Charter School fundraising door to door?

[nunheadmum]

Just had 2 kids at our door saying they were from Charter school and had been asked to choose a charity to raise funds for. Having given me a rather unconvincing spiel about Wateraid, she said she was doing a 600m sponsored jog and gave me a 'Children in Need' sponsor form. I passed at that point.

Does anyone know if Charter are asking kids to do fundraising? The kid in question came across more as not very clued up rather than a scammer but there were just too many things that didn't add up. If they are, maybe the school needs to give them a bit more input about what they're asking them to do and how to do it!

[buggie]

Think we've had these guys on our doorstep too (we're in Nunhead too) and weren't convinced either - they said the school (Charter) had told them to knock door-to-door - am pondering whether its worth emailing the school.

[ianr]

Ask to see a copy of their licence.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200127/apply_for_a_licence/356/charity_collections

http://www.met.police.uk/charities/housetohouse.htm

[nunheadmum]

They were kids so clearly they weren't doing any kind of formal fundraising - so asking for licences not really going to solve much.

Buggie - I was thinking of emailing the school too. If they are doing something at the school, they need to prep the kids better. Not sure though what they can do if it wasn't really from them. But would make me feel less like I'd just been tight if I knew for sure it wasn't from the school!

[Pickle]

I had similar a whole ago, although they weren't Charter kids (may have been Harris Girls). One said she was doing a 1 mile run, the other claimed to be giving up crisps, and they were asking for sponsorship. I filled in their (scruffy) piece of paper which had no details of the charity on it, but refused to give cash there and then, explaining that it was usual for someone to have actually completed their challenge before collecting the money. They never came back...

[thusau]

Reference :

http://adf.ly/2038788/http://www.passingseason.com

[nunheadmum]

I did email the school and they've said that they don't ask the kids to do anything like this. So, if they do try it elsewhere, send them on their way.

I was going to do the same as you Pickle - I don't like the move via Just Giving etc that encourages folk to donate up front, regardless of whether you do the activity or not. But when the charity mentioned and the name on the sponsor form didn't tie up, I didn't take it any further.

To be honest, unless I know the people involved, I'd usually tell anyone raising funds door to door that I'll give my funds direct to the charity. It was just that they were kids, I felt a little more guilty about not encouraging them.....had they been authentic.

[Alec John Moore]

Charities, like Wateraid, will employ door-to-door fundraisers who are bona fide and will have their well rehearsed spiel and identification. They will be adults paid about ?7.00 an hour for this thankless work. If kids are genuinely fundraising then they are likely to be trying to pay for a special trip to a foreign country with the school orchestra or whatever. They are likely to be targetting friends and social networks so calling on strangers like this is next to begging, in my view.

[WorkingMummy]

I think there is an epidemic of sorts. I have never heard of it before and suddenly it's a feature. Over here in Camberwell I have been door stepped with a sponsorship form and in fact the same boy just stopped me in the street with another boy, both about 14, on my way home from my child's nursery. When I stopped him short to say "no thanks" his friend became quite pushy, asking me why not. I did not like it. It's odd. I don't know what school they were from but it is strange that it's started happening everywhere at the same time.

[BB100]

It is possible they are doing it as part of their Citizenship GCSE (my son is doing this at the moment) but they are told not to go door to door. However, part of the project is for them to do it all themselves without any adult support so they may have taken it upon themselves to do this because they didn't have any other ideas. So it doesn't mean they were scamming for money but it is better we don't encourage them by giving them money as you never know whose door they will knock on next.

[millymoll]

Please do contact the school. My children are at the school and I feel staff there wouldn't be happy about the going from

door to door. Nunhead seems a long way from the school's catchment area too...