I've known people that did this for a living. The FBI shut the companies down about 10 years ago. It's slimy and they should be ashamed of themselves. They would often pretend to be a member of the department they were soliciting donations for. They kept 80-95% of the donations (depending on the campaign).

IMHO, the worst part is that they were doing this in cooperation with the departments they claimed to be collecting for. No one ever gave them grief...and they knew what the distribution ratios were...

What it boils down to is you're willingly paying the telemarketer for the privilege of being telemarketed to.

Even if some of the money does go to a charity, you have to wonder what percent the charity keeps, or if they're even just another front for the telemarketer.

Small businesses get those frequently in NY City, usually on an annual cycle. Frequently, the caller says he is from the "Detective Bureau"; the "Police Widows and Orphans Fund" or some similar made up name. The caller is always male and sounds like a cop.

The good news is that they don't call back if you just hang up.

There are lots of articles out there about this type of scam. This one has some insight worth quoting:

the government can't mandate that charities spend a specific percentage of revenue on their stated purposes

and

The company misled potential donors into thinking that all money given to the Ohio Troopers Coalition would go toward charitable works by using a legal sleight of hand: the fundraisers [telemarketers] were classified as employees of the coalition [charity]

I actually used to do this when I was 16. I worked with 3 other people around my age and we represented local fire and police departments. I had two managers, probably drug addicts and alcoholics. We worked in a dirty apartment above a dirty house on some random street.

We called directly out of the phone book, name by name, for the area of the police or fire department we were representing. We were required to say "calling on behalf of" or "calling with" but never "calling from." None of us used our real names when we called. Donations were either sent to the address we gave them or we would personally pick them up (which was also part of our job).

Most (half?) of the money would go to the police or fire department. The other half was divvied up between the managers and us.

Needless to say, I got the hell out of there pretty quickly.

@maxx22: I once had a landline that received numerous calls from one of these organizations, even though I just hung up on them. I guess it depends on who’s running the show. What’s even worse is how often they (and similar organizations) will bother you if you actually donate. I bet their list of successes is headlined with the word "SUCKERS".

I never give to anyone who calls me since I didn't initiate the call. If we all did that, phone solicitations would stop.

When the local police called me for a donation, I politely informed them that I donate plenty of money in the form of traffic citations. They're making a fortune off of all the speed and stop light cameras here. You can't drive a mile or two without seeing one. If they can't survive on that - too damn bad.

I got a call from our local firefighters association a few weeks ago. I asked if they was a union or retirement fund and the guy said they were not. So I looked them up on-line and they were a union. They were the local for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). I got no huge gripe about unions, but I know my dad paid his own dues in a union, He didn't call the neighborhood looking for donations.

@maxx22: Technically, police officers and firefighters cannot legally call to solicit funds on behalf of themselves due to intimidation laws in most states.

Of course, from a solicitation point of view - there's nothing wrong with sounding like a cop & allowing the call recipient to draw their own conclusions.

These days the only solicited donations I'll make are to the fire fighters who stand around outside a store like Home Depot with one of their fire trucks. I figure it's a pretty safe bet then that most of the money is going to a worthy cause.

Beyond that I only donate to causes that I'm well aware of and that I pursue, not the other way around.

There are several different arrangements that charities or non profit organizations can agree to when dealing with third party solicitors (or paid professional fund raisers, depending on the state).

Most non profits agree to a set dollar amount they want or need from the contributions, ie. if local chapter XYZ needs $50,000 for whatever they will contract a fundraiser to acquire these funds through telephone solicitations. most of the time, any funds raised above & beyond the $50K go directly to the fundraisers. Sometimes, the non profit will get a small percentage kick back on the excess funds - usually about 1-3% but this is the exception, not the rule.

Some non profits request that a particular campaign be called for x amount of time. Generally speaking, they receive a percentage of these profits - usually between 5 - 15%. This percentage may seem low at first but by the time you factor in the fundraiser's overhead it's not really that bad. Essentially, the non profit is getting money for doing nothing.

Of course, there are different schools of thought on this.

Oh wow. I live in Oregon and I've gotten several of these calls (specifically for the fire department). I've always felt bad when I declined, but this just reminds me why I should NEVER give money via unsolicited phone calls, even if the "cause" seems to be a good one. Glad I never ended up giving.

@IphtashuFitz: Quite honestly, most of the money collected this way goes to purchasing booze to resell at their local clubs - a great idea, by the way.

Who is more deserving than the firefighter who will save your life or home? Well, probably there are some good answers to that question, but it's a powerful hook. I have managed to resist them (and also the one where they are sending inner city kids to the circus) with some small amount of guilt. This post makes it way easier for me to say "No" and hang up guilt-free. Thank you Consumerist!

I'm ashamed to admit it but we had an old family friend who ran one of these businesses.

I was only about 7 when I met him, but father called him a "dirty crook" even then.

It's pretty straight forward. They collect $50,000 for the fire department, donate $5,000 and keep the rest. He lived in a million dollar house.

If your local fire and police need donations, they'll come to your house in uniform. And please, even if you can only give them some spare change, it always helps.

I get a couple of these a year (I live in Washington state). The last time one came in, I asked about the "alcohol and drug education programs" they claimed to fund. The caller couldn't name one, and neither could his boss. The next guy up named a program, but couldn't name a school where it had been presented. He was able to tell me what portion of donations went to fund raising: 84%.
If you want to donate to a public safety-oriented program, go to your police or fire department or EMS provider and ask them how you can help. They will be able to direct you to legitimate organizations, like Police and Fire Explorers, Police Athletic Leagues, and funds to pay for medical costs for the indigent. Also know that organizations like The Salvation Army and American Red Cross provide assistance to both public safety workers and victims at major incidents (house fires, plane crashes) and disaster sites.

@maxx22: We were getting calls from a called ID of "SD Law Enforcement". The husband got all panicky worried it was actual law enforcement and there was some sort of problem.
I Googled the number and found it was a scam run out of another town in SD. Same deal, a third party asking for police fund donations. Sometimes those "who called" websites are pretty awesome.

@KStrike155: I had a friend in HS that worked for one of these type of operations. It was in a dirty little office in an old office building downtown. I went to pick him up from work and the slimy guy running the operation tried to recruit me. I picked up the friend a few days later in time to watch the guy running the place dive over a desk and out a window to the fire escape to evade someone coming in the front door looking for him. Classy.

@Pinget: I don't give to anyone who initiates anything. Ever.
Mail, calls, on the street or banging on my door. There is just no way to tell if they are legit or if the money is going where they say. I also don't want to spend money on impulse. Someone stopping me to ask for money is an impulse purchase (or donation).

we used to get 30-40 calls like this a week from various 'charities' all after my Mother in Law (80 years old and in the first stages of altzhiemers) when I first married my wife and moved in with them. no, I'm not exaggerating.

I took over answering the phone. it's amazing the tricks they'll try to get past me. from her donating last year (nope) to having spoken to her yesterday (nope) to trying to claim they are family!

took a couple of years, but now we're down to 1 or 2 a month... and they tend to hear my voice and hang up fast now..

So are all public safety solicitations fraud? I'm in California and I get calls all the time to donate to the police department. I don't donate over the phone, so I just ask them to send me info in the mail.

Courtesy Call seems to be the biggest operator in these parts (Washington State), though I we also get calls from "National Deputy Association" and the like. My answer now is a curt and firm "Remove me from your organization's calling list." I block all the known offenders that I can, but most of the remaining ones hide their caller ID. Bastards.

As for charities, I give through my employer (who matches my donations). Anyone other than friends or family had best have an existing business contract with me before calling me at home.

@brain_grenade:
Is it wrong that somehow that makes me more, not less, likely to give?

Did this about 8 years ago, figured I'd support the NYS PBA. For the next 7 years, until I moved and got a new telephone number, I constantly harassed by every public safety organization out there, all thanking me for my previous support and asking for another donation. Best way to support your local PD, buy the cop a Grande.

Just ask the caller who the police or fire chief is in your town. Then laugh when they hem and haw.

@Binaryslyder: Our fire houses will hold drives where they stand on the painted lines in the middle of the street and hold out a fire boot, you can drop money in there as you pass in your car. I enjoy the eye candy. :)

Don't donate money to **any** organization over the phone.

FIFY.

@bohemian: Yep, those "who is calling me" sites are AWESOME when the caller actually allow their number to be displayed on your caller ID. I love it!

@cmdrsass: heh. I'm going to try this!

@starbreiz: I'd call the department and donate directly. Or take cookies over to the local firehouse. :)

@CFinWV: if they'd do it shirtless i'd go to an ATM and loop back around to donate.

@IphtashuFitz: I give through the haunted house [www.rutlandherald.com] and I know where the money is going [www.town.pittsford.vt.us]!

The relevant part from the second link is "The first ladder truck, the first accessory truck, and a lot of other equipment were purchased with the Haunted House funds. Over the past 27 years the Haunted House has raised approximately $1,000,000. The Fire House was built with funds from the Haunted House alone. No tax dollars were used."

I have never received a call from them asking for donations.

I've gotten a call for a police department that was the next town over about me donating money to them in $25, $50, etc increments if I wanted to. Out of curiosity I said sure I'll donate, and the guy said there would be a envelope sent on their behalf to me. Sure enough I get it a couple of days later, and it didn't exactly look professional. Pretty much like they took a regular envelope (actually the kind with the little window in it) and it looked as if the text on it was typed on a typewriter. I just ended up throwing it out.

Even if it was legit, they shouldn't have me send the donations in an envelope with a window on it, and if anything need the one with the scrawls on the inside to kinda.... i dunno hide the stuff.

@treimel:

Totally not wrong. I thought exactly the same thing.

@copwriter:

I'd much rather donate to the Red Cross or Salvation Army. I despise the religious overtones of the Salvation Army, but they do good work, and spend more of their time helping people than proselytizing (unlike other organizations such as MUST).

As far as police and firefighter associations go, I pay taxes. Taxes pay for police and firefighters. I vote for people who want to devote a larger portion of funds to police and firefighters. It really isn't all that difficult for the local government to stop funding a bunch of BS and spend more on public safety, if the right people are on the job.

Keep telemarketers on the line. It cuts into their profit margin and annoys them.

With practice, you can draw out a conversation as long as 15min. Act confused. Get them to repeat themselves. Take a long time to say anything. It all works. They're trained to never hang up if the mark stays on the line.

Every minute you spend on the line with a telemarketer is a minute they can't be cold calling other people. They need to call HUNDREDS of people a day to close even one deal. If everyone would just keep them talking, it would cut down on the number of people they can call by such a large factor they would go broke.

Keep 'em Hanging!!!

For those of you living in Michigan, you likely will get calls from the Michigan Firefighters Association, and or the Michigan Police Officers Association. Both are legitimate groups, however, the fundraiser keeps 85% of your donation. Just donate directly and cut the scumbags out of the loop. For those of you who may be cops or firefighters in these groups, why do you let your leadership contract with these scumbags?

Dear police and fire fighters, I pay a ton in taxes to pay your salary, overtime, generous benefits and life time pensions, please don't call me asking for more money.

50% of my county budget goes to police and fire dept., I think they are doing just fine without soliciting me at home during dinner.

Put yourself on the government's "do Not Call" list. It will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, this type of call.

@catastrophegirl: This. There's nothing like a man in half a uniform!

I seem to remember advice from Consumer Reports about charity solicitations. If not them, well, I always give them credit for it.

If I have a couple of minutes to spare, I ask the caller point blank, "What percentage of what I donate goes to the charity and what percentage goes to your organization?"

They can never answer, so I ask them if they have ever heard of and trust Consumer Reports. All have and do. I then tell them that CR says that if they can not answer that question directly, under no circumstances should I "donate" to them.

@bohemian: You and me both.

@IphtashuFitz: The way I see it, I already give them money - it's called "taxation" and they aren't getting any more.

@cmdrsass: +1

@starbreiz: It depends, where I work we donate to the firefighters and the police and they call us, but I'm not sure if it's because we donated in the past. I guess the best thing to do is ask questions and what the donation is for.

Our town doesn't really have a police force, we have what's called a "resident trooper" (a state trooper dedicated to the town). But we do have a volunteer fire department, which needs added money on occasion. Since my father had been a founder and charter member, when I donate funds to them, I know how to make the check out and to whom to give it, so that 100% of the money goes to them.

So I have no reason ever to give these solicitors a dime. Nor does anyone else in my town ... nor in any of most of the surrounding towns (which are for the most part covered by resident troopers and volunteer fire departments). A couple of them have paid fire departments and their own police forces, but most don't.

@lim: Do the guys still do the 'Boot Drive' on Route 103?

@AdvocatesDevil: I don't answer unrecognized calls anymore - I just google the # and call back if they leave a message that actually relates to me (versus: Hi I'm calling about an important thing with stuff... CALL BACK TODAY OR ELSE)