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Jennifer: Hi and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm
Jennifer, and with me in the studio today is Neil! Hi Neil!
Neil: Hi there Jennifer.
Jennifer: Today's story is all about people who collect money for charity.
Neil: Yes, in particular, the people who stand in the street who ask for money
as you walk past.
Jennifer: The charity sector in the UK is huge, helping millions of people across the
world every year, so it's really important for them to collect as much
money as they can.
Neil: But one method of fundraising is becoming rather unpopular with the
British public!
Jennifer: We'll talk more about that in a moment, but as usual with 6 Minute
English, I've got a topical question for you, all about charity fundraising.
Are you up for the challenge, Neil?
Neil: I sure am.
Jennifer: Many people run marathons to raise money for charity. What is the most
money raised by a single marathon runner in one go? Is it?
a) Over £200,000
b) Over £2 million
c) Over £20 million
I'll give you a clue – it was during the London Marathon last year.
Neil: Well, I really have no idea. But I can't believe £20 million so I'll go for £2
million.
Jennifer: We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. So today's story
is all about a phenomenon which people have come to call 'chugging'.
Neil: It's a combination of the words 'charity' and 'mugging', and it's the name
given to the charity fundraising which takes place on the high street.
Jennifer: The so-called 'chuggers' – or charity muggers – are paid to line up along
busy streets and get you to donate your money to charity.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
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bbclearningenglish.com
Neil: It's very different to shaking a tin to ask for any spare change – these
fundraisers are very persuasive – that means they're good at talking you
into signing up to make a regular, rather than a one-off, donation.
Jennifer: Some people find the chuggers really irritating or annoying, though. They
think that they go too far, harassing people into parting with their
money.
Neil: In fact, a survey conducted a couple of years ago found that two thirds of
those questioned would rather cross the street than come face-to-face
with a chugger.
Jennifer: Here's what some people in London had to say about 'chugging'. What
phrase does the first interviewee use to mean 'put under pressure'?
Insert
I don't like being put on the spot so I'd rather – if I wanted to give money to charity -
have a think about it and select the charity rather than get my credit cards out on the
street.
There are so many – you'd never get anywhere if you stopped.
I do stop and listen sometimes. I do give some money sometimes.
Everyone's got to earn a living. Perhaps if they could just control it a bit better, perhaps
one in certain areas. You don't need four or five on one stretch of the road.
Neil: The phrase 'put on the spot' means to 'put under pressure' – a sales
tactic, or method, that many chuggers use. Lots of people don't like it.
Jennifer: As we heard, many people would rather think about what charity they
want to support rather than be asked about it in the street. Some prefer
to donate their money privately.
Neil: Many charities are worried about the negative effects this might have on
their public image.
Jennifer: Listen to this part of a report from the BBC's Leana Hosea. What word is
used to mean a charity's public image?
Insert
There was some unease amongst the public when it was discovered that the two men
behind the biggest chugging company had made hundreds of thousands of dollars from
the business. This has all led to concerns that potential donors are being chased away
by chuggers and that a charity's reputation might be spoiled by using them.
Neil: The word was 'reputation' and the UK's biggest charities were so worried
about the effects of chugging that they held a summit to decide whether
this method of fundraising should be dropped.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
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bbclearningenglish.com
Jennifer: But, even though it may be annoying to many, it seems that it is still of
huge value to the charities themselves. Here's Peter Lewis of the Institute
of Fundraising. What word is used to describe the profit the charity
makes?
Insert
Last year, over 860,000 people signed up through face-to-face and door-to-door
fundraising to support a charitable cause and that brought in over 1.3 million pounds to
support good causes. So it's an incredibly important form of fundraising and the returns
for the charity are huge. So they know that for every £1 they invest in face-to-face
fundraising, they will get back at least £2.50 to support those vital causes.
Neil: That word was 'returns'. The charities know that if they use this method,
they will raise a lot of money, even if it isn't very popular…
Jennifer: …so instead of dropping the method altogether, they are going to work on
training the fundraisers face-to-face instead.
Neil: I suppose every penny makes a difference for the charities, however they
get it!
Jennifer: Very true. Now, we started off the programme talking about a charity
marathon runner in London last year.
Neil: Yes, you asked: what was the most money ever raised by a single
marathon runner in one go?
Jennifer: The options were:
a) Over £200,000
b) Over £2 million
c) Over £20 million
Neil: And I said £2 million.
Jennifer: And you were right. The most money ever raised by a single runner was in
2011 by a man named Steve Chalke. He raised £2,330,159.38!
Neil: An amazing effort – AND he had to run 26 miles too!
Jennifer: We're almost out of time. Neil, would you remind us of some of the words
we've heard today please?
Neil: Of course. They are:
chugging
persuasive
harassing
put on the spot
public image
reputation
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
Page 4 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
Jennifer: That's all we have time for today, but do join us again for more 6 Minute
English from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye!
Neil: Bye!
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