modern phenomena; we die in it. But we don’t always have to put up with it, do we? There are things we can – no, must – resist. This week: Julien Althuisius about charities that want more, more, more.
My phone rang and I didn’t recognize the number. In any case, it was not a 085 number, which I never answer – under any circumstances – because energy or internet sellers.
This number had the area code of my own city. Perhaps it was work-related, or the dentist called to reschedule an appointment. Maybe it was a friend who got into a traffic fight, he lost his phone and now he was in a police station and of course only knew my number by heart. Perhaps a new life beckoned on the other end of the line. I picked up. No job, no dentist, no boyfriend, no new life. Well: a gentleman from Amnesty International. He just called to say he loved me.
No, he called to say that he really appreciated that I was a donor (am I still?, I thought) and that the money I donated could help them do some really good things. For a moment I felt celebrated, loved almost. Just a moment. He didn’t say it literally, but one hung between us. And sure enough, there it came: if I didn’t want to increase my donation a bit. If I couldn’t give some more money. No, I didn’t want that. But instead of saying that right away, I started a disjointed speech trying to say that given my income, I really couldn’t afford to donate any more. That, of course, was only half the truth. The other half was that I simply didn’t want to donate more money. This is enough, you have to deal with this.
But I didn’t dare say that because I saw POWs all over the world shaking their heads in disappointment. Amnesty’s husband thanked me nicely for my time and wished me a nice evening. A challenge, given the guilt that had now taken me into a suffocating embrace. Earlier I had had the same feeling when I informed an employee of the KWF that I did not intend to increase my monthly contribution. After a while, the guilt subsided and gave way to the more bearable sensation of indignation. Wait a second. You already get money from me and if you ask for more, should I feel bad if I refuse? Of course it doesn’t work that way.
But, according to a friend who is well versed in the world of marketing, that’s how it works. “Do you know what they call you?” she asked. I could tell from the way she asked that she was eager to answer. An asshole? She looked at me with a look that was somewhere between compassion and endearment. †Low hanging fruit.Apparently people who already give something are easier to convince to give even more. And marketers eagerly use (abuse) that generosity. Since it is a good cause, we should all be fine with that. But it’s not that fine. This low-hanging fruit can no longer be picked. It’s not even a good fruit anymore. Because it hangs so low, bites have already been taken and sometimes dogs piss on it. It’s half rotten and sour. It’s no use to you. Do you know which fruit you should have? The fruit that hangs high in the tree, and that has been able to ripen in the sun for a long time. It is juicy and sweet and untouched. You just have to try a little harder to get to it.