Creative solutions for charity.
I often get stopped by people working for charities who want me to set up a direct debit and give them X euro a month.
I am not very good at organising my personal finances and, as a result, I HATE direct debit.
I always say, 'look, I'll give you a lump sum...' but the answer is invariably:
'Sorry, we don't do that.'
'But I want to give you money'
'So set up a direct debit.'
Today was a little different, I had this conversation with a guy from Barnados, he made a compelling argument about Ireland being a rich country and yet we have 1 in 7 children in living in poverty.
He said all he wanted was a tenner a month. I said I'd give him €120 in a lump sum. No can do was the response. I explained why I really didn't like direct debit and he respected that. Then he said, look - make it €150 and I'll make it happen.
At this point, I should interject that I had already established the guy doesn't get commission on individual donations, he works for a flat salary plus bonuses for number of sign ups.
I agreed to donate €150 if he found a way to accept it. He made a call to his team leader to ask if I could set up a direct debit for €150 a month and then cancel after one month. He got a positive reply and that's what he did.
A simple solution, don't know why I never thought of it before and I don't know why none of the other charities that stopped me thought of it before!
That's the kind of simple but effective solution I really admire.
Now all I have to do is remember to cancel it before it bankrupts me!!!
I am not very good at organising my personal finances and, as a result, I HATE direct debit.
I always say, 'look, I'll give you a lump sum...' but the answer is invariably:
'Sorry, we don't do that.'
'But I want to give you money'
'So set up a direct debit.'
Today was a little different, I had this conversation with a guy from Barnados, he made a compelling argument about Ireland being a rich country and yet we have 1 in 7 children in living in poverty.
He said all he wanted was a tenner a month. I said I'd give him €120 in a lump sum. No can do was the response. I explained why I really didn't like direct debit and he respected that. Then he said, look - make it €150 and I'll make it happen.
At this point, I should interject that I had already established the guy doesn't get commission on individual donations, he works for a flat salary plus bonuses for number of sign ups.
I agreed to donate €150 if he found a way to accept it. He made a call to his team leader to ask if I could set up a direct debit for €150 a month and then cancel after one month. He got a positive reply and that's what he did.
A simple solution, don't know why I never thought of it before and I don't know why none of the other charities that stopped me thought of it before!
That's the kind of simple but effective solution I really admire.
Now all I have to do is remember to cancel it before it bankrupts me!!!
7 Comments:
That's kind of an arseways way of doing things. You'll probably (depending on your bank) be charged €3 for setting up the DD and possibly even get charged again for cancelling it.
I know Barnardos have a direct line you can call to make a one off payment from a laser or credit card. Equally if you don't have either they have a bank account you can make a one off lodgement into. His only concern was that he wouldn't have got his sign-up bonus.
I know what you mean about direct debits, I have 19 DD's leaving my account at various stages of the month, 3 of which I can't identify at all. Yes, I am an idiot.
yeah, but you have to admire the way he got me to do it... he adds to his overall sign ups, plus he gets me to increase my donation offer and he ensures I actually make the donation...
If he had let me walk away, would I have gone and made the donation myself afer... I'd like to *think* so but it probably wouldn't happen!
Hey Emmet, I have a couple of things I need you to sign there. *cough* You don't have to read them, just sign them. Don't worry about it.
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Damn. now I'm REALLY curious.
You're curious? I'm bloody curious. I don't remember what that comment was or why I removed it.
Same thing happens to me here in Australia with getting turned away from a charity. Good to see there was a solution offered. There is just no way I would set up direct debit because then I'd have 10-15 direct debits coming out of my account each month and there is no way I'm organised enough to keep up.
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