Charities

[pieslut]

I haven't yet donated to help Haiti and I really want to, but there's a problem. I will not donate to a charity that will keep my name and address and start sending me stuff, or sell my name to other charities. Seems like a first world complaint to you? It is, but it's important to me because I care about the environment in addition to caring

Comments

[iibnf]

I work in charity - they will ALL keep your details and then keep asking. If they don't ask, they don't receive. The only way to donate anonymously is to put cash in an envelope - send it registered if you're concerned about it being stolen. Donate in person if you want a receipt, but refuse to give a name. NEVER GIVE A CHARITY YOUR PHONE NUMBER. I always give an email, because they don't waste environment, I get my tax receipt, and if they want to keep bugging me, I can delete it easily until I want to donate again.

If you REALLY want to help a charity, considering joining their monthly giving program for a small amount. They all do it because it means they save money on administration and fund-raising, can budget and plan what work they can do, and don't have to keep phoning, writing, begging for support. Just make sure you don't give them a phone number. Can't emphasise that enough.

[pieslut]

Thank you! I love the monthly giving program idea. I am more than happy to give charities my money, but I will not give them my information. And in my case, the more they bug me the less they get, so a system like the one you mentioned sounds perfect.
Is there any way to convince the charities to have an anonymous option, do you think? I've never donated from a solicitation, but always on advice from a friend. There must be enough people like me out there to make it profitable. Or am I totally wrong?

[florahart]

We are evidently totally wrong. I also think there must be plenty of people besides me for whom the solicitation call alone shuts DOWN the chance I will donate, but the folks who work in charitable giving insist they can't survive if they don't keep calling and hassling--that the benefit of people who do give when called outweighs the people who are like, fuck off. Personally, I think this demonstrates a lack of imagination on the part of the charity folks, and that some one of them ought to start a revolution (and advertise that they don't keep your data and don't sell it and don't call you omg) and see what happens.

[pieslut]

Amen. I do feel guilty that something like this stops me from donating to a worthy cause, but my privacy fixation is stronger than my conscience. Also, I have spent a lot of time and effort getting my home address removed from mailing lists and keeping my email usable. I do not want either address compromised even for a good cause. Maybe especially for a good cause. It pisses me off that I can't do a good hing without getting screwed in the bargain. There needs to be another option.
If you know any charities that will do not require information as well as money, please let me know.

[cakeinoz]

I used to give money to a local newspaper columnist's Childrens Hospital campaign every year in DC when I lived there. They didn't store the information, just counted up the total and sent it directly to the hospital. I also liked that 100% was gifted (the people doing the counting donated their time), and not you know, minus 80% administration fees.

I agree, by the way. I'd be a LOT more likely to donate if I knew I wouldn't have to deal with waves of crap in the mail afterward.

[pieslut]

I knew there had to be charities out there that would just take the money and be done with it! It's just weird that this isn't something I've seen mentioned any other place. The entire internet is full of links to charities that will help Tahiti and I've not seen one that addresses this issue.
What kills me is that I'm in the tax bracket where I should be donating a hefty chunk. I felt shitty last year when I didn't, and I really want to change that. But the reason I didn't donate as much last year is because I spent too much time getting myself off of the mailing lists that I had been placed on by the previous year's donations. Because they had sold my name. And I got mail from everyone.