Was I Just Grouchy?

I'm going to tell you about something that happened today that you may have a totally different opinion about. I just arrived back at my office after a long afternoon meeting. I must admit that I was not in the best mood. The phone rang, and the caller at the other end identified herself as representing a local chapter of a national charity. She said that a "friend" of mine had identified me as someone who could be his/her "cellmate," meaning I would have to dial my way out of jail by calling friends and begging them to donate money to the charity. Of course the friend wanted to remain in the "secret witness" program. Unfortunately, it was a day that is already fully booked and I just couldn't make room in my schedule to don prison stripes.

I gotta' tell you that the whole thing left me out of sorts. I am a huge believer in giving to my community. Certified Networker has given a $50 check to the favorite charity of the MVP of every class we've taught since the very beginning. That's almost $2000 to date, plus we had a drawing at our December monthly lunch, and for each person in attendance we gave $5 per person to the lucky person's charity. Guess what? It happened to be to the very group that called today. In addition my husband and I give generously to several local organizations that always can use more. I know that charities, like all businesses today, are facing tough times. But I just don't like the connotation of forcing people to give to a group that they may not want to support just to get me out of jail. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it has something to do with the feeling of being used.


What's your take on this particular method of fund raising?