Most of us don’t know the difference between a door-to-door fundraiser, a chugger, a telephone fundraiser and a legacy fundraiser. All they see is a person with a charity ID badge, pressuring them into something they are not comfortable with. Most people don’t like feeling awkward or being put on the spot. Negative experiences from doorknockers stick in people’s minds and have a detrimental impact not only on that charity, but the sector as a whole.

There are many harrowing stories about doorknockers. It is said that some fundraisers train their doorknockers to mislead the unsuspecting public into believing that 100% of their donation will benefit their charity. This is never true, and if one fundraiser is happy to use underhanded tactics to get a quick win, why wouldn’t people think they are all like that.

If you sign up to a doorknocker and cancel your direct debit after a month the fundraising agency will still charge the charity a fee, of roughly your first years donation. This type of fundraising though is so lucrative for the charities that they are willing to take risks, as people sometimes give for more in a year than those that cancel.

When someone donates money to a charity through a doorknocker fundraiser, typically only a portion of that donation goes directly to the charity itself, with a significant percentage going towards the fundraising agency that employs the doorknocker, known as a Chugger, meaning the charity might receive as little as 50% of the donation depending on the arrangement.

Some points to remember:

• Fundraising agency fees:

Most door-to-door fundraising is done through agencies that take a large cut of the donations to cover their costs, like commissions for the doorknockers, salaries for the fundraisers, operational expenses (bussing the doorknockers to a particular postcode in the country) and the many administrative expenses of the agency concerned.

• Variable percentage:

The exact percentage that reaches the charity can vary greatly depending on the charity and the fundraising agency involved. An average figure seems to be 40p in the £1.00

• Transparency is key:

Always ask the fundraiser about how much of your donation will go directly to the charity, to help you make an informed decision. Do not be pressurised.

Your house is your castle. You have every right to refuse entry to a doorknocker. You also have every right to cancel any agreement with someone who pressurises you into signing anything. Citizens Advice helpline will speak to you by ringing 0808 223 1133

Woodingdean Neighbourhood Watch, with the Police and Trading Standards, set up the village’s No Cold Calling Zone in 2016. It works well most of the time, but so far this year we have had many complaints about doorknockers.

To that end, we would ask residents to send information to the following email address:    woodingdeanneighbourhoodwatch@gmail.com

All information received will be anonymised and sent to the Police, on a three-monthly basis, so that a record of the company can be kept and action taken by the Police in deterring future visits.

If you would like your address to be included in the Woodingdean Neighbourhood Watch scheme, please leave your details on the email address above and you will receive alerts and information on keeping safe.