Bookmark This Page

Delicious Google Bookmarks Stumbleupon Digg BlinkList Ma.gnolia Reddit Yahoo My Web

Charity Mail Donation Requests

Every year, Americans donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity. However, often times, this seems to get you put on to a mailing list. Pretty soon, you will find yourself under a deluge of junk mail asking you to send money for this cause or another. Here are some steps to help you stop this unsolicited mail from coming.

Start by only giving money to charities that have a donor privacy commitment. There are online organizations that will keep lists of information on charities, including their donor privacy policies. For some groups, in order for the charity to make the cut they must have a written policy that says that the group will not sell or trade donor information. It should be prominently displayed in the information on the charity’s website and any marketing or solicitation materials. A second upside of using an online site is that you can also see how your money will be spent by the charity to make sure that it is something that you approve of.

Another thing you can do is to opt-out when you make a donation. This will have your name removed from any information that is sent to other charities. Depending on your charity, you may have to call in, write a letter, or go to a certain section of their website in order to opt out.

Registering with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service can help to cut down on the amount of junk mail that you receive from charities; however, it is not foolproof. For one, this is a voluntary program, so you will only be removed from the lists of charities that use it. Two, you have to specify that you wan tot be removed from commercial and charitable lists, otherwise it will default to blocking for-profit solicitations only.

If you find that you are receiving mail constantly from a specific charity, you can call them and ask to be removed from their list. When you do so, you may want to find out where they got your name from. You can then contact the organization that gave out your information and put in a request to have your name removed from outgoing lists. If you are planning on donating to charities that send out mailings, you can call the charity and let them know of your donation plans and schedule. That way they can make sure that you get a mailing only when you need it.

While it may sound counterproductive, avoid giving small donations to a lot of charities, and instead choose to give a large donation to one or two charities. Smaller donations will often not even cover the advertising costs it took to solicit you, so the organization will sell your name to help recoup their costs. However, large donors are guarded carefully by charities to keep the competition from snatching you up – they have more to lose by selling your name and risking losing your donation.

To do this, take your time to research the charities that work with the causes you want to support the most. You can then see which ones have the best reputation and make the best use of their financial contributions to help you choose where to send your donation.

If all else fails, you can always give anonymously. No charity is going to turn down cash or a money order that it receives in the mail! Some online groups also offer ways for you to send money to different charities without giving your name. The downside to this is that it may be harder for you to receive receipts to use for tax deductions.