Just read the sign, will you?

On my gate I've got a sign that says: "do not knock."

It seems to keep the sales people at bay, but the charities that keep calling ignore it. 

I have never heard of most of them, and given the ratio of expenses to monies passed to the recipients of the charities, I tend to view these firms with a jaundiced eye, for some of them consume 90% of what is donated to them in 'expenses' - such as private company CEO-level salaries.

I would hasten to add there are many charities that perform vital tasks on the smell of an oily rag; but in many cases there's no way to know on what, or how, donated money gets used.

New Zealand needs to examine more closely how charities are run, and to institute a site like the Charity Navigator that runs in the United States, so there are resources for informed decision making for donation making. 

A logical place to put it would be on the government charities services website, which has registration and other details, but no easy-to-use rating system for effectiveness or efficiency.

A recent collector showed up from Forest and Bird, who have I have at least heard of. They came up to me when I was in my basement, my overalls covered in dust, as I was making something complicated. 

I pointed out that I had a "do not knock" sign on my letterbox, and asked them to leave. In return I got a sanctimonious little lecture that it didn't apply to charities, but of course they would honour my request.

I'm not sure who trains the collectors, but rule #1 of sales: if you can't make the sale, don't come across as censorious and alienate people from whom you might have got a sale or donation in the future.

I've just ordered much larger and much more explicit do not solicit or knock signs for the front gate: I'll see if that stops the march of the chuggers.