I'm done with donating.

B

Bajabob

New Member
Location
Las Vegas
A while back, I foolishly donated to 2 or 3 charities. Since then I've been bombarded with solicitations, many of which organizations I had never heard of. It's apparent that the charities sell each other lists of the names and addresses of donators.

The problem with that is that in the multi-page solicitation, my name appears many times. They think that if they use your name as often as possible, that you'll be very pleased, and will be generous. Wrong !! All of those must be cut out of the pages and put into the "For shredding" envelope. It's a big nuisance, because I refuse to let anything with my name or address just go into the general trash.
 

Me too Bajabob. Just trying to be nice, I sent "them" a generous contribution. No more!
I was inundated with tons of junk mail + phone calls wanting more.

Next time I feel generous, I'll simply go there and hand them the money and walk away.
 
You can always toss the envelopes of the charities that are approaching you, in the recycling bin. Not that hard and why cut off the one or two good causes that you cared for in the first place? I 'buy' a child a new smile every year on my birthday and the result is that I get a bunch of requests from others throughout the year but that one little kid every year loves their new face and that makes it worthwhile to have a couple extra envelopes to throw in the recycling:).
 

Never give them your email address.

Some years ago I sent a donation to the local PBS TV channel. They kept my mailbox full for several years.
 
I give to charities like St. Jude's Hospital for Children, Red Cross, etc. when I want to, not when they badger me with mailings all the time. I know what you mean Bajabob, but I won't stop the donations completely, just continue to do them on my own terms. The junk mail goes in the trash, easy enough.
 
Bajabob said:
A while back, I foolishly donated to 2 or 3 charities. Since then I've been bombarded with solicitations, many of which organizations I had never heard of. It's apparent that the charities sell each other lists of the names and addresses of donators.

The problem with that is that in the multi-page solicitation, my name appears many times. They think that if they use your name as often as possible, that you'll be very pleased, and will be generous. Wrong !! All of those must be cut out of the pages and put into the "For shredding" envelope. It's a big nuisance, because I refuse to let anything with my name or address just go into the general trash.
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I don't bother to cut out names, etc., I just shred the whole piece of mail, envelope and all. Some places (will the AARP NEVER leave me alone) send pieces of mail that are too fat to do that, so I do pull out and shred the pages with personal info on them.

I HATE junk mail of all types.
 
I've had a similar experience and just cross out my details, write on the envelope 'No longer at this address, return to sender' then post in the mail box, they soon remove you from the mailing list
 
My uncle died of a disease. In lieu of flowers my aunt wanted donation to that charity, so I did. WORSE thing I could have. Like Bajabob, I was besieged with all kinds of charities asking for money. And they weren't cheap post cards, but expensive multicolored booklets-so you can't just shred the damn things. Every time you opened the mailbox, I'd have at least 10-15 of 'em. This went on for years. I may be cynical, but I'm wondering if these charities spend so much on getting a 10 buck donation, not much money gets to do any good, other than ask for more money.
BAH HUMBUG!!!
 
Gee, I've donated to charity more than once, and yet I don't have any of these problems/issues. I get maybe one solicitation a month. And I certainly don't worry about shredding junk mail that may have my name/address on it. Bank/investment accounts statements, or anything with my SSN on it, yes. The rest, nope.

What's a "biro"?
 
I seldom get charity solicitations. The biggies like St Jude, March of dimes, certain cancers, is about all. I gave every year when I worked. PBS was the most obnoxious. When I had to quit they just wouldn't let up. When they finally called me I told them I didn't like being told to send right away when there's nothing to send. It stopped then. These days I choose to help family members instead. At least I have some control and can see for myself the results.
 
I know what you mean Bajabob! That annoys the HELL outta me! Okay, if I've sent you a donation or as with St. Jude, became a Partner In Hope (monthly donations), I don't like it when you send me solicitations to donate even more. I even got a couple of CALLS from St. Jude which I handled politely by letting them know I was going to start donating only once a year via my RMDs and that would wind up totaling more than my current monthly donations. I called a couple of the companies and told them to take my name of their lists because I will not donate to an organization that sends me solicitations. Calling and asking to remove your name really does work.
 
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I've stopped giving to charities ever since i found out that most of the money that is given goes to paying the board of directors or administration and only a very little if anything goes to the actual recipients of the so called charity. I'd much rather buy a meal for the homeless than give to charities.
 
Peanut said:
I've stopped giving to charities ever since i found out that most of the money that is given goes to paying the board of directors or administration and only a very little if anything goes to the actual recipients of the so called charity. I'd much rather buy a meal for the homeless than give to charities.
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Peanut The Charity Navigator rates charities based on several factors. One of them is how much actually goes to the cause and not the administration. If you decide you want to donate again, check it out
https://www.charitynavigator.org/
 
Same thing here. They can't be happy with just your donation; They get greedy and sell your name. It's best to donate directly to a charity anonymously and pick one where the donation actually goes to the cause and not to fund raising expenses. I stopped giving to solicitors years ago and the calls also stopped. Also, if you know what charity sold your name and they call again don't be afraid to give them an earful and tell them why you will no longer help support them. This is pure greed. Toys For Tots is my favorite charity and Salvation Army is the worst as the bulk of the donations goes to cover expenses.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Peanut The Charity Navigator rates charities based on several factors. One of them is how much actually goes to the cause and not the administration. If you decide you want to donate again, check it out
https://www.charitynavigator.org/
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You beat me to it!!! The companies that have come into being that do nothing but raise funds for "charities" are so incredibly costly themselves. I have and will donate only to the Salvation Army since they are the most efficient I have seen in practicing what they preach.
 
hauntedtexan said:
You beat me to it!!! The companies that have come into being that do nothing but raise funds for "charities" are so incredibly costly themselves. I have and will donate only to the Salvation Army since they are the most efficient I have seen in practicing what they preach.
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Salvation Army pays for extensive mail solicitations. Most bell ringers are paid and many are also driven to and from their locations in a bus that requires a paid driver, maintenance and other expenses. There is also a lot of overhead in their stores and everyone is paid. No thanks. They get a "moderate" rating in the link provided above.
 
I totally agree, Debby.

Debby said:
You can always toss the envelopes of the charities that are approaching you, in the recycling bin. Not that hard and why cut off the one or two good causes that you cared for in the first place? I 'buy' a child a new smile every year on my birthday and the result is that I get a bunch of requests from others throughout the year but that one little kid every year loves their new face and that makes it worthwhile to have a couple extra envelopes to throw in the recycling:).
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I totally agree, Debby. I give to the ones I like and ignore the rest. Any help comes from my heart and I'm satisfied with that.
 
boaterboi said:
Salvation Army pays for extensive mail solicitations. Most bell ringers are paid and many are also driven to and from their locations in a bus that requires a paid driver, maintenance and other expenses. There is also a lot of overhead in their stores and everyone is paid. No thanks. They get a "moderate" rating in the link provided above.
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I hope you never have a fire that destroys everything you ever worked for and are left in the cold rain one night. You haven't researched salvation army. They Give to those who can't help themselves.
 
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I got cured of giving when I did maintenance work in a shopping mall,
there were so many beggars looking for money that a walk from one
store to another took ages, I learned to say no.

A friend many years ago was getting a lot of begging mail, so he started
making large parcels of rubbish or even stones and posted them back to
where the letter came from, leaving his details inside, he pasted the free
post envelope to the package and handed it in at the post office.

The begging letters soon stopped when they had to pay for the postage
of the big parcels.

Mike.
 
dearimee said:
I hope you never have a fire that destroys everything you ever worked for and are left in the cold rain one night. You haven't researched salvation army. They Give to those who can't help themselves.
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Dearimee..here is the Charity Navigator rundown on the Salvation Army. The bottom of the page lists similar, better functioning charities.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=16900
In addition there is the American Red Cross. Although the CEO compensation seems high, it is only 0.01% of their revenue. Scrolling down the page, there are other charities that rate higher than the Red Cross also. I don't know if they are country wide however. https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3277
 

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