I Hate It When I'm Charitable And......

win231 said:
Well, unfortunately, corruption is everywhere - especially now. WWP probably paid them for that rating after their bad publicity when their scam was on the news.
Another example: Here in Los Angeles, they adopted a Rating System for restaurants & markets. They assigned a letter grade - just like schools use - A, B, C, D, etc. The grade was based on inspection results from the Health Department. And the grade had to be posted on the front window.
Several Health Inspectors were making a FORTUNE selling "A's" to restaurants - many that failed inspection. The ones that were caught were arrested & charged.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-nov-11-me-41653-story.html
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I read about a similar thing happening with the Better Business Bureau. They were giving high ratings to businesses that didn't deserve it at all. It's hard to trust anything these days. Sigh!
 

OneEyedDiva said:
Wow! I feel like I shouldn't complain MB! I don't get nearly that many and still it's annoying. Have you tried calling them and asking them to remove your name from their lists? I've done that not only with the charities but also with the Medicare solicitations. It takes a couple of months but it works. For a while I was getting Medicare solicitations in my old and "new" name.
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LOL, Oh yes I tried calling them and quickly discovered that now that they had my phone number, they had a additional way of pestering me. Writing them a letter had no lasting effect, writing "return to sender" on their envelope required a stamp (many, many stamps) and had no lasting effect.

I concluded that this was a never ending "do loop" or a treadmill with no off switch.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I donate thousands toward my the obligatory Zakat over the course of a year. I never claim it at tax time, nor the other donations because my standard deduction of $14,050 is more than what my itemized deductions, including the donations would be.
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It is the same here and keeping track of all that takes a lot of time.
 
@OneEyedDiva In Canada we don’t a set charitable amount. It’s what you donate that the tax man looks at.

If I were part of an environment group, I’d request every home owner save all the paper sent to them and meet in the “village square” every three months to show the waste these charities created. Then use a free shredder to destroy them. Even better if the people listed how many came from which charities.
 
Jules said:
@OneEyedDiva In Canada we don’t a set charitable amount. It’s what you donate that the tax man looks at.

If I were part of an environment group, I’d request every home owner save all the paper sent to them and meet in the “village square” every three months to show the waste these charities created. Then use a free shredder to destroy them. Even better if the people listed how many came from which charities.
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I never waste them. I save them. When I get crap in the mail about pre-paid funerals & long-term health insurance, they usually include a postage-paid envelope. I stuff that envelope with all that junk make & make sure it's real heavy so the sender has to pay more return postage. I also include a thank-you letter: (feel free to use it)
Hi, folks:
Thank you so much for sending me the information about buying long-term care insurance. It was very thoughtful of you to remind me that I could suddenly become permanently bedridden at any time. Your genuine concern for my health & finances has touched me deeply. In this fast-paced, indifferent world, it is refreshing to see people who really care about others.
To show my sincere appreciation, I have enclosed some valuable discount coupons for your benefit. I save these coupons for kind, thoughtful, caring, wonderful people like you. Since I believe that kindness should always be rewarded, I will continue to bestow such gifts upon you each time you are thoughtful enough to mail me more information.
I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
PS: It was very thoughtful & generous of you to provide me with a postage-paid envelope & pay the substantial return postage – especially when the envelope was weighed down with that thick stack of valuable coupons I was thoughtful enough to enclose.
 
I had a good friend on a forum similar to this one. I never met her in person, as she lived in CA. Unfortunately, she died, and her husband posted a thank you for all the sympathy notes, and said if we wanted to make a donation in her name, Sierra Club was her favorite organization.

I made the mistake of sending them a donation, and almost immediately got a form letter from them, telling me my "membership" was about to expire, and asking for my dues for the next year. I've ignored them ever since, and for several years now, I've been receiving requests for donations, etc. in the mail. Makes me feel like never donating to a charity ever again!
 
Jules said:
@OneEyedDiva In Canada we don’t a set charitable amount. It’s what you donate that the tax man looks at.

If I were part of an environment group, I’d request every home owner save all the paper sent to them and meet in the “village square” every three months to show the waste these charities created. Then use a free shredder to destroy them. Even better if the people listed how many came from which charities.
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Oh I see Jules. Two of my donations are governed by the following: I must take a certain amount, the required minimum distribution (RMD) from my traditional IRA every year after I reached 70-1/2. The RMD is set every year based upon age and life expectancy. I found out I can do that tax free if the brokerage sends the money directly to St. Jude (or whatever charity I choose). My religious donation is 2.5% of my net worth (minus allowable deductions like living expenses, food, housing, etc.) I decide how much I want to donate to any other charities.

So do you have a standard deduction like here in the U.S? BTW, the state tax standard deduction is only $1,000 but there's an exemption for almost all of my pension income and social security is not taxed here in N.J. So I don't pay N.J. taxes.
 
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win231 said:
LOL - I've received those nickels, too. You're supposed to feel guilty about accepting the nickel without "Giving Back." It probably works for the gullible.
That's also why they'll send you free return address labels.
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I hear ya! I have to work on myself not to feel kind of guilty each time I take the nickel w/o donating. However, I do donate a few times a year so I tell myself I have paid for those nickels... :unsure:
 
I don't feel guilty about those nickels, return address stickers, or anything else they choose to send me. I've learned long ago to just consider any items voluntarily sent to me by a charity or business to be a "gift."
 

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