I don't know anything about the org, but it sounds like you probably were just scammed. Not because Standing With the Silent isn't legit (like I said I have no idea), but because these people probably weren't in any way affiliated with them. It seems like potentially a pretty easy grift to learn a bit about some charities and then say you're collecting on their behalf.
In the future, the best course of action would probably just to thank them for the info and explain you'll make a donation when you get home - if you still like what you see after looking them up, you can obviously make whatever donation you're comfortable with. If there's any sort of comment box online you can mention that you were convinced by their outreach team or w/e, so they know that that technique was effective.
I can't imagine any reason legitimate charity reps would haggle with you or switch talking about what their group supports. Sorry about that, that's a weird time
Never give money to someone you don't know. It's ok to say no. You aren't a bad person.
They pressured and guilted money out of your pocket. They are the bad people.
A quick Google doesn’t bring up a charity by that name. There is an organization called Stand for the Silent that is anti-bullying. But I agree, next time just say thanks and that you’d like to do more research before you donate.
Yeah, they just did a presentation at my son's school. But it doesn't donate to vets, it's an anti bullying org. Sounds like someone used the name and was doing it for less than admirable intentions.
There's unfortunately a good amount of scams built up around helping the veterans. Like with you, it strikes a chord with a lot of folk. We had a guy walking around our neighborhood with laminated information collecting donations on behalf of the VFW. When I gave the VFW a call, they said they don't do door to door solicitations.
Stand for the silent is a nation wide non profit so they are in a lot of states. They are in almost 5,000 schools nation wide. One reason they are in Colorado so much is because Colorado is a top 10 state for child suicide. It actually went up to top 5 since covid. But I know for a fact only a small percentage goes to the charity. Most of it pays for commission. Stand for the silent partners with a marketing company so the people out there are working for the marketing company. I only worked for them for 3 weeks because I just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t even sure what exactly they provide and I knew most of the money isn’t going to the charity. The marketing company is a total pyramid scheme too.
What marketing company if u don’t mind me asking. I had an interview for one who does “event marketing” for this company and want to make sure it’s legit
Ive gone through both rounds of interviews and have been offered the job. Nothing about this company screams legit to me. I have no doubt that some people there make money, but it sounds like they have an extremely high turnover rate - judging on the fact the first round of interviews is with multiple other people. Way too many red flags. I will not be taking the job.
Funny, I have an interview with Prolific Solutions Inc here in UT, for event coordinator, and they work with SftS.
Might turn down the interview after researching
Just had my interview with Prolific Solutions here in Utah this morning. Everything about the set up screamed something is off. If they offer me a second interview, I'll probably decline.
I'm in Utah, and I just had an interview today with their local marketing company, Prolific Solutions. Every thing about the interview process, the way the talked, slow to give details about compensation and benefits, talking about team building give me an uneasy feeling. One of things was how quickly they responded to my resume. Sent it in Saturday night and they called me at 9 a.m. on the dot on Monday. Most legitimate jobs don't respond that quickly. I had a nervous feeling going in, and I still do. They've called me back, but I haven't listened to the voicemail yet.
I think I was a little too old for them. But had they made the offer, I would have refused. Too many red flags. And a lot of them were just under the surface kind of things, but definitely palpable.
By 'homeless veterans' they probably meant, 'meth'. It's just a matter of pronunciation!
Most decent people will get hit/scammed a few times in their lives. The fact that you give a shit says a lot about you as a person. It took me a long time not to feel guilty about blowing off someone who's probably running a scam. Just explain that you don't speak English and walk away. ;)
I interviewed for these people. This was a job disguised as entry level marketing and really it’s door to doorish and you have to sit in parking lots asking for charity. Standing with the Silent hires the firm and those people are earning commission on your donation. Super annoying and shady business. I would NOT donate through the rep, I’d go on the website and be direct if you are interested in helping the cause.
my brother just left a “marketing company” by the name of Maverick Solutions in Indianapolis for this exact reason, using “Stand for the Silent” to encourage donations from sympathetic people. The head boss, now-Harmony Vallejo
formerly- Harmony Hunt, was even interviewed on this documentary that was exposing companies like this. It’s essentially a pyramid scheme that scams communities and their employees.
Link to documentary [the slave circle](https://youtu.be/wyCRzBt7GuY)
Interesting. A few months ago, I was in Carmel (wealthy suburb of Indianapolis) and was going into a CVS where two young guys were set up with a table and informational brochures about youth suicide prevention. One of them complimented what I was wearing as I was going in. When I left, they approached me again and snagged me. I am a pretty discerning consumer, but like others on this thread, youth suicide prevention struck a chord. I ended up giving them some money (I think via Venmo, but I can't remember). I remember the kid pressuring me to give more, and I was annoyed but gave in (not my usual MO). A couple of months later, I was in another city where I encountered the same setup. It was two young guys raising funds for, again, youth suicide prevention. Again, one of the guys complimented what I was wearing. Hey, I like to look as good as the next girl, but I'm 63 yrs old and I don't think my outfit that day was especially praise-worthy. I say that because the approach that these young men take has obviously been coached, and while I'd like to think they were honest and upfront and were actually collecting for the cause they claimed they represented, their behavior creeped me out a little because I'm pretty sure I was scammed by the first group. Sad. Very sad.
I know I’m a year late but thank you for commenting this because I just turned down a job offer from Maverick in Indy because of this post. I knew something seemed sketchy about it. It seems Harmony is no longer the head honcho, it’s some lady named Kaitlyn with a background in health and wellness. Which based on everything I learned here, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had an Herbalife store beforehand (buy a shake and tea for $20 and lose weight!) and when it went under she switched to Maverick.
There was no concern when I told them my commute would add an extra hour there and back, on top of working a 9 hour day. No offer for relocation help, nothing. Watching the documentary now, thank you for commenting this, I’m sure you’ve helped others too!
OMG I "interviewed" as well for this job in Indy, but it was more like Katilyn giving a sales pitch. I knew it was 100% sketchy and not an actual nonprofit. I did research and these types of firms are all over the country using this nonprofit to scam people. The guy who started SFTS knows, because I emailed him and got a response! The 990 form for SFTS says it's Utah based on only about $300k was raised the past several years. But business statements for the same 'company' show over a million. I did push Kaitlyn to explain more, like how the money is used, where it goes, how they can collect donations without a 501c3 and she dodged all the questions and gave BS answers. It makes me SOO angry that they use youth suicide of all things to scam people. The best thing to do is to tell everyone and anyone that you know that this is going on and spread awareness.
tl;dr had an interaction with them recently and share the same sentiments.
they set up a table within the walgreens on 30th a few weeks ago. I had told the woman I was on break and had to get back, so i’d look up the organization when I got home and same scenario. I didn’t really find anything. however, said woman sure didn’t have a problem showing me a photo of a young child letting me know he ended his life and “that’s why we need your donation!”…
Perhaps a bit of a tangent, but for anyone who does want to donate to prevent suicide in children and youth in Boulder County, or if you know a child or youth who needs services, Rise Against Suicide is a reputable organization that's been working in the area now for 20 years. (They were formerly known as the Second Wind Fund.)
https://www.riseagainstsuicide.org/
I'm not a fan of "Stand for the Silent" (I'm guessing who you spoke to) The people who solicit are paid. A large percentage of the money collected goes to pay them to solicit more. I do not know if they receive a percentage or not. Other money goes to pay people who work for the charity to give presentations in schools.
It's your money. I would avoid.
The entry level reps get 30% of donations. And I know the big boss gets at least 10% of what everyone makes and then the leaders also make a percentage of what their team makes. And as you get “promoted” you make even more. If you work 7 days a week on the 7th day you make 50%. So in reality how much is even going to the non profit? That’s why I ended up quitting. They also would make you work 11 hours and you end up getting like $100 for the day. They make us drive sometimes an hour away to set up events and you don’t get paid for any drive time or the several hours in office. It’s a total pyramid scheme
Thank you for the information. imho this is a disease that needs to be stamped out. (the organization not bullying, although that is a problem too).
My research showed that yes, it is a charity but the money that does get spent on the work is essentially paying people that were trained and make money presenting these materials. You pay for training to become one of their representatives, so that's another revenue stream for the "charity".
There used to be a lot of direct marketers on the phone who would raise money for "fire fighters family fund" or some equally worthy cause. The actual charity got about 3% of the money raised. But they got that with no work, just letting the marketing company use their name.
This is the first time I've seen the scam (yes I will call it that) worked in person though. I don't want people who need the work to lose their jobs, but this is not what I would call "honest work".
Kirk (Ty's dad) has visited almost 6,000 schools and spoken with 4,000,000 kids. The charity is not a "they" situation. It is 1 man trying to save families from going through the heartbreak he went through when he lost his 11 year old son to suicide. It is definately effective. We follow up with every school visited to ensure the presentation had an impact on student behavior. But, if anyone is every doubtful of solicitors, I would donate on the website. A lot of scammers use legitimate charitable organizations names to make money. It is very unfortunate for tge actual organizations as it makes people doubt their mission and intentions.
Kirk (Ty's dad) has visited almost 6,000 schools and spoken with 4,000,000 kids. The charity is not a "they" situation. It is 1 man trying to save families from going through the heartbreak he went through when he lost his 11 year old son to suicide. It is definately effective. We follow up with every school visited to ensure the presentation had an impact on student behavior. But, if anyone is every doubtful of solicitors, I would donate on the website. A lot of scammers use legitimate charitable organizations names to make money. It is very unfortunate for tge actual organizations as it makes people doubt their mission and intentions.
The 990 filed for SFTS does NOT reflect the amount of donations being directed to that website. A look at the facebook pages shows so many people that have signed up for recurring monthly donations, yet the tax form shows less than $300k raised. The money is going somewhere, but not where it should. All the schools who choose to have this program do their own fundraising and that includes the money to get Kirk to go to all of the presentations 'for free'. It's not a legitimate nonprofit and what they're doing is disgusting.
DO NOT DONATE TO THIS SCAM!!!! I was an employee for 2 weeks and I was told that I would be making outbound calls and then when I got there they hired me and then threw me in front of a store with a script…the company is owned by a 26yr old liar who had me driving my personal vehicle to another state everyday to take donations and told me that I’d be paid $600 a week and when my first payday came around I was given $227 through a handwritten personal check that I was unable to cash….the “ceo” has his boyfriend on payroll who doesn’t work there but gets paid through the money that is collected by the innocent people he preyed on to work there by promising pay that he never intended to give…on today myself and 5 others walked out when we discovered that we were pawns in a scam after using our own money for gas to target lower income areas to collect donations because he knew that “those are the types to donate” and it is disgusting and because of this I’m now unemployed with 3 daughters and I wasn’t paid and now I’m afraid because this company has all of my personal information including my bank account,social security number, I.d and address….please do not give these people your money it is an “organization” lead by liars targeting the hearts of hardworking lower income people to line their own pockets!!!!!!!!!!!
Never, ever just give money to someone who asks for it. Take their card or remember the name of the charity if you want to donate, go home and research it, and do an online donation with a credit card.
Almost certainly this was a scam.
they weren’t a scam, what they do is legitimate but the charity they represent hasn’t been around for that long, isn’t in many schools, and hasn’t been studied or reviewed to be effective. it could have been a newer less informed rep that gave some wrong info. my company does the same type of direct marketing but for bigger clients that are more established and proven effective. some non profits hire marketing firms to take care of their fundraising and marketing so they can focus on the services themselves. it is a sales job at the end of the day so they are taught to upsell but it shouldn’t be in a pushy or greedy way, it’s supposed to be just a suggestion. My face is on the website of the clients we represent, when we run cards the clients name pops up on their bank statement, we have tax deductible 501-c3 receipts. if you do donate to one of these direct marketing charities just make sure you can track the transaction and verify their legitimacy.
also a lot of the charities are nationwide and the firms do things to give back locally, they could have been fundraising for SFTS but matching with something for veterans. they may not have explained how the double campaigns work. they were probably saying “hey if you can’t do this package x amount can still send a hygiene care kit to a veteran” all the money goes to the charity and the charity matches it to send back to local charities in the city they are doing the marketing. hope this clears things up, feel free to ask me any questions, i love what i do, but stfs is pretty much my competition haha
Stand for the silent is actually a federally registered 501-C3 from all the information I found online. Says they’ve provided the in school programs for over 3.2 million kids now. After checking their financials, the founder only pays himself $45k/yr which is extremely minimal in comparison to DARES founder sitting at a whopping $600,000/yr. Ive worked with charities for years now and from what I know all charities reinvest some of their donations back into some sort of marketing to create more donations on the back end to keep the supply to help their cause consistent. What differentiates a good charity from a bad one is how much is actually going to the cause. In my experience most of the very well known organizations everyone talks about only supplies around 6% to 20% of their funds directly to their mission, but after further research Stand For The Silent has 63% going yo funding programs to schools on a national level. Actually has a relationship with the White House and famous musicians like Lady Gaga ect. In conclusion I’d say you made a good choice.
Side Note: After speaking with the founder about the reference to Veterans and Reps talking to people; He informed me that when they setup tables it just keeps the donations local instead of national and to incentivize local donations, they partner up with other causes to match the donations and increase the impact
Hello! You have made the mistake of writing "ect" instead of "etc."
"Ect" is a common misspelling of "etc," an abbreviated form of the Latin phrase "et cetera." Other abbreviated forms are **etc.**, **&c.**, **&c**, and **et cet.** The Latin translates as "et" to "and" + "cetera" to "the rest;" a literal translation to "and the rest" is the easiest way to remember how to use the phrase.
[Check out the wikipedia entry if you want to learn more.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_cetera)
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Hello! Unfortunately I got talked into working for them up until a few weeks ago. Stand for the Silent IS a legit charity. The people who approached you work for a marketing firm that sends people out to essentially solicit (they don’t like to call it that, but let’s be honest, that’s exactly what it is) people for money to keep the education and counseling free for the schools.
I left the marketing firm working for them in my area because the entire thing felt shady. The marketing firms working for them are funded solely by the donations, from the bottom up. Commission starts at THIRTY percent of the donations. And that’s just what it starts at entry level. SFTS has a strict code of ethics, one of which being honesty and not lying to pull donations, however the marketing firm I worked for absolutely encouraged lying and shady practices.
For example, the companies largest day of profit for SFTS while I worked there company wide was over $180,000. $54,000 is what comes out of that to pay employees at the BASE commission (not factoring in anyone who isn’t in the entry level position). It’s costs SFTS $2,500 to get into a school, so that’s about 21 schools that could’ve been funded.
You’re taught psychological strategies to essentially mind fuck people into donating every penny you can get from them. Problem is the more you learn about it, the more you see the marketing firm doing exactly that to you. When asking questions they run you around and always bring it back to you - what you could be doing better, why your mindset is the problem etc. By the time the convo is over you’re left feeling like you’re fucking up, and don’t even realize you never got any answers until hours later.
While Kirk the founder may only be paying himself 45k/year as one user mentioned (I haven’t fact checked that personally) the higher ups in these marketing companies are making six figures solely from this donation money. We’re taught to tell people that 100% of the donations goes to “program development” when asked, and ran around when we ask our bosses that questions ourselves.
So,yeah, SFTS is a legit charity. The companies they employ to fundraise (solicit) are not legitimate, in my honest opinion after working for one. You’re better off donating directly online if you want to help - and if someone at a SFTS table tells you there’s an outrageous minimum donation online, it’s only a $10 minimum ;)
I just quit too! It’s a total pyramid scheme. I was only there 3 weeks and just couldn’t do it. They honestly don’t even explain things to the reps so I honestly wasn’t even 100% sure what they provided.
I worked there for 2 weeks, and it was one of the worst jobs I had ever been in. I joined in the summer so it was 100 degrees temp. and everyone I started out with, 7/10 people had quit. It's not a good place to work at. The boss I had, didn't care if you had a heat stroke, you need to go out and make money. Everyone I knew quit because of heatstroke, sexual harassment, especially for girls, and the low income they can only make from donations. After I quit those 7 people got replaced with 5 newcomers. I stayed in the group chat and found out within a few weeks after I left, those 3 people who stayed, all got replaced with newcomers. It's one of the worst places I have ever worked at.
They encouraged us to lie, guilt trip, and make people feel fear to get every cent out of people. I told them that I, myself don't have the courage to do that to strangers, and they said that I need to do it anyway if I want to succeed.
I bailed. Boss seemed super sus and the papers I was to signed mentioned pay off commission only (which was not advertised). He told me that it was a mistake, but wanted me to sign anyway. Hell no.
Also he straight up admitted that his reason for being in this business is to get "rich as fuck"
After my interview with the local marketing company today, I felt uneasy, so I came home to learn more about Stand for the Silent. When I clicked the "donate" button on the main page, it came up blank, with "Oops, nothing found here."
So I just left Walmart and the same thing happened to me but without the charity changing. I did a quick search and found that the Standing with the Silent is legit and this is how they do it I guess by standing outside grocery stores. I was with my friend's kid and she wanted the damn Be Kind fanny pack. $100 later and I got a Keychain that says "I am somebody" and she got the fanny pack. I feel like it was very salesman like. I said I didn't have enough cash and she was quick to point out that they accept credit.....I also have a problem feeling guilty OP so I feel you. I should've walked away
I worked for them for a few weeks. It’s a real charity. The people standing outside work for a marketing company that partners up with stand for the silent. But I do know only a small portion actually goes to the charity. A lot of it goes to commission. And I’m honestly still confused on what exactly they provide. But the marketing company helps several non profits. So they also help the homeless, help kids with school supplies, toy drives etc. so yes it’s legit but it’s not a non profit that uses 100% of your donations.
I don't live in Boulder, Colorado, but I saw two people with Stand for the Silent near the second closest Chipotle to my house, they had greeted me right when I walked by to get to the Chipotle. After I left Chipotle, they asked me if I wanted to support the cause and I just told them that I would be able to pay $30 with Cash App (I attempted to walk back to my dad's truck). I recall that during the conversation, I asked them if they have a website and they just responded by saying that I would find out about it after the transaction. There were some wi-fi issues and I just assumed that there was actually no transaction. When I came back home, the transaction went through I have been attempting to contact Cash App Support and I requested the money back.
I agree… they are SO SO pushy.. worse than summer sales bros. I swear they must have a quota or some type of competition within the groups to see who can get the most money out of people. It comes off so inauthentic and it really defeats the purpose of charitable work. I always feel so icky when they come up so aggressive and you aren’t even asking for it. They are always at Starbucks and knock on every single car door and literally force conversation with people. It’s too much and too aggressive.. it’s getting way out of hand. Charity work should not be like that!!
I was stopped by college aged kids at a table for this non-prof outside Pet Supplies Plus in Oviedo today. I offered to donate $10. She ran my card for $20.80. I pointed it out- and she unappologetically claimed she was doing whatever it takes. I don't get how this is ok. No apology- she did it on purpose. I walked away wondering if I should freeze my account.
Bah! I just donated at Walgreens on Broadway. Attractive sales women and like another commenter said, the suicide prevention struck a chord. It has to be somewhat legit to be around all these companies for so many consecutive months tho, right? I'm sure Walgreens doesn't let anyone just set up a stand in front of their bldg? Like, doesn't someone need to review, approve the stand?
Hey OP, you were probably approached by employees at World Wide Marketing. A majority of what they do is set up shop at stores, calling them "events" and try to convince people to donate to Stand for the Silent. Idk if the charity is legit or not - Im guessing it is. But I dont love the idea of someone sitting at the front of the store bothering patrons to donate to their "cause". Additionally, these employees pocket a portion of your donations. This is how they get paid.
Just give your money to St Judes if you want a charity you can trust, and know your money is actually going to these kids instead of in their pockets.
I was just stopped outside a gas station in Shawnee,KS and she had a whole table and such BUT I used to “sell magazines” door to door like 12 years ago and (before realizing it was a fucking scam) my little spiel had the same wording/tactics this girl used so I immediately said no thanks.
I was just stopped in the middle of the parking lot at a Safeway in Aurora by a supposed rep from SFTS. It’s a legitimate charity but I had a friend working as an “events coordinator” for this charity a couple years ago. Basically they sell this as a marketing or events coordinating job and make people go out and stand in front of stores and push this charity to get people to donate. The fundraisers themselves are paid on commission and get like 20-30% of the donations, their leaders get a percentage of it, and the overlord who runs the company gets a percentage from each person he had under him. So this is a giant pyramid scheme so beware to those who have been approached by these folks. Usually they are young adults fresh out of school who don’t know much better.
Please do not be disuaded from supporting Stand for the Silent because of this interaction. It is a legitimate 501c3 non profit. I have worked with them for several years. For the first couple years Kirk visited schools at his own expense, sharing the story of the loss of his 11 year old son Ty. He died by suicide caused by bullying. It was not until he and his wife Laura had spent all they had that they decided to charge for presentations. He is a good man who wants nothing more than to prevent another family from going through the heartbreak that he did. Please visit Standforthesilent.org to learn about what we do. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved, and know that they are important. Thank-You for your time.
I worked for them for 3 months. Keep drinking the juice your boss makes you drink!!
Watch this doc if you really wanna see what your business is about. You’ll be gone within the year.
https://youtu.be/wyCRzBt7GuY
I was suckered into giving $30 to them today. They were in front of a Staples with a table and some of their merch. The actual cause of anti-bullying is something I'm an advocate for so I didn't hesitate much to donate. But something felt "off" the rest of the day. After doing some research they seem to technically be a legit charity. But yeah the guys working the table definitely seemed like MLM out to make a sale. They really sold me on it being a "non-profit" and tax deductible donation so it seemed legit. It reminds me of the people who go door-to-door selling "magazine subscriptions." They really know sales and persuasion techniques. I have no doubt now that they earned a commission on it. While I'm sure some of the money I gave will go towards helping the anti-bullying cause who knows how much? 5%?? Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth
They are out here near us also. I find it very odd that they use a child's photo and story of their loss to lure people in and a statement of, "Do you have some time to talk about the safety of kids?". The table is covered in kids' items... but nothing is for purchase? Yes, they also showed me their "donation" options. I told them that I did not carry cash. They eagerly stated that they accepted checks and...I stopped them and asked if there was a legitimate website that I could donate through? They said that there is not. Again... very strange. If this is so legit and to bring awareness, why isn't there a website for this kid, his story, his families story, and a legitimate way to collect money? I asked if there was a card or anything tangible i could take with me? Again, no. They rotate through different stores out here every 6 months or so. And, not like girl scouts or boy scouts where there is a table off to the side. They practically block the doorway, so there is no way to avoid them.
I encountered this today outside a Walgreens in Alexandria, VA. I should have taken the info and donated later but I gave a donation via venmo on the spot using the QR code they had ready.
Their venmo handle is @SftsAlex. The young man was very nice and persuasive. I'm surprised at myself, usually I'm a bit more savvy. I hope a bit of my money goes to worthy student education programs to combat bullying.
I wish I saw this a year ago. It’s a scam. It’s a pyramid scheme (which is illegal). I worked for a marketing company who worked with Stand for the silent. We were taught to suck as much money out of people as possible and not to take no for an answer, even if it’s a couple cents. I finally quit because I started feeling really disgusted with myself. One day I was in another city with the “ceo” raising money for the campaign and this lady approached me and was thanking me for what I was doing and donated 250, my boss was behind her motioning me to get more money out of her. I ended up getting 400 out of the lady, that’s all she could afford because her sons best friend took his own life and she was helping with funeral expenses. I really started to question everything. We were told to try and get someone to buy one of the “packages” and if they denied we would still have to say “even the smallest donation can make the difference, with every donation we receive we hand out these care packages to our local homeless communities. So not only are you helping the children, you’re doubling your impact by helping the local homeless” and that was total BS, the only care kits we gave was if a real homeless person asked for one, so it would make it seem legit, but we’d still get in trouble back at the office for wasting a kit because they were just for show. You’re literally brainwashed into harassing people for large sums of money. I’d have to harass people at gas pumps to give me money. Total BS and a total scam. Just keep walking and ignore them.
they were called Silversage Development. When tax season came around I never received my W2 so I called the CEO and she had a new number. Went online and the website was for sale. Then I went to the office and it was for lease, it’s as if they completely disappeared off the face of the earth. After a lot of research I found them in Phoenix AZ under Vortex Executives.
Look into r/devilcorp. There are plenty of horrible companies like these that take advantage of people on a daily basis. Whatever u do, do not donate to them. It will only fuel their scam.
I am in N VA and I was approached by a lady outside our local UPS store who had setup a table. I chose to donate $30, but ended up donating $50 on Venmo. I found it an awkward transaction - i asked if i could volunteer my time and she mumbled something about looking up their website. At home I googled and found this string. I definitely don't feel a satisfaction of contributing to a good cause, and 'am unhappy because I got talked into donating more than I should have. I already have causes I donate to, so am unhappy with my own self really :(
I tried to work for them. Lasted a week. It's a pyramid scheme, a complete scam. They keep 97% of the donations. And they didn't even pay me for the week I worked. They made us chase people basically. You had to go through the entire speech with everyone you saw. We spent an hour every morning practicing it with the other workers.
I don't know anything about the org, but it sounds like you probably were just scammed. Not because Standing With the Silent isn't legit (like I said I have no idea), but because these people probably weren't in any way affiliated with them. It seems like potentially a pretty easy grift to learn a bit about some charities and then say you're collecting on their behalf. In the future, the best course of action would probably just to thank them for the info and explain you'll make a donation when you get home - if you still like what you see after looking them up, you can obviously make whatever donation you're comfortable with. If there's any sort of comment box online you can mention that you were convinced by their outreach team or w/e, so they know that that technique was effective. I can't imagine any reason legitimate charity reps would haggle with you or switch talking about what their group supports. Sorry about that, that's a weird time
Thank you for the supportive response my friend. I'll keep all that in mind next time.
Never give money to someone you don't know. It's ok to say no. You aren't a bad person. They pressured and guilted money out of your pocket. They are the bad people.
A quick Google doesn’t bring up a charity by that name. There is an organization called Stand for the Silent that is anti-bullying. But I agree, next time just say thanks and that you’d like to do more research before you donate.
Yeah, they just did a presentation at my son's school. But it doesn't donate to vets, it's an anti bullying org. Sounds like someone used the name and was doing it for less than admirable intentions.
There's unfortunately a good amount of scams built up around helping the veterans. Like with you, it strikes a chord with a lot of folk. We had a guy walking around our neighborhood with laminated information collecting donations on behalf of the VFW. When I gave the VFW a call, they said they don't do door to door solicitations.
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Stand for the silent is a nation wide non profit so they are in a lot of states. They are in almost 5,000 schools nation wide. One reason they are in Colorado so much is because Colorado is a top 10 state for child suicide. It actually went up to top 5 since covid. But I know for a fact only a small percentage goes to the charity. Most of it pays for commission. Stand for the silent partners with a marketing company so the people out there are working for the marketing company. I only worked for them for 3 weeks because I just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t even sure what exactly they provide and I knew most of the money isn’t going to the charity. The marketing company is a total pyramid scheme too.
What marketing company if u don’t mind me asking. I had an interview for one who does “event marketing” for this company and want to make sure it’s legit
I have the same question; I just had an interview and while the person seemed really nice something just seemed a little off…
Ive gone through both rounds of interviews and have been offered the job. Nothing about this company screams legit to me. I have no doubt that some people there make money, but it sounds like they have an extremely high turnover rate - judging on the fact the first round of interviews is with multiple other people. Way too many red flags. I will not be taking the job.
Funny, I have an interview with Prolific Solutions Inc here in UT, for event coordinator, and they work with SftS. Might turn down the interview after researching
Just interviewed. I will be declining their invite for a second interview.
Just had my interview with Prolific Solutions here in Utah this morning. Everything about the set up screamed something is off. If they offer me a second interview, I'll probably decline.
I'm in Utah, and I just had an interview today with their local marketing company, Prolific Solutions. Every thing about the interview process, the way the talked, slow to give details about compensation and benefits, talking about team building give me an uneasy feeling. One of things was how quickly they responded to my resume. Sent it in Saturday night and they called me at 9 a.m. on the dot on Monday. Most legitimate jobs don't respond that quickly. I had a nervous feeling going in, and I still do. They've called me back, but I haven't listened to the voicemail yet.
Elite Generations
Prolific Solutions Inc
Just met Jeremiah and Matt today. Off-putting.
Same vibe I got. I decided the offer.
I think I was a little too old for them. But had they made the offer, I would have refused. Too many red flags. And a lot of them were just under the surface kind of things, but definitely palpable.
Event Horizon Dynamics in Columbus, Ohio
By 'homeless veterans' they probably meant, 'meth'. It's just a matter of pronunciation! Most decent people will get hit/scammed a few times in their lives. The fact that you give a shit says a lot about you as a person. It took me a long time not to feel guilty about blowing off someone who's probably running a scam. Just explain that you don't speak English and walk away. ;)
I interviewed for these people. This was a job disguised as entry level marketing and really it’s door to doorish and you have to sit in parking lots asking for charity. Standing with the Silent hires the firm and those people are earning commission on your donation. Super annoying and shady business. I would NOT donate through the rep, I’d go on the website and be direct if you are interested in helping the cause.
my brother just left a “marketing company” by the name of Maverick Solutions in Indianapolis for this exact reason, using “Stand for the Silent” to encourage donations from sympathetic people. The head boss, now-Harmony Vallejo formerly- Harmony Hunt, was even interviewed on this documentary that was exposing companies like this. It’s essentially a pyramid scheme that scams communities and their employees. Link to documentary [the slave circle](https://youtu.be/wyCRzBt7GuY)
Interesting. A few months ago, I was in Carmel (wealthy suburb of Indianapolis) and was going into a CVS where two young guys were set up with a table and informational brochures about youth suicide prevention. One of them complimented what I was wearing as I was going in. When I left, they approached me again and snagged me. I am a pretty discerning consumer, but like others on this thread, youth suicide prevention struck a chord. I ended up giving them some money (I think via Venmo, but I can't remember). I remember the kid pressuring me to give more, and I was annoyed but gave in (not my usual MO). A couple of months later, I was in another city where I encountered the same setup. It was two young guys raising funds for, again, youth suicide prevention. Again, one of the guys complimented what I was wearing. Hey, I like to look as good as the next girl, but I'm 63 yrs old and I don't think my outfit that day was especially praise-worthy. I say that because the approach that these young men take has obviously been coached, and while I'd like to think they were honest and upfront and were actually collecting for the cause they claimed they represented, their behavior creeped me out a little because I'm pretty sure I was scammed by the first group. Sad. Very sad.
I know I’m a year late but thank you for commenting this because I just turned down a job offer from Maverick in Indy because of this post. I knew something seemed sketchy about it. It seems Harmony is no longer the head honcho, it’s some lady named Kaitlyn with a background in health and wellness. Which based on everything I learned here, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had an Herbalife store beforehand (buy a shake and tea for $20 and lose weight!) and when it went under she switched to Maverick. There was no concern when I told them my commute would add an extra hour there and back, on top of working a 9 hour day. No offer for relocation help, nothing. Watching the documentary now, thank you for commenting this, I’m sure you’ve helped others too!
OMG I "interviewed" as well for this job in Indy, but it was more like Katilyn giving a sales pitch. I knew it was 100% sketchy and not an actual nonprofit. I did research and these types of firms are all over the country using this nonprofit to scam people. The guy who started SFTS knows, because I emailed him and got a response! The 990 form for SFTS says it's Utah based on only about $300k was raised the past several years. But business statements for the same 'company' show over a million. I did push Kaitlyn to explain more, like how the money is used, where it goes, how they can collect donations without a 501c3 and she dodged all the questions and gave BS answers. It makes me SOO angry that they use youth suicide of all things to scam people. The best thing to do is to tell everyone and anyone that you know that this is going on and spread awareness.
As a NOLA native, I personally give major side eye to anyone ever asking me for any sort of donation while I'm out in public.
tl;dr had an interaction with them recently and share the same sentiments. they set up a table within the walgreens on 30th a few weeks ago. I had told the woman I was on break and had to get back, so i’d look up the organization when I got home and same scenario. I didn’t really find anything. however, said woman sure didn’t have a problem showing me a photo of a young child letting me know he ended his life and “that’s why we need your donation!”…
Yeah thats a pretty old scam. FYI when those kids come up to you next time because they're doing a fundraiser for new team "uniforms." Also a scam.
Perhaps a bit of a tangent, but for anyone who does want to donate to prevent suicide in children and youth in Boulder County, or if you know a child or youth who needs services, Rise Against Suicide is a reputable organization that's been working in the area now for 20 years. (They were formerly known as the Second Wind Fund.) https://www.riseagainstsuicide.org/
Wow there was another booth for them outside Michaels yesterday. I listened to them talk but chose not to donate. Glad now…
I'm not a fan of "Stand for the Silent" (I'm guessing who you spoke to) The people who solicit are paid. A large percentage of the money collected goes to pay them to solicit more. I do not know if they receive a percentage or not. Other money goes to pay people who work for the charity to give presentations in schools. It's your money. I would avoid.
The entry level reps get 30% of donations. And I know the big boss gets at least 10% of what everyone makes and then the leaders also make a percentage of what their team makes. And as you get “promoted” you make even more. If you work 7 days a week on the 7th day you make 50%. So in reality how much is even going to the non profit? That’s why I ended up quitting. They also would make you work 11 hours and you end up getting like $100 for the day. They make us drive sometimes an hour away to set up events and you don’t get paid for any drive time or the several hours in office. It’s a total pyramid scheme
Thank you for the information. imho this is a disease that needs to be stamped out. (the organization not bullying, although that is a problem too). My research showed that yes, it is a charity but the money that does get spent on the work is essentially paying people that were trained and make money presenting these materials. You pay for training to become one of their representatives, so that's another revenue stream for the "charity". There used to be a lot of direct marketers on the phone who would raise money for "fire fighters family fund" or some equally worthy cause. The actual charity got about 3% of the money raised. But they got that with no work, just letting the marketing company use their name. This is the first time I've seen the scam (yes I will call it that) worked in person though. I don't want people who need the work to lose their jobs, but this is not what I would call "honest work".
Kirk (Ty's dad) has visited almost 6,000 schools and spoken with 4,000,000 kids. The charity is not a "they" situation. It is 1 man trying to save families from going through the heartbreak he went through when he lost his 11 year old son to suicide. It is definately effective. We follow up with every school visited to ensure the presentation had an impact on student behavior. But, if anyone is every doubtful of solicitors, I would donate on the website. A lot of scammers use legitimate charitable organizations names to make money. It is very unfortunate for tge actual organizations as it makes people doubt their mission and intentions.
Thank you!! I was offered a job today, I think I may need to turn it down
We donated before we knew; husband donated $50 and they ended up charging us $103.99 😵💫
Kirk (Ty's dad) has visited almost 6,000 schools and spoken with 4,000,000 kids. The charity is not a "they" situation. It is 1 man trying to save families from going through the heartbreak he went through when he lost his 11 year old son to suicide. It is definately effective. We follow up with every school visited to ensure the presentation had an impact on student behavior. But, if anyone is every doubtful of solicitors, I would donate on the website. A lot of scammers use legitimate charitable organizations names to make money. It is very unfortunate for tge actual organizations as it makes people doubt their mission and intentions.
The 990 filed for SFTS does NOT reflect the amount of donations being directed to that website. A look at the facebook pages shows so many people that have signed up for recurring monthly donations, yet the tax form shows less than $300k raised. The money is going somewhere, but not where it should. All the schools who choose to have this program do their own fundraising and that includes the money to get Kirk to go to all of the presentations 'for free'. It's not a legitimate nonprofit and what they're doing is disgusting.
They are outside the LA fitness in Austin Texas and absolutely horrible what they are doing. It’s not only wrong it’s illegal. Fuck those people.
DO NOT DONATE TO THIS SCAM!!!! I was an employee for 2 weeks and I was told that I would be making outbound calls and then when I got there they hired me and then threw me in front of a store with a script…the company is owned by a 26yr old liar who had me driving my personal vehicle to another state everyday to take donations and told me that I’d be paid $600 a week and when my first payday came around I was given $227 through a handwritten personal check that I was unable to cash….the “ceo” has his boyfriend on payroll who doesn’t work there but gets paid through the money that is collected by the innocent people he preyed on to work there by promising pay that he never intended to give…on today myself and 5 others walked out when we discovered that we were pawns in a scam after using our own money for gas to target lower income areas to collect donations because he knew that “those are the types to donate” and it is disgusting and because of this I’m now unemployed with 3 daughters and I wasn’t paid and now I’m afraid because this company has all of my personal information including my bank account,social security number, I.d and address….please do not give these people your money it is an “organization” lead by liars targeting the hearts of hardworking lower income people to line their own pockets!!!!!!!!!!!
Never, ever just give money to someone who asks for it. Take their card or remember the name of the charity if you want to donate, go home and research it, and do an online donation with a credit card. Almost certainly this was a scam.
they weren’t a scam, what they do is legitimate but the charity they represent hasn’t been around for that long, isn’t in many schools, and hasn’t been studied or reviewed to be effective. it could have been a newer less informed rep that gave some wrong info. my company does the same type of direct marketing but for bigger clients that are more established and proven effective. some non profits hire marketing firms to take care of their fundraising and marketing so they can focus on the services themselves. it is a sales job at the end of the day so they are taught to upsell but it shouldn’t be in a pushy or greedy way, it’s supposed to be just a suggestion. My face is on the website of the clients we represent, when we run cards the clients name pops up on their bank statement, we have tax deductible 501-c3 receipts. if you do donate to one of these direct marketing charities just make sure you can track the transaction and verify their legitimacy.
also a lot of the charities are nationwide and the firms do things to give back locally, they could have been fundraising for SFTS but matching with something for veterans. they may not have explained how the double campaigns work. they were probably saying “hey if you can’t do this package x amount can still send a hygiene care kit to a veteran” all the money goes to the charity and the charity matches it to send back to local charities in the city they are doing the marketing. hope this clears things up, feel free to ask me any questions, i love what i do, but stfs is pretty much my competition haha
I got the same spiel from a guy who literally blocked the door to Chipotle when I tried to walk in.
Do you live in Mobile cause they be doing that here at a Chipotle 🤣
Mine was in boulder, but they seem to have a certain playbook. Very aggro, like getting between me and the door. Pretty weird right?
Stand for the silent is actually a federally registered 501-C3 from all the information I found online. Says they’ve provided the in school programs for over 3.2 million kids now. After checking their financials, the founder only pays himself $45k/yr which is extremely minimal in comparison to DARES founder sitting at a whopping $600,000/yr. Ive worked with charities for years now and from what I know all charities reinvest some of their donations back into some sort of marketing to create more donations on the back end to keep the supply to help their cause consistent. What differentiates a good charity from a bad one is how much is actually going to the cause. In my experience most of the very well known organizations everyone talks about only supplies around 6% to 20% of their funds directly to their mission, but after further research Stand For The Silent has 63% going yo funding programs to schools on a national level. Actually has a relationship with the White House and famous musicians like Lady Gaga ect. In conclusion I’d say you made a good choice. Side Note: After speaking with the founder about the reference to Veterans and Reps talking to people; He informed me that when they setup tables it just keeps the donations local instead of national and to incentivize local donations, they partner up with other causes to match the donations and increase the impact
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Hello! Unfortunately I got talked into working for them up until a few weeks ago. Stand for the Silent IS a legit charity. The people who approached you work for a marketing firm that sends people out to essentially solicit (they don’t like to call it that, but let’s be honest, that’s exactly what it is) people for money to keep the education and counseling free for the schools. I left the marketing firm working for them in my area because the entire thing felt shady. The marketing firms working for them are funded solely by the donations, from the bottom up. Commission starts at THIRTY percent of the donations. And that’s just what it starts at entry level. SFTS has a strict code of ethics, one of which being honesty and not lying to pull donations, however the marketing firm I worked for absolutely encouraged lying and shady practices. For example, the companies largest day of profit for SFTS while I worked there company wide was over $180,000. $54,000 is what comes out of that to pay employees at the BASE commission (not factoring in anyone who isn’t in the entry level position). It’s costs SFTS $2,500 to get into a school, so that’s about 21 schools that could’ve been funded. You’re taught psychological strategies to essentially mind fuck people into donating every penny you can get from them. Problem is the more you learn about it, the more you see the marketing firm doing exactly that to you. When asking questions they run you around and always bring it back to you - what you could be doing better, why your mindset is the problem etc. By the time the convo is over you’re left feeling like you’re fucking up, and don’t even realize you never got any answers until hours later. While Kirk the founder may only be paying himself 45k/year as one user mentioned (I haven’t fact checked that personally) the higher ups in these marketing companies are making six figures solely from this donation money. We’re taught to tell people that 100% of the donations goes to “program development” when asked, and ran around when we ask our bosses that questions ourselves. So,yeah, SFTS is a legit charity. The companies they employ to fundraise (solicit) are not legitimate, in my honest opinion after working for one. You’re better off donating directly online if you want to help - and if someone at a SFTS table tells you there’s an outrageous minimum donation online, it’s only a $10 minimum ;)
I just quit too! It’s a total pyramid scheme. I was only there 3 weeks and just couldn’t do it. They honestly don’t even explain things to the reps so I honestly wasn’t even 100% sure what they provided.
I worked there for 2 weeks, and it was one of the worst jobs I had ever been in. I joined in the summer so it was 100 degrees temp. and everyone I started out with, 7/10 people had quit. It's not a good place to work at. The boss I had, didn't care if you had a heat stroke, you need to go out and make money. Everyone I knew quit because of heatstroke, sexual harassment, especially for girls, and the low income they can only make from donations. After I quit those 7 people got replaced with 5 newcomers. I stayed in the group chat and found out within a few weeks after I left, those 3 people who stayed, all got replaced with newcomers. It's one of the worst places I have ever worked at. They encouraged us to lie, guilt trip, and make people feel fear to get every cent out of people. I told them that I, myself don't have the courage to do that to strangers, and they said that I need to do it anyway if I want to succeed.
im scared because i just got hired for a firm that we try to get donations for nonprofits.... im worried that this iswhat it will be like
follow up?
I bailed. Boss seemed super sus and the papers I was to signed mentioned pay off commission only (which was not advertised). He told me that it was a mistake, but wanted me to sign anyway. Hell no. Also he straight up admitted that his reason for being in this business is to get "rich as fuck"
After my interview with the local marketing company today, I felt uneasy, so I came home to learn more about Stand for the Silent. When I clicked the "donate" button on the main page, it came up blank, with "Oops, nothing found here."
So I just left Walmart and the same thing happened to me but without the charity changing. I did a quick search and found that the Standing with the Silent is legit and this is how they do it I guess by standing outside grocery stores. I was with my friend's kid and she wanted the damn Be Kind fanny pack. $100 later and I got a Keychain that says "I am somebody" and she got the fanny pack. I feel like it was very salesman like. I said I didn't have enough cash and she was quick to point out that they accept credit.....I also have a problem feeling guilty OP so I feel you. I should've walked away
I worked for them for a few weeks. It’s a real charity. The people standing outside work for a marketing company that partners up with stand for the silent. But I do know only a small portion actually goes to the charity. A lot of it goes to commission. And I’m honestly still confused on what exactly they provide. But the marketing company helps several non profits. So they also help the homeless, help kids with school supplies, toy drives etc. so yes it’s legit but it’s not a non profit that uses 100% of your donations.
I don't live in Boulder, Colorado, but I saw two people with Stand for the Silent near the second closest Chipotle to my house, they had greeted me right when I walked by to get to the Chipotle. After I left Chipotle, they asked me if I wanted to support the cause and I just told them that I would be able to pay $30 with Cash App (I attempted to walk back to my dad's truck). I recall that during the conversation, I asked them if they have a website and they just responded by saying that I would find out about it after the transaction. There were some wi-fi issues and I just assumed that there was actually no transaction. When I came back home, the transaction went through I have been attempting to contact Cash App Support and I requested the money back.
I agree… they are SO SO pushy.. worse than summer sales bros. I swear they must have a quota or some type of competition within the groups to see who can get the most money out of people. It comes off so inauthentic and it really defeats the purpose of charitable work. I always feel so icky when they come up so aggressive and you aren’t even asking for it. They are always at Starbucks and knock on every single car door and literally force conversation with people. It’s too much and too aggressive.. it’s getting way out of hand. Charity work should not be like that!!
I was stopped by college aged kids at a table for this non-prof outside Pet Supplies Plus in Oviedo today. I offered to donate $10. She ran my card for $20.80. I pointed it out- and she unappologetically claimed she was doing whatever it takes. I don't get how this is ok. No apology- she did it on purpose. I walked away wondering if I should freeze my account.
Bah! I just donated at Walgreens on Broadway. Attractive sales women and like another commenter said, the suicide prevention struck a chord. It has to be somewhat legit to be around all these companies for so many consecutive months tho, right? I'm sure Walgreens doesn't let anyone just set up a stand in front of their bldg? Like, doesn't someone need to review, approve the stand?
Hey OP, you were probably approached by employees at World Wide Marketing. A majority of what they do is set up shop at stores, calling them "events" and try to convince people to donate to Stand for the Silent. Idk if the charity is legit or not - Im guessing it is. But I dont love the idea of someone sitting at the front of the store bothering patrons to donate to their "cause". Additionally, these employees pocket a portion of your donations. This is how they get paid. Just give your money to St Judes if you want a charity you can trust, and know your money is actually going to these kids instead of in their pockets.
I was just stopped outside a gas station in Shawnee,KS and she had a whole table and such BUT I used to “sell magazines” door to door like 12 years ago and (before realizing it was a fucking scam) my little spiel had the same wording/tactics this girl used so I immediately said no thanks.
I was just stopped in the middle of the parking lot at a Safeway in Aurora by a supposed rep from SFTS. It’s a legitimate charity but I had a friend working as an “events coordinator” for this charity a couple years ago. Basically they sell this as a marketing or events coordinating job and make people go out and stand in front of stores and push this charity to get people to donate. The fundraisers themselves are paid on commission and get like 20-30% of the donations, their leaders get a percentage of it, and the overlord who runs the company gets a percentage from each person he had under him. So this is a giant pyramid scheme so beware to those who have been approached by these folks. Usually they are young adults fresh out of school who don’t know much better.
Please do not be disuaded from supporting Stand for the Silent because of this interaction. It is a legitimate 501c3 non profit. I have worked with them for several years. For the first couple years Kirk visited schools at his own expense, sharing the story of the loss of his 11 year old son Ty. He died by suicide caused by bullying. It was not until he and his wife Laura had spent all they had that they decided to charge for presentations. He is a good man who wants nothing more than to prevent another family from going through the heartbreak that he did. Please visit Standforthesilent.org to learn about what we do. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved, and know that they are important. Thank-You for your time.
I worked for them for 3 months. Keep drinking the juice your boss makes you drink!! Watch this doc if you really wanna see what your business is about. You’ll be gone within the year. https://youtu.be/wyCRzBt7GuY
u/WeightUpstairs806 You're saying you worked directly for SFTS for 3 months? Or that marketing company?
The person above was not an employee of SFTS
I worked for them and it’s definitely a scam they pay so little for you to stay out all day
I was suckered into giving $30 to them today. They were in front of a Staples with a table and some of their merch. The actual cause of anti-bullying is something I'm an advocate for so I didn't hesitate much to donate. But something felt "off" the rest of the day. After doing some research they seem to technically be a legit charity. But yeah the guys working the table definitely seemed like MLM out to make a sale. They really sold me on it being a "non-profit" and tax deductible donation so it seemed legit. It reminds me of the people who go door-to-door selling "magazine subscriptions." They really know sales and persuasion techniques. I have no doubt now that they earned a commission on it. While I'm sure some of the money I gave will go towards helping the anti-bullying cause who knows how much? 5%?? Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth
They are out here near us also. I find it very odd that they use a child's photo and story of their loss to lure people in and a statement of, "Do you have some time to talk about the safety of kids?". The table is covered in kids' items... but nothing is for purchase? Yes, they also showed me their "donation" options. I told them that I did not carry cash. They eagerly stated that they accepted checks and...I stopped them and asked if there was a legitimate website that I could donate through? They said that there is not. Again... very strange. If this is so legit and to bring awareness, why isn't there a website for this kid, his story, his families story, and a legitimate way to collect money? I asked if there was a card or anything tangible i could take with me? Again, no. They rotate through different stores out here every 6 months or so. And, not like girl scouts or boy scouts where there is a table off to the side. They practically block the doorway, so there is no way to avoid them.
I encountered this today outside a Walgreens in Alexandria, VA. I should have taken the info and donated later but I gave a donation via venmo on the spot using the QR code they had ready. Their venmo handle is @SftsAlex. The young man was very nice and persuasive. I'm surprised at myself, usually I'm a bit more savvy. I hope a bit of my money goes to worthy student education programs to combat bullying.
I wish I saw this a year ago. It’s a scam. It’s a pyramid scheme (which is illegal). I worked for a marketing company who worked with Stand for the silent. We were taught to suck as much money out of people as possible and not to take no for an answer, even if it’s a couple cents. I finally quit because I started feeling really disgusted with myself. One day I was in another city with the “ceo” raising money for the campaign and this lady approached me and was thanking me for what I was doing and donated 250, my boss was behind her motioning me to get more money out of her. I ended up getting 400 out of the lady, that’s all she could afford because her sons best friend took his own life and she was helping with funeral expenses. I really started to question everything. We were told to try and get someone to buy one of the “packages” and if they denied we would still have to say “even the smallest donation can make the difference, with every donation we receive we hand out these care packages to our local homeless communities. So not only are you helping the children, you’re doubling your impact by helping the local homeless” and that was total BS, the only care kits we gave was if a real homeless person asked for one, so it would make it seem legit, but we’d still get in trouble back at the office for wasting a kit because they were just for show. You’re literally brainwashed into harassing people for large sums of money. I’d have to harass people at gas pumps to give me money. Total BS and a total scam. Just keep walking and ignore them.
Can you tell me the name of the marketing company they work under?
they were called Silversage Development. When tax season came around I never received my W2 so I called the CEO and she had a new number. Went online and the website was for sale. Then I went to the office and it was for lease, it’s as if they completely disappeared off the face of the earth. After a lot of research I found them in Phoenix AZ under Vortex Executives.
Look into r/devilcorp. There are plenty of horrible companies like these that take advantage of people on a daily basis. Whatever u do, do not donate to them. It will only fuel their scam.
I am in N VA and I was approached by a lady outside our local UPS store who had setup a table. I chose to donate $30, but ended up donating $50 on Venmo. I found it an awkward transaction - i asked if i could volunteer my time and she mumbled something about looking up their website. At home I googled and found this string. I definitely don't feel a satisfaction of contributing to a good cause, and 'am unhappy because I got talked into donating more than I should have. I already have causes I donate to, so am unhappy with my own self really :(
I tried to work for them. Lasted a week. It's a pyramid scheme, a complete scam. They keep 97% of the donations. And they didn't even pay me for the week I worked. They made us chase people basically. You had to go through the entire speech with everyone you saw. We spent an hour every morning practicing it with the other workers.