Be ‘selective’ when choosing charities

January 25, 2016 · 0 Comments

I found the 213th “application for a charitable donation” in 2015 in my mailbox (letters now refered to as “Mother’s Begging Letters”).
At the end of 2013, I decided to count such arrivals in 2014 and have again in 2015. As a pensioner, even a modest $25 to each would be a measurable percentage of my annual income. I decided in 2014 to send, with a donation, a note (almost entirely ignored) asking for just a “once a year request.”
Often, the expensive mailing we receive contains material we don’t need, but which cannot go into the recycling as it contains your name, address and other personal information. Often, there are address labels, calendars, note pads, costly expensive brochures and other highly coloured print material that your modest donation will never, ever “cover the cost” of production. It should never be returned, but shredded.
During the past year, I have also learned more about private companies who are well paid to run campaigns for charities and have since proved to my own satisfaction that some also “sell” your name and address to other such organizations they may, or may not, also represent.
I fully appreciate that many worthy institutions cannot survive without our donations and I will continue to support those I care about. But the whole situation seems to be entirely out of hand and the wrong non-charitable organization is almost certainly receiving more of your charitable dollars than you realize.
This letter is not intended to discourage the generosity of Caledon Citizen readers, but rather to suggest they be truly selective in their charities of choice so that generosity is not wasted on slick and expensive appeals, but goes entirely to the worthy cause of choice.
Name withheld on request