Nancy Young wrote:
> "Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
> news >
> > We signed up with both the national and state lists. The only
soliciting
> > phone call we have received was from the local fire department.
>
> Carol, avoid that like the plague. Don't go there. If you want to
> contribute, do it directly. It's usually a scam, and not by the
> fire department.


I second Nancy's caution about phone solicitations from the fire dept
and add the police dept. I've been called to contribute to the local
police athletic league (or some other PD cause), but later discovered
that the callers were professional fund raisers who took at least 85%
of the donation as their fee. The first year they called, I thought
the caller was a police officer donating a lot of personal time to the
cause and made a big contribution. Some time later the newspaper ran an
expose of the practice, apparently pretty widespread. The next year
when I was called I confronted the caller. No more solicitations.
Mac