There is a always a high demand for charity dollars and during tough times it becomes an even harder call for communities and businesses to decide where to make their donation.
Which is why, when charity collectors come to call, many people become wary and either refuse to give money, or investigate specific causes a bit more closely.
A recent telemarketing campaign in the Clare area by the Skin Cancer Education & Support Group saw some concerns aired by the community, which the organisation’s directors say they are trying to address.
The Skin Cancer Education & Support Group made calls asking for money to go toward a skin cancer awareness campaign for local schools. The money is to provide a package, containing information on preventing skin cancer, sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses for local school children.
Each pack costs about $15 with the balance of the $50 per head charge for each student going to administration and the supply of a one litre bottle of sunscreen per school classroom.
The Northern Argus was told, in a phone call followed by a faxed request, dated September 14, that the organisation would be supporting local school children in three Clare schools.
The Skin Cancer Education & Support Groups directors Peter and Heather Joseph of Campbelltown said they were passionate about bringing the preventable condition of skin cancer to the attention of young people in South Australia.
They registered their charity with the Australian Taxation Department in 2006 and have been trying to get their work off the ground since that time, ramping up their telemarketing efforts this year.
“We estimate that it costs us around $50 per child to provide the program,” Mr Joseph said last week.
“We try to do schools throughout South Australia - but it depends on the amount of money we raise and where we raise it.
“We are trying to give every class room a litre of sunscreen, plus some schools may get 20 packs and some might get 50 (to give to students).”
Mr Joseph said no schools in South Australia had been given any packs but he was hoping to begin distribution soon.
He said so far they had given out squirts of sunscreen, together with fact sheets, at local shopping centres, beaches and parks.
The organisation’s directors are concerned at what they said was a breach of their protocol for fundraising in communities when contacted by the Northern Argus last week.
According to Mr Joseph telemarketers were to send letters to local schools in areas being canvassed, and a letter was also to be sent to the local police station to inform them there would be a charity collector in the town.
However, St Joseph’s Primary, Vineyard Lutheran and Clare Primary Schools said they had not received any contact by mail or phone from the telemarketers as of Wednesday, September 16, neither had local police.
Mr Joseph said the organisation had personnel in the Clare district for two days last week to collect money on the spot from businesses that agreed to donate, and was surprised the protocol had not been followed by the telemarketers. He said he would be speaking to them about his concerns.
“From what I understand we have had about 18 donations (from Clare) totalling less than $300,” he said.
He said if the schools did not want to become involved in the program products would be given to local sporting clubs.
Mr Joseph also said he had been shocked by a phone call from Radio Rentals, listed as one of the company’s major sponsors, claiming that they had been harassed by the telemarketers.
Radio Rentals gave the Skin Cancer Education & Support Group $1000 more than a year ago, but has declined to donate a second time.
“They continued to badger us for money, trying different managers, and even sent through an invoice and then phoned to ask us to pay it,” a Radio Rentals spokesperson said.
“They were ringing our accounts payable and saying we had to get our payment in quickly. They are certainly very persistent and very pushy.”
Radio Rentals has spoken to Mr Joseph about what they felt was harassment by the telemarketers and asked their logo be removed from the organisation’s letters.
Mr Joseph said he was investigating Radio Rentals claims with the telemarketers and why local schools had not received letters as “they were supposed to”. “We are heading to the telemarketing office today to see what is going on because these are definitely not the protocols we have in place,” Mr Joseph said last Thursday, September 24.
Mr Joseph has purchased a large quantity of sunscreen from an Adelaide pharmacy to begin the program and said telemarketers would be calling businesses in the Fleurieu Peninsula in the second week of October.
“We start next week at Goolwa, the Riverland in the last week of September and then up through Clare and Port Pirie in October.”
The program is not affiliated with the Cancer Council in any way.
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