Light the Night Walk
Upon arriving in Little Rock, AR, I passed by Light the Night Walk, an event hosted by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to raise money for cancer research, education, and patient services. Walking past this must have been ordained, because I immediately canceled plans to hear a spoken word poetry reading, and, with less than two hours before the event, decided to walk the streets and start fundraising with the first stranger I met. It was very ephemeral. Within the hour, I was miraculously fully funded, with an overflow of cash. And though it was for a good cause, I loved the frisson of soliciting money from strangers, never knowing if my attempts for support were feckless. This must be how a salesman feels, always on his toes, adjusting his tactics according to body language, in the attempt to establish rapport with the potential client to seal the deal.
Amidst the fundraising, I came across many who retorted the same exact excuse: I’m sorry, but I have no cash on hand. I daresay that the majority of these were blatant lies, perhaps out of fear that I was a con man. I am gathering public opinion on whether or not one would do the same thing in this scenario. The poll is completely anonymous. Please answer honestly.
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it and get the word out!
Hey Andrew,
Amazing. This sounds like an interesting idea that we could use in small group. I wonder if we could pick a worthy cause and then go out to a random street corner to do fundraising for it. It would be a way of practicing evangelism without the awkwardness that religion can sometimes bring to discussion. The next step would of course be evangelism for God.
Is there a difference between telling a solicitor that you have no cash to SPARE, rather than no cash ON HAND?
Jon, I was wondering the same thing. When I am approached I just shake my head slowly NO with a sincere smile. It does not mean that I have no cash. It means: “Sorry, giving you money is not going to happen, today.”
I donate to many charities, fund-raisers and the needy. However I have to budgeted for it. If I am approached and I have to refuse, it is usually because it was not within my budget that day.
It bugs me how easily people will donate to a cause, like seeking a cure for cancer, without having ANY IDEA how effective their donation will be. All we know is what we’re told. It is an act of faith, primarily — which is nice, but blind faith enabled much of the mess on Wall St… If you pay attention, there are always people around you in need, whom you can help DIRECTLY.
Re: Dave: Amen, Id give so much to charities if I knew they werent gonna squander it. Show me a charity that helps Africans get on their feet through education and lowered birth rates that doesnt waste money, and im sending them $2k a year.