By Zac Bestwick
You’re walking through Kogan Plaza on your way to class. You look ahead and see a student org table set up for fundraising. Wanting to make the most of their efforts, the students at the table are calling out to others as they walk by, making a personal appeal to students that they hope might pitch in a few bucks for their cause. You realize that when you walk by, they’re almost certainly going to call you out and try to get you to fork over some cash.
You have a few options: One, you could ignore them, maybe put some earbuds in and push on full speed ahead. Two, you could politely decline – a response that will likely be met with further pleading from the fundraisers. Or, three, you could go ahead and pay up, sacrificing a bit of your precious spending money for yet another org’s benefit.
If you’ve been in this situation, and if you sometimes dread walking through Kogan because of it, you aren’t alone. Dodging Kogan tables is annoying, but these days it’s something that can be difficult to avoid while walking through the Plaza.
Hustling onward towards my destination without engaging with the tablers is, for me, the best strategy when walking through Kogan so that I can save money (and precious time, as I often run late-ish to my classes). That said, it can sometimes feel bad to pass people up when they’re trying to raise money, especially when the org represents an important cause. Money is often tight for many college students as we learn how to manage our personal finances, and it can be especially hard to find room for donations or charitable causes when food and other supplies are so expensive here in D.C.
Sometimes fundraising orgs have something to sell, like donuts or other treats, but at a significant markup. Donuts are delicious, but paying two or three extra dollars for a donut you could have had hot and ready for 99 cents from the Krispy Kreme on Dupont Circle sort of ruins the experience.
Those who have been on the other side of the table know how crummy it can feel to bother their fellow students on their way to or from class (I myself have done my fair share of org tabling and have hated every minute of it). It’s a hard thing to do, because while it is fair that students want to support and market the work they do for their orgs, it’s a bit too bold to ask for someone’s money knowing how expensive college life is, even if the cause is a good one.
So what does the ideal solution look like? Perhaps student orgs should find less obtrusive ways to fund their goals and events, utilizing avenues like social media where people aren’t put on the spot or prompted to feel guilty for not pitching in. Or, maybe, Kogan Plaza is the best place for this sort of entrepreneurial spirit, and I should remember to bring some change along with me the next time I pass through its gates.
