A gripe by Maynard
I finished up the year by giving a few hundred dollars to a few charitable or political organizations that struck me as worthwhile. But now I find myself unable to wallow in my beneficence because my mailbox is suddenly filling up with appeals for a multitude of laudable causes.
What a fool I was! I got my name on THE LIST, and now the sharks have scented blood and the vultures are circling. There is no way to stem the tide, except perhaps by committing suicide. Even then, the solicitations would likely be forwarded to my next of kin or even to my cemetery.
Why do I care? Because I sense a colossal amount of waste. Paper and envelopes and postage cost money. The new trend is for the solicitor to include a return envelope complete with a 39-cent stamp. Gosh, I wouldn’t want that stamp to go to waste, would I? I’d better write a check and mail it in!
I fear that every dollar I donate triggers a wave of solicitations costing a dollar and a half. In other words, the more I give, the more money I cause the supposed charities to lose. I am in effect a parasite, draining the resources of organizations that could be doing some good if they weren’t so busy shaking me down.
I did my donating via credit card over the Internet. The transactions were efficient and paperless. I’d be perfectly happy to have solicitations come to me via email. It would be a nice break from the promises of weight loss and Nigerian lotteries and sexual fulfillment. But no, these people are intent on stuffing my mailbox. Email isn’t good enough for them.
I have fiendish fantasies in which I make token donations to the ACLU and other despicable organizations. Then my name will go on the moonbat list, and at least my toxic footprint will be doing some good. But I’m not quite nasty enough to really do that. Also, I hate waste in general. I don’t want the trees to be cut down for anybody’s pointless solicitations, even if George Soros is footing the bill.
It doesn’t seem right to respond by renouncing charities. But I sure wish I could avoid this wasteful nonsense.
My Mother couldn’t turn away Girl Scouts selling cookies, or band boosters selling overpriced candy bars. She invited Morman Missionaries in for coffee. Even the kids keep a list. She was always the first stop on the shilling tyke circuit.
Yes, I get the $.39 stamp tactic in my snail mail, too. A few weeks back, no less than 3 of my favorite, but separate, Christian charities came like that on the same day, all with the same size mini-envelope, and the same rubber stamp of my return address stamped on the back of the envelope. They all 3 use the same mass snail mailer company geared for charities!
In my mind, it is a toss up between, “Is this a scam, after all,” or “well, for a charity this big, maybe it really DOES save money, so a smaller percentage of donations gets used for fundraising–a good thing.”
I think that the larger organizations are using mass snail mailing companies, who know the “business” of getting folks to give. This disappoints me, to feel like charitable giving has become a strategy that can be understood and outsourced to a cheaper, professional company.
All I can say is that I research the folks whom I believe are actually doing what they say they are doing, and I have to forgive the heavy-handed requests for more donations.
Yes, I get the $.39 stamp tactic in my snail mail, too. A few weeks back, no less than 3 of my favorite, but separate, Christian charities came like that on the same day, all with the same size mini-envelope, and the same rubber stamp of my return address stamped on the back of the envelope. They all 3 use the same mass snail mailer company geared for charities!
In my mind, it is a toss up between, “Is this a scam, after all,” or “well, for a charity this big, maybe it really DOES save money, so a smaller percentage of donations gets used for fundraising–a good thing.”
I think that the larger organizations are using mass snail mailing companies, who know the “business” of getting folks to give. This disappoints me, to feel like charitable giving has become a strategy that can be understood and outsourced to a cheaper, professional company.
All I can say is that I research the folks whom I believe are actually doing what they say they are doing, and I have to forgive the heavy-handed requests for more donations.
No guilt here, I carefully peel off those 39c stamps for personal use!
This reminds me of telemarketing firms that solicit on behalf of charities, but only return about 25 cents of every dollar to the actual charity. They’re in the business for themselves and only use the charity as a means to get you to give them money.
If you have the time go ahead and look over the mailings for the names and missions of the various charities, you might find one that you consider worthy of a contribution. But afterwards, throw the mail away and contact the charity directly either through the internet or phone to ensure that your contribution is going to the charity directly and not lining the pockets of some mass mail marketing firm.
Charitable giving has become one of the greatest thrills of my Christian walk. Choosing where to give adds extra meaning because of the personal investment made in the choice as well as sending the check. The Lord has allowed my wife and I to increase the percentage of our giving every year, leaving worldly distraction less desirable to us. And yes, we do get mail. So what!!