There are many ways to help support Lighthouse Preservation. I've listed several in this poll. Please choose the method that most mirrors your method of support. This came to mind due to the continual requests for donations here (and elsewhere) that I am always getting requests for.

I guess the backup reason for this poll is donation burnout. I sometimes cringe when I see another request for a worthy cause.

I tend to do a combination of things- small donations to many, one or two large donations over time to special projects and I split my available time between different organizations.

It just gets too much sometimes when it seems that someone is always asking for money for another real need- I don't question the need just the frequency of the requests.

I don't know what the answer is but sometimes I jsut get tired of all the hands out- I'm sorry if that sounds harsh. Believe me I'm not trying to be harsh- just honest. Please, don't anybvody take my comments personally. they are not meant to be taken that way.

Please everybody vote in the poll and also respond in a direct post as to what you think in this area.

Dennis

I tend to "donate" time, maybe materials (posters, printer ink etc.) and money to a specific project at many differnet lighthouses and lightships.

For example, when the old Point Loma light was re-lit after the restauration etc. at the Cabrillo Monument, we issued a cover for the occasion.
We also did that for the anniversary of the sinking of the Elbe 1 lightship. And some other occasions ...

Since we are neither well off, nor physically fit to help out, we need to find other ways of doing something. So all I can do, is use what I am good at (blush) and write, issue covers etc.

Dennis, that's not harsh at all. In past years I did tons of volunteer work to help social causes and gave small amounts of money to many lighthouses and social causes. These days, I no longer do volunteer work - occasional only - but I still try to give small amounts of money. Since I do help a number of social causes, that, combined with donations to lighthouse preservation, can really create a strain on finances. It's easy to want to help, but it's important to look out for yourself, too. I've had to start curtailing my donations.

I'm not sure that I made my point in the manner I wanted to.

It was two fold- to find out how people help Lighthouse Preservation and to see if others are tired of being asked for money all the time from different good causes. I again am not trying to single out any one person or organization for this- I'm speaking generally not speciffically.

I didn't get this part across very well as I look at my poll question. What do you think is the best way to support lighthouse preservation-

Give all your available time and or money to one or two projects or to spread small amounts to many projects.

Any thoughts on this?

Dennis

I almost always will buy a raffle ticket or two.
Try to split volunteer time between 2 lighthouses and the Florida Lighthouse Association.
Sometimes if funds are available I will donate to a special project (like fixing the stairs at Hunting Island a couple of years ago}. Most of the funds go to lighthouses that still need to be restored. I have donated in the past to lighthouses to get major restoration done and now that they have been restored, the money goes to others that are in need.

Any way thanks to all who have given time or money, both are of value.

As there are no lighthouses here in Colorado and I am not able to travel that often, working at a lighthouse is not an option the majority of the time. So, I try to donate $$ to as many organizations/lighthouses as my budget allows for each year, some years the $$ are greater than others. I also try to participate by purchasing opportunity drawing tickets from each of the groups that have posted in the Preservations threads, and I have donated APs for drawings.

I think the opportunity drawing postings are a great way to reach out for additional funds for preservations efforts especially if the club is a smaller group like Colorado Lighthouse Collectors Society. As I mentioned before we don't have a light here, and as a small group we want to help too and hate to think that a AP or a light from Bill's stash being almost given away when alot of folks would like to add one to their collection, it seems the best way to earn the greatest amount of funds for us is via the Forums.

Getting fed up with being asked for donations ....

Yes, that is a problem for me too. My income does not allow me to financially support all the causes that have written or emailed asking for money.

So I give a small amount of money every month to a cancer charity here. That is a cause close to home.

Other than that, I support individual projects - both lighthouse and social - with time, materials and sometimes small amounts of money if I can.

I get fedup with "begging letters" of charities, I don't want anything to do with.

And it annoys me, when they have to send me address labels or pens I did not ask for, just to get my attention. I would have thought they should spend their money on better things than tacky labels and pens. Not to mention the postage it costs to send those items out.

The problem is Dennis, charitable organizations all tend to share information. If you give to one lighthouse organization, your name will probably be given / sold to many others.

And it's not just lighthouses organizations. For our christmas gift exchange between siblings, some of my family asks for donations to be made in there name. We tried that, even listed the gift as "in honor of".., but shortly there after we were inundated with requests from other charities, most that we had never gotten anything from before. And they came from the original charity as well, sometimes monthly. We don't give that kind of gift anymore.

It's almost as bad as the pre-approved credit offers we recielve almost daily. Only, you can opt out of those.

Don't get me wrong, I have no probalem giving to charities, I just want to pick them.

Mike

I support my local lighthouses at events, fundraisers, and volunteer(donations too.) Each year, I usually pick out a couple different lighthouses from anywhere in need that I've visited and been impressed with their plan, and make a nice donation.
-Bob

Has any one else run into this scenario? A charity asks for your donation and you feel that it is a cause that you want to contribute to, but your resources are tight-you offer to send the amount you can afford. Then they tell you that they don't accept amounts less than $20! The last one I ran into was the V.A. for wheelchairs,medical attention,etc. I wanted to send $15 and that is what I was told. If they need money-don't you think that any amount would be appreciated? Small amounts add up...am I missing something here?

This sounds like someone soliciting by phone? If so they are making a commission. (Tell me how much I can put you down for?) I contribute to Special Olympics annually but someone calls quarterly. I only contribute directly, and never respond to a phone call. When you tell them this they can try to get quite rude. I also usually respond with 'take my name off your list.' Sad to say if a charity or a Rep offends me, they usually lose my business. I really love the charities fowarding from my mom's to me! Her name at my address. Transfer a guilt trip.

I do have a soft spot for a Lady collecting clothes from St Mary's. She'll call and ask, and if you don't have any she says thanks, and she'll call the next time they're in the neighborhood. Very pleasant

Yes, it was a phone solicitation. Some of these organizations are pleasant to deal with-like the police associations. If you can't help this time-they will politely ask if they can remember you for next year. Others are down right rude and like you, I will not donate if I'm offended either. Your lady sounds similiar to the one at a thrift shop near here!!

I have absolutely no use for the boiler room donation operations. Want to throw them off? Ask how much the charity gets for every $1 you send via the solicitor. Most are in the pennies - "administrative costs" eat up the other 90+ cents. I won't even let those folks finish their intro. Depending on how bad they torque me off, they will either hear "no thanks" as the phone is being hung up or I will just hang up. Don't you love the ones using speed dialers who have to quickly figure out who is on the line when a person answers, and then botch your name???

The only other reason I could see in asking for a minimum donation is that it could possibly cost more to process your donation than they can afford at that amount. Think this is a long shot possibility, but it can come into play especially when they are taking credit cards.

Like Bob, I would only give direct to a recipient. And like some, when money is tight, share your time and or talents. One of lifes really great moments is when you are able to do a project for someone/some group that is deserving and you see the look on their face when it is done.

Several years ago, our adopted light at Michigan City needed post cards for their gift shop. In the quantities they could order people weren't interested in their business. Paul suggested to our club that we have cards made up to give them to sell. Not only would we help them by providing them the cards they needed, but also a steady trickle of income from the cards, and we would give them truly unique cards. They were presented on the front lawn of the light during one of our work weekends. I truly believe a couple of the lighthouse folks were on the verge of tears because of our very modest donation.

Time and again the docents thank all of us for the work we do around the light. We have helped them do something maybe they couldn't do themselves and we have had a fun time with friends. Pretty good deal IMO!

Totally agree with the "boiler room operations". I send to the ones I want and do not take phone calls - caller id is wonderful! I don't take calls that don't tell me who is calling or whose number I don't recognize; that usually eliminates all those soliciting funds.

I have to chose two lighthouses for larger donations and help in smaller ways with others. When the restoration is done on those two, I will continue to donate but may chose two new ones for larger donations. There are not any lighthouses in Tennessee, so it is harder to get time to travel so I can work at a lighthouse.
I do not like the phone calls. If I donated once but may not be able to donate the next time they try to put a guilt trip on me. I really dislike it when you tell one person that you can not help this year and you get repeated calls from the same company every couple of days. One organization I have donated to in the past did this and I just told them to take me off their list.

I agree with not responding to phone solicitors. I also hate it when you make an annual donation and then you keep getting more requests throughout the year.

As far as lighthouse preservation, this year I have bought tickets for practically every raffle. As Melody said earlier we are a small club in Colorado but we try to support one lighthouse at a time. It is more fun when you raise funds for a particular light so you have one lighthouse you can identify with. We supported Waugoshance last year and are looking for a new one to support for one or a few years. We even talked about participating in work days but that would be something we would have to plan way ahead but it would be a fun activity for our little group.

Judy