Charity. Most everyone I know would agree it’s a good thing (hopefully). It is definitely a nice theory, people helping people, sharing the things we have been blessed with. But when do you say “no”? The fact of the matter is that there is no shortage of people asking for money. But saying no to a charitable organization can make you feel like a jerk (and I am convinced some of them play on this).
For instance, last night while eating dinner (of course during dinner…when else?) there was a knock on my door. Naturally I had just taken a big bite of an enchilada (from Trader Joe’s). I opened the door and before I could blink some young guy started talking a mile a minute with a sales pitch. I made an obvious act of my chewing hoping he would take the hint. He didn’t.
Turns out he was a self-labeled “underprivileged” student (wearing very nice clothes) with a high GPA hoping to sell me a newspaper subscription so he can get “points” for college. And if I don’t like the paper during the trial period, he suggested I “lie” to get my money back. I tried to explain that it is hard for me to justify paying for someone else’s college education while I still owe 20k towards my own, not to mention the fact that I don’t read the paper (I am gen Y…c’mon, I get everything online). He didn’t like that. He also didn’t seem to realize that Stanford (only 10 miles away) recently decided to allow Californian residents whose parents earn under 100k a year free admission to the school (someone correct me if I am wrong…I know they offer something close to that). He shook his head like I was some sort of jerk and walked off. Sorry, I give to several charities, but not to potential scams where people are disrespectful of me, my time, and my money. Where do you draw the line on charitable giving?
If you want a great reputable place to find a charity that matches your heart or passions, check out http://www.charitynavigator.org.