Would you like to donate $1?

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I just bought a drink at a supermarket and the clerk asked me if I wanted to donate $1 to charity.(I don't want to turn this into a debate about the merits of this particular organization so I won't mention which one it was) I refused and when I did, she stared at me like I'd endorsed the condition the charity is trying to cure! Why do people try to guilt customers into giving to charity? Also, what's your feelings about charities in general? I don't support them because so much(often in excess of 75% and as much as 90%) of the donations go to administration.

Why would anyone think that keeping the money that you earned for yourself to yourself is evil? I suppose that some folks feel that being well-off somehow obligates you to "share the wealth" with others. Fortunately, there is no law that requires you to give a hand-out to anyone who asks.

However, I give both my time and my money - of my own free will - to certain local charities that deal with the homeless and the poor, so that I can see that the money is actually being used to help those in need. I think that is much more socially conscious than simply stuffing a dollar into a collection box where you don't get to see where the money is actually going.

I feel like a dick every time I see a commercial about starving children or abused animals or whatever, knowing that I spend what little money comes my way on useless crap instead of giving it to someone who needs it. I try to rationalize it by telling myself that the people in charge of the organization are probably corrupt and keep the money for themselves, but the truth is that I'm just being a greedy bastard.

No guilt. i always say no as well. For the same logical reason you do - I figure a store clerk is not the place to donate to charity. Just like 2$ chocolate bars for [insert cause here] isn't really a viable charity drive.

Put up posters and information regarding the charity? yes. Have one of those little unicef coin/change boxes? yes. Ring a bell and look pitiful for the christmas shoppers? No. Trap people at the cashes with a surprise "gimme"? No. And I especially hate the people who set up tables (or children) at the exit doors.

I put coins into the yellow plastic puppydog for the blind that sits quiet and patient in the corner of my local grocery store. I think going blind would be the worst curse anyone could be forced to live with and there's no pushery or guilt trip involved in that plastic guide dog. I know what it's for. I've chosen my charity - and whenever I get asked to donate to ANYthing in person I can safely and agreeably say "No. I donate to another charity."

We're all greedy.

I often wonder about those commercials ... do they make videos of those kids and then just leave them there, or do they make videos of those kids in exchange for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, and maybe a little money?

If the former, then those "charities" are exploiting those children for their own gain; and if the latter, then there is no reason for me to support those children because they have already been supported.

Recognise that she's not a particularly bright individual who has been turned into the "$1 monitor" by the teacher (supervisor) and is now feeling self important at being assigned the task of collecting $1 from everyone, whilst not being intelligent enough to see the overall picture, which is that the dollar is an OPTIONAL donation, and that patrons of the establishment (who help create the profits that pay her wage) may have their own reasons for not playing her milk monitor/dollar monitor game.

world is full of crap, sum stuff everybody thinks must they must donate and it is stupid
There is many things wrong that deserve donating... I got issues also and I dont see them collecting for me

Well that's the other good point.
I'm my own charity at the moment because I'm out of a job.

What do I think of charity? Simple. It's a waste of money. All the money that has gone to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, what of it? 30 years of running and walking, and no cure for cancer. If I wanted a cure for cancer, I would donate money to scientists, not to people who run around and then donate about 20% of that money to scientists.

Regarding charitable solicitations...Flashback: Steve Martin in "The Jerk".

First, the solicitation.

Hobart: Sir, there are charity people here to see you.
Navin R. Johnson: What? Send them away. There are plenty of people more deserving than me!
Hobart: But these people want *you* to give, sir.

And then, the notorious "cat juggling" scene (LINK TO YOUTUBE CLIP.)

To be serious...You don't have to justify yourself to any idiot on the street that wants to make a claim on you. I think God expects us to devote some of our resources to charity, but we've got to use our brains as part of the process. A lot of "charity" is either wasted or even counterproductive, in that it enables and rewards bad behavior. For example, here's a LINK to a video clip of some young man that's been spoiled by government handouts. To the extent that our charity is self-directed rather than done for us by our benign and wise governments, do your homework and give to organizations that you know do good. Handing out money to whoever crosses your path probably doesn't fall into that category, unless you have a particular inspiration to play along.

It's about social pressure. There's a scene from Malcolm in the Middle, where the mum, as harrassed as ever, discovers that she's so short of money that she can't even pay for the meagre shopping on the conveyor belt.

In the meantime, the cashier is soliciting for charitable donations, and even her little son is looking at her like she's a monster for not giving to the charity!

People will donate more readily when it is very convenient to them. Asking them to add $1 to a total they are already paying takes no extra actions on their part; so that's an easy way for the charity to collect money.

If you don't want to give, don't. In fact, if you don't trust the charity, you actually shouldn't.