“Would you like to donate $1 to such and such charity?” How
many times have you been asked this question at the cash register? Not donating
$1 after spending a totally of $80 at Wegmans today seemed like it would cruel
not to, so I did. However, often times I simply look down and respond “Sorry,
not today”.
There is a name for this type of charitable giving; it’s
called checkout charity. I have
wondered if this is an effective and positive approach to gaining donations for
a cause. It is kind of an awkward way of gaining donations because if you just
spent a large sum of money shopping, one more dollar obviously won’t hurt. Also
if there are a bunch of people waiting behind you to check out and they see
that you spent a lot of money and then the person checking you out loudly asks
if you would like to donate, and you decline then it puts you in an
uncomfortable situation and you feel trapped and judged. I think people should
feel good about giving to charity, and not feel guilt-tripped into giving to a
cause that in most cases they have little to no knowledge of.
I think of all my prior experiences of this happening to me.
The rare times that I do decide to donate, I do not leave feeling as if I made
any sort of difference and I do not feel anymore generous than I did before. I
wonder if the charities hitting costumers up for donations really want to
produce this sort of emotion in the costumers. I feel that the negative feeling
of being solicited for money in a guilt worthy manner could result in a
backlash, people will simply get better at saying no and go on with their days.
Although I am not fond of the approach, it seems like it’s a
great way to reach the masses and get their money. I think I would feel more
inclined to give if there was more information available about the organization
asking for the money. I would also want to know where the money is going, is a
sum of the money going to the store that is physically asking for donations,
are the dollars being matched by the store.
(You have to press “click to access” and then put in your
name, email and random company name. I just put “Binghamton University” as the
company name. Then click download the study and lastly click infographic. Sorry
about the process.)
The pdf above outlines the top campaigns that inspired
consumers to donate at point of sale in 2012. In 2012, $358.4 million were
raised by 63 million-dollar-plus campaigns. Ebay came in first, then Walmart
and in third was McDonalds. Ebay accomplishes its donations online and the
donations went towards over 22,00 nonprofits. Walmart raised donations by
selling paper icon sales and lastly, McDonalds raised donations through its
coin donation boxes near registers. The chart also shows which business sectors
raised the most money.
I really like McDonalds approach towards raising donations
because the person behind the register is not hounding the customer, and it’s
easy to just put your leftover change in the coin boxes.
I was wondering if your thoughts on this approach to giving
are. Do guys donate when asked at the cash register? If you do donate is it
because you feel guilted into donating? Do you think this is an effective way
to gain donations?
This is a very interesting concept; being asked for donations while shopping is something I've experienced countless times, and yet I've never thought about it as being related to philanthropy. This may have something to do with the concept of guilt that you discussed.
ReplyDeleteWhen faced with the question, "do you want to donate a dollar for....", I almost always feel like I am going to be judged strongly for how I respond. And I will admit that many times, I do the same thing as Betty described: dropping my head and mumbling "no thank you." But if we fear guilt and being judged by those around us, why are we still inclined toward saying no? I've never thought about it before, but I definitely think Betty has a point. Subconsciously, in saying no, I am acting on my skepticism about where my dollar will go. Most of the time, I have no idea what the organization stands for, where most of the money goes, how effective they are, or if my dollar will be put to good use. And that's even if my dollar makes it to the organization the cashier says it is going towards. Will the store keep it? Do they get some of the donations, as a courtesy of campaigning for the organization at hand?
Yet, while I have a lot of criticisms of "checkout charity," I agree with Betty in that it could potentially be a great source of donations, as it reaches the masses and asks for small amounts of money from a large amount of people. However, if the system could be tweaked just slightly, I think more people would be willing to part with that extra dollar. Thinking back on my past experiences, whenever there is a booth or a person standing at the entrance of the store telling customers that they will be asked to donate and giving more information about the organization, I've been more inclined to donate. Although this takes extra time and resources, it could positively influence more people to donate. Also, I like the idea of putting the donation bin on the counter, like a tip jar, so that if anyone would like to donate they can do it in a non-confrontational and judgement-free way.
Like Dina, I've never made the connection between this "checkout charity" and philanthropy. I suppose this is because, like many, I always thought of philanthropy as being the act of giving away huge sums of money and not of simply tossing loose change into a jar on the counter.
ReplyDeleteI tend to say "No." when asked at the register if I would like to donate, and I've never particularly thought about why. I feel guilty when I give this answer, so it seems like it should be easy to alleviate these feelings of guilty by just saying "Yes." and donating that dollar. In thinking about why I choose not to do this, I've decided that, for me, it has less to do with my skepticism about the process and more to do with my lack of personal connection to the cause.
Participation in this class has taught me that I'm a rather emotional giver. While going through the process of selecting finalists, I reflected often on the quote from the beginning of the course, about philanthropy being emotion constrained by reason. I know that others in the class are very interested in looking at the data and numbers that reflect the success of an organization and obviously those are important things to consider when the goal is to give effectively, however, I'm more likely to want to support a cause that I feel passionate about, regardless of what the numbers say. It just so happens that, while I'm sure that all of the organizations represented by these checkout charity campaigns are very worthy causes, they are not generally causes that I feel passionate about, and that leaves me less inclined to donate, despite the fact that it is a simple way to give.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else so far that checkout philanthropy guilts people into donating. Although it might seem like an annoying, in-your-face approach to gaining donations, it can be effective. I quickly searched this idea of checkout philanthropy and found that an analysis was done of 63 campaigns that showed each of them raised over one million dollars! So, despite its negative stigma, this checkout approach can effectively raise money. Whether it’s out of guilt or benevolence, I do not think it matters why people choose to donate. What is more important is that the organization is raising money to accomplish their mission.
ReplyDeleteThere could be an alternative or additional method that would cause people to feel less guilty and eventually cause them to become more invested in the organization, thus producing further donations in the future. This approach is similar to what sports teams and school clubs do to fundraise. Organizations could contact businesses to ask if a portion of their earnings could go toward their charity. This way, customers are not forced or guilted into donating since they do not have to do anything additional. However, because this is on such a small scale it would probably only work for smaller, local charities. However, like many of the organizations that we have talked to in class any little bit helps.
One other idea I want to address is Courtney’s point about giving to causes that she’s more passionate about. While I think that passion is what drives most people to donate, I think people also need to look at how effective an organization is. No matter how wonderful an organization may seem in their mission, if they are not making a difference or tackling any of the problems, then what is the point of donating to them? Isn’t that a waste of money? I’m not saying people should not donate to what they are passionate about, but rather once they find a cause they are passionate about, they should find the charity that best addresses that problem.
Lauren, in response to the questions you posed at the end of your comment, I wanted to clarify what I was attempting to say a little bit.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the method of checkout philanthropy, I would blindly give to a cause that I felt a connection to without any investigation into the charity or it's effectiveness. After all, it's only a dollar.
When considering giving larger sums of money I would, of course, do some amount of research and would suggest that others looking to give effectively do the same. However, if faced with the choice between two charities, one that puts 95% of donations directly towards their cause (providing clean water, for example) and another that puts 80% of their donations towards their cause (another example, raising awareness about domestic violence), I would choose to donate to the latter, as it is a social issue that I feel passionate about. This is not the say that one issue is more important than the other, it is simply a matter of what I, personally, feel strongly about.
I’m conflicted on how I think about this approach. I don’t know how effective it is or whether it’s a better way than others. When I am asked I usually say no. I’m not sure if I have a specific reason as to why it just depends on the situation and that day. Sometimes I’m in a rush and need to leave the supermarket as soon as possible. Sometimes I really don’t have that extra dollar to spend. Sometimes I feel guilty or extra generous that day. But most of the time I don’t donate. I think I justify not donating because I do a lot to donate and give back in other ways.
ReplyDeleteEven while waiting on the line to pay I don’t see people donating. People are on a budget and really can’t afford to spend that extra dollar every time they go to the supermarket. What comes to mind is the food desert situation in Binghamton. A lot of people don’t have access to supermarkets and may pay with food stamps. Charity may not be the first thing on these peoples’ minds. This may not be the case everywhere.
I agree, I would definitely like more information on the charity and where the money is going. After this class I’ve learned so many ways to research an organization and see what community needs are. I like to make an informed decision about where my donation is going. I also would like to know the amount that the supermarket is donating to charity. Whether it is a portion of the donations or all of it. Knowing this could change peoples’ minds who are skeptical about where they money is really going. If this approach is executed right and people feel comfortable donating then this could potentially be a great way to donate because it reaches masses amounts of people. However I don’t think people should feel guilted into donating. Everyone has their own motives or reasons to donate and should be able to choose freely. With that being said no one is making anyone pay the extra dollar, it’s all based on free will. People can feel guilty and also say no, it depends on the person.
As a consumer, I am often uncomfortable when asked to donate money as I am checking out. Although I do not have a specific reason, I usually politely say no. I do feel slightly guilty because I am sure they are raising money for a good cause, but the guilt has never been strong enough to lead me to donate. I have been on the other side in this awkward situation, too, and I have found it is just as uncomfortable, but it can be effective.
ReplyDeleteLast year, I worked as a waitress at a pizza place in my hometown. During the months of February and March, the manager put on a type of “checkout charity” program to help two local families with babies suffering from serious illnesses. She challenged each waitress to raise as much money for the cause as possible and even incentivized us by offering to split her tips with whichever waitress collected the most. We displayed signs explaining the babies’ situations and if a customer donated, they could sign a paper heart and hang it on the wall.
I worked with very outspoken and confident women who were never afraid to ask the customers for a few extra dollars. I, on the other hand, was a little more timid. I felt awkward suggesting that the customer donate – after all, they most likely had no connection to the two families with ill children. However, I found that customers were often very intrigued by the pictures of the girls and felt sympathetic. Many people asked questions about the girls and their specific illnesses and, after hearing more details, they generously offered a donation without even being asked.
I, unfortunately, never won the contest among the waitresses, but that is unimportant. I realized people can be very generous when it comes to “checkout charity” if it is approached in the correct way. First of all, the employees raising the money should be educated on the cause. If I had not known why we were raising money for the families, I would have been unable to answer the customers’ questions effectively and they probably would have been less generous as a result. Second, consumers should not feel as if they are being harassed or guilted into donating. I found the most generous customers were the ones that initiated the conversation without even being asked to donate. Finally, the charity needs to be one that people can relate to. Many of the people that donated at the restaurant were families with kids of their own, so they felt sympathetic towards the two families with sick children.
In this situation, we were able to raise a lot of money through “checkout charity.” However, I like Lauren’s idea that large companies donate a portion of their proceeds towards a specific cause. This system is already implemented by some companies. Alex and Ani, for example, donates a percentage of the money it collects from selling its “whole heart bangle” to the American Heart Association. As Lauren said, the customer does not have to do anything more than buy the product, but charities still benefit.
Since we've been discussing effective giving, Betty's post made me wonder if people who give to a charity at the cash register are more or less likely to give to that charity again. I found this article about a program called Amazon Smile: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brady-josephson/why-amazon-is-smiling-and_b_4360405.html. Amazon Smile is an initiative by Amazon that gives a small portion of what someone spends to a charity of their choice. This article points out several things that hinder this approach's effectiveness, and I think that it relates quite well to checkout charity.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, Amazon Smile only gives 0.5 percent of a shopper's purchase to charity. The article points out that to give $50 to charity through Amazon Smile, you would need to spend $10,000 on Amazon. That's not efficient giving, but that's another story. I'm going to focus on the rest of the article, which relates more to checkout charity.
The article discusses giving in terms of social exchange theory, which states that "in any transaction there is an exchange between two parties, and parties will only enter into that transaction or exchange if the reward outweighs the cost." Both Amazon Smile and checkout charity are based on the idea of giving without much cost to the donor; Amazon Smile gives away money that you were already going to spend, and checkout charity, as Betty mentioned, often asks shoppers for a dollar when they have just spent many times that. The problem, however, is that when there is no cost to the donor, the donor is not exchanging with the charity, according to social exchange theory. A study (http://recharity.ca/new-study-stirs-slacktivism-debate/) found that people who get involved with organizations in this way are less likely to make a donation later on.
So what does this mean for checkout charity? Since people who give in this way aren't really interacting with the charity that is asking for money, they may be less likely to give to that charity later. This is a problem, as a donation of a dollar or two at the register pales in comparison to the much larger donation a person would likely make if they were to donate outside of the store, of their own accord. Just as Amazon Smile only gives 0.5% of a purchase to charity, checkout charity might result in people who give that way donating much less to a charity in the long term. Although checkout charity can raise a lot of money for a charity, it might be a penny-wise, pound-foolish system to me.
As everyone has stated I too have experienced this awkward situation many times while shopping, and most of the time I just say “sorry, not today.” I can only remember a few times I’ve actually said yes. At JCPenny’s they round up to the next dollar and donate that extra change to a charity, and for some reason I always easily say yes. Maybe it’s because the cashier always seems to nicely explain what exactly the charity is, or maybe it’s because I hate extra change in my waller. As Emily was giving her example I remembered one time I was at Friendly’s and the waitress was selling $5 coupon books for Friendly’s but all the proceeds went to a charity that helped support medical services for emergency responders. The waitress took her time explaining the cause and I decided to just go ahead and buy it. Looking back, I’m pretty sure I agreed just because I felt bad that the nice waitress had taken so much time to explain it and show me all the coupons. I had the coupon book sitting in my car for the longest time but never went and used any of them. Hopefully my money was somewhat helpful.
ReplyDeleteI’ve come to the conclusion that yes, “checkout charity” is effective but only when the the cashier asks to round up the change (because lets be honest, having change is annoying) or when the server (or whoever) nicely explains the cause, because really, who wants to say no to someone who just explained a nice cause to you? Maybe that is guilt, but if you really wanted to say no you could. I don’t see a problem with the guilt, because really if you say no, that cashier isn’t going to remember that girl who bought her groceries but wouldn’t donate a dollar. You probably would only feel bad until you got to your car, and the people behind you are probably to busy zoning out on candy or magazines to notice you say no. Really, I don’t know why we (myself included) become so self conscious?
I find it very interesting that the majority of us become embarrassed to say no. When in reality there are some very reasonable explanations to pass it up, even though it is “just a dollar.” Dollars add up, and they add up fast. Think of everytime you purchased something in the last week, now imagine if you were asked to give a dollar every single time. For those eating with meal plans, that would be at least three times a day, times 7 days in a week, which would total a minimum of $21 just in one week. Could we afford that? Maybe, but if you are the average college student it wouldn’t end well. Like Gladys said, sometimes we just don’t have that dollar to spare.
While I do find the checkout charity useful and really smart on the charity’s part because why not ask for a small amount when our wallets are open. But we need to learn that it is OK to say no, and we should not be embarrassed if we do decline. This article was really interesting and helpful in pointing out both strengths and weaknesses of the strategy. It made me feel a bit better about the whole situation because it did point out that because society is less likely to give money, the organizations have had to come up with new ideas. So really, we cannot complain when our own selfishness (society as a whole) has driven the charities to become creative and work a little harder to get our money.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/donate-a-dollar-at-the-register-checkout-charity-is-big-business-for/2139533
Maybe we could challenge ourselves, the next time you are asked to round up, or donate a dollar, don’t say no. Just one time, say yes at the next place a donation is accepted. How does it feel?