Many years ago, I was with some fellow volunteers outside a popular shopping mall, raising money for a new ambulance. There were many people who could have obviously been able to spare a bill or two, but they were too full of themselves to even look at our faces, let alone the fliers we were handing out.
Then one old guy with a bottle of beer in one hand and dressed like that was his only dinner came out of the shop, looked at us, and put his beer change in our bucket, saying something along the lines of “you do something important”.
Ya, and I can only speak for myself, but I don’t have a lot to give to charity so when I do it sure as heck isn’t random. There’s far too many scammy charities out there for that, I don’t donate anything without at least a little researching first.
This seems plausible, so I searched and found this on the Wikipedia:
Various studies have examined who gives more to charity. A study in the United States found that as income decreases, charitable giving increases as a percentage of income. For instance, the poorest fifth of Americans donated 4.3% of their income, while the wealthiest fifth donated 2.1%. In absolute terms, this translated to an average donation of $453 from an average income of $10,531, compared to $3,326 from an income of $158,388.
I was a treasurer for a rescue squad that operates solely off donations. We did not go out in person to solicit donations. We had a very organized mailing effort that went to the community, on top of folks just being rescued, and feeling compelled, I guess, to give back a little.
Ambulances cost a fuckton. Not just to buy, but to maintain and use. We always said just pulling out of the garage was $100. And we were all volunteer so it’s strictly maintaining the rigs.
The squad continues to operate, but they are a dying breed, nearly extinct at this point, which is a shame but understandable.
Assuming this happened in the US, I’d outwardly be kind to the volunteers but inside is be screaming, “buy your own fucking ambulance!”. As much as they charge us to ride in one, there’s no reason to ask the public to buy it for them, too.
Many years ago, I was with some fellow volunteers outside a popular shopping mall, raising money for a new ambulance. There were many people who could have obviously been able to spare a bill or two, but they were too full of themselves to even look at our faces, let alone the fliers we were handing out.
Then one old guy with a bottle of beer in one hand and dressed like that was his only dinner came out of the shop, looked at us, and put his beer change in our bucket, saying something along the lines of “you do something important”.
Made our day.
Those people who were “too full of themselves” might have their own problems, and they might also donate in other places unseen by you.
Ya, and I can only speak for myself, but I don’t have a lot to give to charity so when I do it sure as heck isn’t random. There’s far too many scammy charities out there for that, I don’t donate anything without at least a little researching first.
Poor people give away a much higher percentage of their wealth than rich people.
This seems plausible, so I searched and found this on the Wikipedia:
JFC
Also doesn’t an ambulance cost like 200.000$? How many “bills or two” were you expecting.
IIRC, The first ambulance for Reid Hospital was donated by a cycling club, the League of American Wheelman. This was around 1905.
Why cyclists? They had been the ones advocating for better road conditions at the time.
A number of hospitals still run as non-profits and accept donations.
I was a treasurer for a rescue squad that operates solely off donations. We did not go out in person to solicit donations. We had a very organized mailing effort that went to the community, on top of folks just being rescued, and feeling compelled, I guess, to give back a little.
Ambulances cost a fuckton. Not just to buy, but to maintain and use. We always said just pulling out of the garage was $100. And we were all volunteer so it’s strictly maintaining the rigs.
The squad continues to operate, but they are a dying breed, nearly extinct at this point, which is a shame but understandable.
Why are they so much more expensive than a normal box truck?
Assuming this happened in the US, I’d outwardly be kind to the volunteers but inside is be screaming, “buy your own fucking ambulance!”. As much as they charge us to ride in one, there’s no reason to ask the public to buy it for them, too.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A41-44&version=NIV