I'm feeling a bit peevish today about the various charities I volunteer for. I am frequently bombarded with letters or phone calls pleading for money for them. I understand that obviously since I volunteered for them in the past, I must support their causes, but just because I volunteer for them doesn't mean I have the money to (eeewww this shrek dial commercial was GROSS) give to them. To make matters worse, the ones who call are using outsourced telemarketers so they NEVER fucking give up. AND since charities are exempt from the do not call list, I am stuck with them. Presently I'm getting 1 - 2 phone calls a day from a company called Legacy. No messages of course, and I'm either actually not at home or on the 3 occassions they've called when I have been at home, I'm unwilling to pick them up. I looked them up online and discovered that (of the many companies with Legacy in the title) they are a telemarketer, specializing in, charities. I know I could just answer it and tell them not to call me and be done with it, but face it, I'm a wuss and I am not so good at telling people no. They just keep talking and cajoling etc. So for the next couple of days my voicemail says "if you are calling from Legacy at (phone number) please stop calling and take me off your list." We'll see if that works. On top of that, I get a barrage of mail (ok barrage being 1 - 2 pieces every couple of weeks) from the other charities I volunteer for asking for money. Dammit! I'm poor. It is a waste of paper. Stop sending me crap!
Phew...
2 comments:
I use to get bombarded by telemarketers. Sometimes the computers they use to make telephone calls with can't hang up, so they have to stay on the line with you.
I've kept them on the phone for like 30 mintues before I'd get tired...I'd talk about the weather, what I was watching on TV. One time I was actually explaining Supply & Demand to one and even had her draw pictures.
It helped that I was able to give back to them what they were doing to me!
Timmy is evil to telemarketers. I like that.
Contacting volunteers and hitting them up for money is dirty. We generally don't do it at work. And the best way to get off the list is to call the charity directly. Trust me, yelling at the annual fund/direct mail campaign lead is going to get you dropped from the lists in a jiffy. (That's 1/100th of a second.)
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