Who Called Us

So, like me, you have been subjected to the unending and abusive calls from American Diabetes Association slimeball fund-extractors. Surely, you think, they can't know that someone is being so abusive in their name?

Well, here is a quote from the head of ADA's fund rasing department (Vaneeda Bennett) : "“If you don’t make X number of calls, you’re not going to get results. If you don’t have X number of prospects, you’re not going to reach your goal. "

The article then states -

"And to that, ultimately, is what Bennett herself attributes the phenomenal growth of both her department and the donations it brings in."

(source: Fundraising Success Magazine, Cover Story, "
Cover Story : The Art and Science of Fundraising: The American Diabetes Association has fundraising down to an art and a science" by Margaret Battistelli

If that isn't enough to turn your stomach, the very informative and independent Charity Navigator .ORG web site gives the American Diabetes Association its lowest rating (1 star).

I find myself wondering what sort of people have gotten control of this once fine organization, and what they are doing with the money that they receive.

If, like me, you are fed up with the abusive behavior and bad management at the American Diabetes Association, I would suggest the following:

(1) Do not donate to them
(2) Contact them, in writing, by certified, return receipt mail, and advise them that they are not to contact you for any reason. You may also wish to take this opportunity to explain (in a business like way) why you will not be donating to them.
(3) If they continue to contact you after your letter, write your state's attorney general's office, or other charity regulators if your state has them, explaining your problem, and their abusive behavior. Include a photocopy of your letter, and the signed return receipt card.
(4) Make sure that all of your friends and family members know about your concerns and your experience with them.
(5) Contact your elected officials (state and federal) and let them know about the problems you are having with this organization.

Here is some contact info:


American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311
tel: (800) 342-2383
EIN: 13-1623888

Tel: 703-549-1500
Fax: 703-549-1715

Also, the ADA web site has a "local office finder" if you would like to contact your local folks and let them know how they are shooting themselves in the foot.
(This is one reason why it is useful to contact your state officials - they are local as well as national).

One final quote from Vaneeda Bennett, who seems to have an elitist point of view about how we ordinary folks ought to be treated by ADA, "But it’s an art because you can’t treat everyone the same.”

I think it is time that Ms. Bennett comes to realize that she can't treat her beltway insider and big money donors with kid gloves, and then cr*p on the rest of us - lets all make the effort to educate her, and the ADA.

Annoying that they call so often. I've blocked their number so they'll never get through.

none, but I have recieved several calls from this number over the past 6 months. When left for answering maching to pick-up and requests caller to leave message, number, etc., no message is ever left. But, they do not hang up until lengthy silence causes machine to cut off. Sometimes they are able to leave six minutes of 'dead air' on my recorder, somehow keeping themselves connected by fooling the 'silence intercept' and hang up.

When answered by myself, I get some clicking and weird noises for 4-6 seconds, then a garbled recording begins playing. Anyone got a gun I can shoot thru the fone and get these guys?

I am a former member of the American Diabetes Association. I am no longer a member because they squandered my donations trying to get more money out of me, and they failed to respect my privacy.

More importantly, they seem to be a charity which has lost its way. The site Charity Navigator gives them only 1 star out of a possible 4.

Please contact them and tell them you do not want to be called again, and that these kinds of aggressive tactics, high fund raising expenditures, and poor showing on Charity Navigator ORG's web site, will prevent you from donating until they clean up their act.

American Diabetes Association
ATTN: National Call Center
1701 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311

1-800-342-2383



Want a charity to compare them to? Click on Charity Navigator . Org's "4 Star Charities" link and see how good charities operate.

this bunch calls at least once a day, every day for the past week at least--they've called as late as 9pm and as early as 830am. i often work nights and don't appreciate being woken up. clowns.

Calls at all hours of day; up to 9 PM at night.

This is the third call from this organization in the last couple of days. If they were "upfront", they would show their name on caller ID instead of "unknown name". Sorry guys, but I don't answer calls from anyone who uses "unknown
name" as their identification so your wasting your time.

This organization has been calling for the last 2 days. They never ID themselves on caller ID, so I refuse to answer the phone.

I have vonage and ID says diabetes association. They have called my # everyday for the past 6 days. I have never answered the call. The call is not always at the same time of day. With this type of activity they can be guaranteed that I will never contribute to their cause.

phone # 703-398-0004 calls every day. Today at 8:12AM. I went to bed at 2:30 AM last night. People have said no one picks up. Web site says that this is a cell phone registered in Woodbridge, VA, the same time zone that I am in. My answering mashine message says that I am on the do no call list. They have called every day for the last 7 days

All the phone databases believe it's another can shaker, this time for American Diabetes Assn. No one here has picked up their TEN calls in the past two weeks. Generally they try in the afternoon. The pattern suggests predictive dialing.

DO NOT WANT TO BE CALLED AS I HAVE REGISTERED ON THE DO NOT CALL LIST. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CALLS FROM THAT NUMBER TO MY HOUSE.

Calls almost everyday. I ignore it. The only time I answered it, there was no person or recording on the other end, just like Steve says in this thread. I consider this a nuisance call and will report it to the FCC complaint line.

repeated calls from this number, no one ever says anything

No on on phone when answered. 800Notes says this is American Diabetes Association.