MADD

I guess it may be really tacky to criticize a volunteer spokesperson for an organization such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, because it makes me appear to be insensitive to her loss (of a daughter about 5 years ago, which I'm sure still feels very recent to her).

But that's not the point. Lisa was interviewing the local Pres. this morning about the allegations that too large a percentage goes to pay the fundraisers (telemarketers) themselves. (I suppose I should look up what percentage is being alleged. Some other time.)

The spokesperson sounded very hostile to me -- and of course that is understandable -- and she's not a professional actor, but unfortunately in my eyes (ears) she lost in part because of that. It wasn't intentional, but because she's a volunteer, she is not trained to be aware of her tone of voice etc.

"In part", I say, because the main thing that undermined her credibility in my mind was her saying that "All money raised locally stays in Thunder Bay".

But later she was defending the use of telemarketers in this day and age. She can't deny that they use telemarketers, if in fact they do. Lisa did ask what percentage goes towards paying them. The spokesperson didn't have that figure available! But isn't that the whole point!!?

Maybe it depends what "raised locally" means. But to me, if I am sitting in my house in Thunder Bay and am asked on my phone to give money (no matter where the telemarketer is), that feels local to me. I could be wrong about that.

I'd prefer to hear that yes they do use telemarketers, because it has been shown (somehow) that volume of donations increases by such and such an amount and that such and such a percentage goes to frontline work locally, this much to administration and this much to pay the telemarketers. (Hey, I don't expect the phone solicitors to suffer abuse from guys I play hockey with for free.) Doesn't MADD have those figures? Shouldn't they just give them to us?

(One reason to screen one's calls; so that I'm not tempting to torment with mindgames people who are just trying to feed their kids.)

Lisa had her very sympathetic tone going (and again I don't want to pick on people who have suffered this way), and didn't press for this answer. I'm learning that National CBC (such as As It Happens) tends to be tougher, while local CBC is all about being friendly and chatty with the local community. (So I'm not picking on Lisa either. That's just the tone they want to set.)