Senior vs. Senior: Charity mailing labels

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/05/2011 (5247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charity mailing labels nothing more than junk

 

It seems every charitable organization to which I donate (and quite a few to which I don’t give a penny) have all decided to “express their appreciation” by sending me personalized address labels. Every week seems to bring another fat envelope stuffed with more labels.

I have labels with dogs and cats and rabbits and bears on them. I have labels with cardinals and hummingbirds and owls, labels with roses and daisies and pansies, labels with berries and maples leaves and snowflakes. I have labels with all the signs of the zodiac. I have labels with moons and stars and abstract designs. I have Christmas labels, Easter labels, Valentine labels, labels for every occasion. I have labels edged in gilt, labels edged in gold, labels not edged at all.

They come from organizations that want to preserve endangered critters in their natural habitat. From humane societies who want to curtail feral cats and rescue homeless dogs. From groups researching arthritis, cancer, heart attacks, cystic fibrosis and diabetes. From hospitals treating the afflicted, and from the afflicted needing medical attention. From charities trying to feed the world’s poor and from religious societies trying to satisfy the souls of the needy.

Despite warnings about identity theft, I find it difficult to put the labels through the shredder. Maybe it’s because I hate to see my name torn to bits. Maybe it’s because most charitable organizations that send them are indeed worthy of donations — if only I could afford to give to them all. Maybe it’s because I labour under the delusion that eventually I may use all these labels, but they seem to be multiplying exponentially.

Are charities guilty of selling their lists of donors? Makes me wonder, especially when I get appeals (and labels!) from causes about as far-fetched as the Society for Preserving Short-tailed Monkeys in Timbuktu.

So I have a suggestion for all these organizations that insist on labelling me as one of their cash cows: Forget the labels. And while you’re at it, dismiss the glitzy public relations firms that benefit from producing glossy pamphlets and eye-catching brochures aimed at would-be donors. I do not give to charity to support businesses.

Just give me the plain facts, preferably by email, and then appropriate the savings to the charitable causes you claim to represent. That’s where I expect my money to go.

— Alma Barkman, Winnipeg freelance writer, photographer and homemaker

 

Show support for groups you have helped

I have never had a problem saying “no” to anyone, whether it’s a telemarketer, someone begging for money or peer pressure. Nor do I have a problem sending something back through the mail.

This is partially due to the way I’ve been brought up and largely because I, like most students, make just enough money to pay for a monthly bus pass, a phone bill and leisure activities every month instead of donating what little funds I have to charities and organizations.

I’m not sure what happens to a donation after one is made, but just thinking about all of the departments and energy it takes to run a charity, I know the money is going to good use. This doesn’t even cover all of the people behind the scenes who spend countless hours doing anything from answering phones and questions to setting up events. They have to get paid somehow.

Of course, after you make a donation, they want you to keep donating to them. And they send you “gifts” to make you feel important to them, such as thank-you cards, key chains and labels.

These gifts cost them next to nothing and they do it in hopes people will use them proudly and openly show support for the charity, along with donating to them in the future. These labels have the potential to be seen by hundreds of people. People who may be persuaded to donate to the same charity or organization that you’d helped.

So why not openly show support for something that you helped?

They know you care about their charity, and they want you to keep showing your appreciation for what they’re doing. It’s no different than posting a sign on your lawn during an election or wearing a team jersey to a sporting event.

There should be no shame in telling someone “no.” Sometimes it’s as easy as hanging up the phone. And if that’s the problem, I’m sure most charities and organizations would gladly accept anonymous donations of food, money and everything in between.

 

— Ashley K. Wiebe, Creative Communications student