Charity Junk Mail

Americans give to good causes. Charities count on our soft hearts. Unfortunately more and more charities have begun to act like telemarketers.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Sheedees?"

"Shy-dees."

"Excuse me. Mrs. Shy-dees."

Just as I think this is another pesky telemarketer I hear the name of a well known charity organization and I pause.

The next few minutes I hear a spiel not unlike a telemarketer only this one is trying to sell not a product, but a desperate need of some kind. If I would just send in $100, $50, $25...$10? The appeal tugs at my heart. Of course I care about the plight of the poor, the hungry, the needy, but...

I realize these organizations need money and many are accountable with their funds and really do give most of the money to the cause they promote. "Won't you please consider...."

If I already support the organization, I say so. If not, and the appeal sounds genuine I tell them to send me information in the mail. It lets me off the hook momentarily, but when I hang up, I know it will mean one more piece of junk mail.

Every week our wastebasket is filled to overflowing and not just with discards from food packages. A share of this is appeals for money from different charities that I already support.

I admit to being frustrated with many charities, and I'm not talking about the fly-by-night set ups which disappear as soon as they cash your check. My donation buys telemarketer style operators who disturb me at the most inconvenient times and steal time from my family, endless mailings and appeals for more money? (Charities are exempt from the Do Not Call list.)

It seems to me these organizations, however worthy, do themselves and their regular contributors a disservice by spending so much on essentially junk mail that goes straight to the trash.

Just yesterday, I received a letter which was simply a thank you. Let's see, for that "thank you" letter it cost the organization postage, cost of paper and envelope, cost of secretary and printing services. Actually, the cost of that one letter probably exceeded my small monthly contribution.

Yes, I know we like to be appreciated, but couldn't that come on a postcard or in the receipt?

I can't help but wonder if anyone else feels their contribution is eaten up in endless mailings? I give to help others...not to send mail to myself. Send those appeals to someone else and put me on a "once in a great while" mailing list. Trust me, I'll not only be grateful, it might actually make me more, rather than less, willing to contribute. So what can I do? One, I can tell them, "Sorry, but I make it a policy not to give over the phone." Two, I need to be polite, but firm regardless of how they tug at the heartstrings. Three, I ask them to please remove me from their call list. At least, if I don't participate, I take one step toward sanity and just maybe, if enough follow through, practices might change.