A presentation about checkout charity strategies and how they do not generate genuine donations.

1. The Checkout Charity Trap
Jonathan Offt

2. Asking for donations at retail checkout counters
is becoming an increasingly common trend,
particularly during this time of the year

3. Research indicates that such drives, although
not a major contributor to driving up sales for
a retailer, is not altogether a wasted effort

4. Most of it depends on the category of the donation and
also on the execution strategies employed

5. Perry Yeatman, in his article for
Philanthropy.com, says that generally,
charity at checkout does not tend to
increase spending more or enable the
customer to warm up to the retailer

6. Sometimes, quite the opposite may
happen when people feel somewhat
ambushed by the expected pitch when
they have their wallets already open

7. Most people feel guilty and awkward with
people standing in line behind them within
hearing range and end up donating to
something they probably weren’t even listening
about until the registrar asked for money

8. A little resentment towards the retailer after this
socially-awkward interaction is therefore, warranted

9. Nowadays, people are more deeply involved
in charitable givings than ever before

10. People tend to research thoroughly about
the cause and the organization before fully
committing and such surprise petty pitches
on something they may not even be
interested in is rarely welcomed

11. Besides, as more retailers adopt this
method, making it a regular check-out
custom, people will eventually learn
to be indifferent and simply say no
without second thoughts

12. The ‘Impact per dollar’ knowledge helps
the donor understand how their money
will be used and makes them more
inclined to whip out their wallets

13. Short-term techniques like checkout charity
will only create short-term donors

14. Economist James Andreoni, explains that people
do not only donate to affect change, but also to
feel positive about themselves afterwards

15. Impulse charity like checkout charity leaves the
donor feeling confused, which is not exactly a
desirable first impression on the people you want
to keep dedicated to your cause

16. Nonetheless, checkout charity is
gaining popularity simply because
of how simple it is to implement

17. The retailers appear generous to the customers without
having to invest anything in the charitable cause

18. For retailers who choose to implement checkout
charity, the least they can do is make sure it is a charity
that resonates with the customer on some level

19. To read full article, visit:
!
http://philanthropy.com/blogs/measuring-up/
the-ups-and-downs-of-charity-at-the-checkout-
counter/371