TOT: Group noun for chuggers?

[fred]

My neighbourhood was invaded this evening by a group of door knocking chuggers.

They gathered near my home and ate their fill from snack cartons and dropped their rubbish on the pavement beside them or in my hedge.

When confronted about their littering they denied all knowledge of the refuse.

When the litter turned out to contain information cards from Home Fundraising:

[e-mail]

0800 6122 454

and a sheet headed, "Knock Sheet", name Hugh Kelly and team leader JM

all were silent.

I suppose when you lie to make your living then it's difficult to break the habit.

Anyway, back to the subject, what to call a group of these leeches?

To add comedy value, when one of the same crew knocked my door later, for a moment, they couldn't even remember the charity they were allegedly collecting for, despite wearing a bright red 'Save the Children' T-shirt.

[Andrew Gabriel]

With a couple of practice run's, I've just about got this spot on now...

Chugger: Your neighbours have subscribed. Me: Oh that's good. [as the door shuts]

Prolonging the conversation is simply a waste of both our time.

I was thrown off-script once when it turned out they were chugging for a charity I already have a standing order with (with no chugging overhead charges).

[polygonum]

An orgasm. They are always coming up the garden path.

[Martin Brown]

I nominate the collective noun as "A pestilence of " chuggers.

According to their website that lot claim to be one of the more ethical charity donor mugging organisations. I guess that means that as much as

5% of everything they collect goes to the designated charity.

The figures for high street charity shops are not all that much better after they have paid the exorbitant rent on the premises :(

It looks better than having even more boarded up empty shops.

[fred]

In article , Andrew Gabriel writes

Agreed.

Nice to know you can still do that, they seem to hide that particular option well.

[The Natural Philosopher]

A chuff or pestilence of chuggers

[Brian Gaff]

Well, Parasites is what I call them but the snag is the hosts appear willing to let them feed.

Brian

[David WE Roberts]

A sodoff of chuggers?

[jgharston]

All shops are really council tax free, not even virtually. Council Tax is paid on residential properties. Commercial properties pay business rates to HM Treasury in London.

Charities are able to access a range of tax discounts, as are premises in regeneration areas, businesses with low turnover, premises with low ratable value (Small Business Rate Relief).

JGH

[charles]

However the local authority who collect domestic rates also collect the business rates.

Charities get a mandatory 50% reduction in business rates.

[Tim Streater]

It may also be waived entirely e.g. for Village halls.

[fred]

In article , fred writes

Thanks to all who replied.

Much as I hate to admit it I think the thanks goes to Harry for:

A theft of chuggers.

It seems by far the most appropriate.

[pcb1962]

When I complained to a charity that I support about their use of chuggers, they explained that although the chuggers take most of the first year's income from your DD, the average donor will leave the DD active for 5 years, so in effect the chuggers are working on a 20% commission, which the charities think is good value.

[Jethro_uk]

Except they get 0% from me.

[Tim Streater]

But they should be run like businesses. That way they'd be more efficient.

[djc]

Unfortunately 'business' doesn't always mean 'efficient'. In the case of a small business, yes; like personal finances it will be run to maximise the benefit (however defined) to the business owner. But charities unless small, local, and run entirely by volunteers, tend to be just like any other corporation. They don't have even a nominal ownership by shareholders. They are run by employees and tend to end up being run for the benefit and to satisfy the personal ambitions of employees. Add to that all big charities nowadays seem to have given up doing good works in favour of being campaigning organisations; in other words a job creation scheme for professional politicians.

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

From what I can make out many charities employ fund raising companies on the basis that some income is good even if they don't see most of the money raised. It has been reported that none of the first year of monthly payments people sign up for actually reach the charities in many cases (because of the charges involved) and that most people cancel in the first year. I understand that "Just Giving" and similar sites are commercial and take a "fair" slice.

[Tim Streater]

Well quite. So they are not being run like successful businesses, but like shitty ones, which in the real world would be bought up and broken up [1].

Like the RSPCA which unaccountably appears, under some circs, to have powers that even the ordinary citizen does not have. And this morning it was reported on the Today programme that they have a position (anti) regarding the Korean proposal to do some whale hunting. The really should keep their noses out of things that don't concern them.

[1] Breaking up a failing business is a good way of recycling society's assets, in spite of the twaddle you see in the media about asset stripping (ooh! ooh! shock, horror!).