Years ago I fell for this scam and gave a donation. Same MO, asked for me by name, like they knew you, and said they where from the Police Conference of NY. What I previously read about this group is that little if any money goes to any police organization. Now I just politely say "sorry buddy" & hang up on them.
You are entitled to choose not to give to PCNY. You are also entitled to hold an opinion that it is conducting a scam to get your money. You are NOT entitled to your own set of facts and to slander a legitimate organization that has filed with the IRS and NY Department of State since 1960:
Many not-for-profits outsource phone fundraising operations to companies that specialize in those operations. There are probably good and bad eggs in the lot. Calling back and getting a call center will not necessarily confirm that the you are being scammed.
Legitimate organizations will usually cheerfully provide answers to any questions asked. If asked whether they are a (501)-C organization, they can say yes or no. If asked exactly what it is they do, a legitimate organization will usually tell you.
You state that people are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own set of facts. You state that this organization has been accredited for over 50 years, and that people have no right to disparage such a legitimate organization.
Looking at some of the comments, people are forming the conclusion that this organization is a scam based on the reaction of the caller to their legitimate questions.
Some of the questions are:
Are you a (501)-c? This is the most common type of charitable organization. People do need to know if their donation will be onside red deductible by the IRS.
What Police organizations do you represent? Seems like a reasonable question to me, and it is an opening for the caller to then go on and volunteer information about where the money goes.....causes, etc.
What callers DON'T have a right to do is be rude. If asked questions, reacting by hanging up simply cements the feeling that the call was an attempted scam.
Also, every organization by this time has a web site. We are after all well into the 21st Century. I recently got a phone solicitation, asked for he URL, and was hung up on. Not good. I then got a follow up letter thanking me for my pledge of $20. Actually, I simply asked for a letter as I generally don't respond to telephone solicitations. Aside from stating I made a pledge that I did not, in fact make, the letterhead lists no website. Again, not good.
So, if you are in fact a legitimate organization, I suggest you clean up your act.
I received a phone call from 914-337-2663 and they claimed they were representing the Police Conference of New York. Since I donated in the past to PBA I said ok, What seemed very odd to me is that PBA always sends requests for donations thru mail never in person. I knew something was murky when the guy said he will pick up the check in person. He came today and he showed me some ID that was cheaply printed out and he informed me that for $500.00 I would get a badge and two decals for the car. No offense, but I was not born yesterday. I knew it was BS and I just asked him to leave. He got all fussy about it and in two minutes somebody else called me from a different number asking me what happened. BEWARE of this scammers. Do not let them fool you.