directly by the charity as part of an 'in-house' team. They may also be employed by an agency working specifically in the area of fundraising. In this case, the company is usually paid a fixed fee per person signed up. This fee depends on a number of variables, such as the number of donors required and the average annual donation desired. Though charities can normally expect to generate a minimum return on their investment of 3:1 over the duration of a donor's giving relationship with them.

Street fundraising is likely to continue while it remains legal and cost-effective. Figures state that charities gain as much as three quarters of their income from this method. However, some people find street fundraisers intimidating and may feel pressured into signing up to regular giving agreements. Signing up under pressure is against the fundraisers' guidelines and the majority of fundraisers who operate with good ethics will not sign someone up if they openly articulate their will not to sign up. In the UK some local councils have set up "cold caller exclusion zones" to prevent doorstep fundraisers.

In the Republic of Ireland the Charities Act, 2009 will require all street fundraisers to acquire a permit from a Chief Superintendent of An Garda Síochána for cash and non-cash collections alike. In the UK, councils are currently lobbying for street fund-raisers to be licenced to limit their numbers.