Nonprofit Fires Employee After TARGET 13 Investigation

The National Federation of the Blind, Colorado Chapter, is trying to raise money for clients in Southern Colorado. Calls were placed in July to many homes in southern Colorado, but one woman says the telemarketing was very aggressive.

?From the minute I got the call, the individual was very aggressive with me,? said Joyce, who doesn?t want her last name used in the story. ?I’ve never had anyone like that be so assertive,? she said.

Joyce claimed the woman on the other end of the phone kept pushing her to make a donation, giving her different amounts she could donate.

“I finally said no. I’m not interested, and hung up,? remembers Joyce.

She thought that it was the end of the matter, but days later she got a pledge letter claiming she made a donation for $20.

?I was shocked and disappointed. I felt like I was being scammed, and that’s the part I didn’t like about that,? she said.

Her main concern was seniors who got the same letter and feeling obligated to make a donation.

Joyce is familiar with NFB and thinks they do great work, but wasn?t happy about the way the organization?s caller handled its pledge drive.

TARGET 13 contacted NFB and spoke with the president of the Colorado chapter on Tuesday.

Scott LaBarre said he was unaware of the aggressive telemarketing by his organization and began an internal investigation.

On Thursday he wrote an email to TARGET 13 stating, ?We have determined that the pledge form was sent to Joyce and should not have been. The employee violated policy and we consider such a violation a serious breach of employee conduct and the employee has been terminated. If a potential donor indicates that they are not willing to make a contribution, that is precisely what should be indicated in the records. We apologize to Joyce and we believe that this is an isolated incident among the thousands of calls we make each year. The monies we do raise through this fundraising program go to serve blind individuals of all ages to help improve quality of life for the blind of Colorado through educational and employment programs.?