'I don't have $60 to attend your fundraising event': Job applicant asked to donate to the company that rejected her

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 24, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

Imagine reaching out to a former employer for a full-time opportunity, getting flat-out rejected, and then being asked to give money to the organization. You have to admire the audacity of these people. 

This Redditor shared that after successful contracted work, she sought a salaried position at the same company and put a ton of work into her application. When she was rejected, she wound up receiving what was clearly a copy-and-paste rejection email. She ended up reaching out to her contact at the company to see if her former employer knew she had applied for the position or if it was some low-level intern who rejected her. As it turns out, her boss was aware of the Redditor's application and still chose to send the impersonal rejection letter without any acknowledgment of the work the Redditor had done for the company in the past.

But wait, it only gets worse. The former boss's next move was to invite the Redditor to a fundraising event for the organization in the same email. Furthermore, the price of admission was $60 per ticket, as if the Redditor would be willing to spend her funds during unemployment on the company that just rejected her.

Keep scrolling below for the full story and the best reactions in the comments section. For more, check out this post about a teacher's final act before leaving their job for good.

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  • 01
    "A job rejected me story then asked me to donate to their organization" +Compose Inbox Bookmarks Dev Search mail 0 - C: Primary
    via hostreviews
  • 02
    A job rejected me then asked me to donate to their organization I applied for a job with an organization I worked for a few years ago and had left on good terms (contract ended, and I moved away).
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 03
    I recently noticed they had an opening, so I put a lot of effort into applying and figured I'd be a top contender. I excelled at the job and have fond memories of working there. The manager had even given me a reference for another job, so it felt like a shoe-in.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 04
    Almost two weeks go by without an answer. I wrote a follow-up politely asking if they'd looked at my application yet. The manager responded with a copy and pasted email about pursuing another candidate and provided a link to a job search site.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 05
    I was surprised at how informal it was, and I wrote back to ask if the real manager had written it, or maybe an employee had done the email.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 06
    I was sure she remembered me, so it just seemed super distant, and didn't even have a, "It's been a long time, nice to hear from you, sorry that we've already filled the role," or anything.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 07
    She wrote back that yes, she wrote it and admitted that "most of it" was copy and pasted so that I was sure to get the job search information.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 08
    Then, she added the cherry on top. She wrote, "Stop by sometime to say hi - maybe at our fundraising event," and attached a poster of an event that requires $60 to attend.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 09
    Um, sorry, but I don't have $60 to attend your fundraising event because I am currently without a job, and you would know that by the fact that I just applied to your job! I couldn't believe the nerve of her. I just left it at that, but I am still upset about it.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 10
    Oh, and I should add - the job is only 20 hours a week, and she said, "We are looking for someone who won't be seeking other work." So you expect someone to work part-time and not seek other employment?
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 11
    Probably so they can be on- call the other 20 hours. Guess I dodged a bullet, anyway. It's just super disappointing, as now my fond memories are completely washed down the drain.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 12
    TLDR: The manager I used to work for (and like!) rejected my application with a copy-and-paste email, and then suggested I donate to the organization while she knows I'm jobless.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 13
    malevolentgrymmlyn 8 hr. ago Ask her if you should no longer use her as a reference, since she'd said previously you could, but now she won't rehire you.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 14
    Densolo44 10 hr. ago Reminds me of the time the owner of a small business I worked at for 5 years decided to sell it without warning.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 15
    He took another coworker and me for lunch one day and told us. We had no idea what was going to happen to us and asked him for a written reference. He said he may not have time because he was leaving on a Christian mission to deliver bibles to foreign nations via a ship. He then proceeded to ask if we'd be willing to donate to his mission, as he had to pay for it himself. We never got the reference letters.
    via u/midnight-lilac
  • 16
    midnight-lilac OP. 2 hr. ago Oh wow. He has time to go on a ship overseas to deliver Bibles but not write a reference letter? I feel like being fired and then being asked for money is worse than never being hired at all. You win this one.
    via u/midnight-lilac

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work reddit thread Reddit company job interview interview toxic-work-environment
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