Why I Usually Donate Anonymously
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Jan 23, 2009
I'm more of a charitable guy than I let on to most of my friends. The reason is that I like to give when I can, and give whatever I can, and sometimes I like to spread it around. Most of the time, when I go to the grocery store, I'll pull off one of these tags that they have to help feed the poor, and I'll donate anywhere from $2 to $5, depending on my mood that day.
Another reason I like to stay anonymous is because I don't want to get a lot of phone calls, mail, or email from someone who's now put me on a list as someone who donates. Some of my friends think I'm paranoid on that one, but here's a perfect example of what I mean.
This year, I decided to give to ten charities in December. I wrote each of them a check, something that's rare for me, and mailed them out. I was feeling really charitable this year and wanted to spread it around, knowing that the economy was in trouble and that donations were down.
In the last two weeks, I've received mail again from all of these organizations. Only two thanked me for my previous donation; maybe the rest didn't know it yet. But those two that thanked me also asked me for more; sheesh! And all the other organizations, of course, are doing the same. Last year, maybe I got a request once every four months; I certainly didn't want to get something every month.
I'm just throwing them all away, after I open them and shred anything that has my name on it. Once again, I've had to learn a lesson that I thought I already knew. As an independent consultant, I send out advertisements to businesses myself, but usually no sooner than every 3 months will someone get another thing from me; most of the time it's much longer than that. I don't want to be a pest, but at the same time, I'm not really asking for anything. I understand charities needing money to survive, but I have to say that I don't like their methods; reminds me of those televangelists.
Sometimes, even when someone is trying to do good, they may not recognize that they're inadvertently doing bad. So, back to the underground I go; only my accountant will know for sure.
Sad that the charity organizations are having to reach out more, maybe that’s related to the economy too. I donated recently to a few charities and recently got a bunch of the ‘freebie’ donation requests, too. Doesn’t make me donate any faster, but I agree with you. Makes me seriously consider anonymous donation.
Thanks for your comment, ML, and of course, it also makes me wonder just how much money is really going to the charity of they’re putting this much effort into trying to get donations.
I couldn’t agree with you more! I just wrote a fairly irritated email to my local foodbank to complain about their using my money to ask me for more. But how do you donate anonymously? Last time I used my creditcard, but that gives them my information, just as a check does.
I donate cash rather than check or credit card. Or I go through someone else who’s name is on the hook instead of my own. Still, they send out all these blanket requests for money, whether you’ve ever donated or not, but you seem to get it more often from those you’ve given to previously. Shame.
I never get targeted, because I’m very careful about being put on mailing lists. When I donated to NPR through their website, I left a little note that I didn’t want to be put on any list. To my surprise, they really haven’t contacted me at all, and I greatly appreciate that. My frustration with other charities’ follow up is that they make me feel bad about not being good enough – hardly what I had in mind when I donated. Oh well, there are worse problems to have!
I guess I am just a crotchety broke, old lady, but I also don’t want the money I am able to give to be used to solicit more from me. That’s why I usually give on a local basis–so I can hand them the cash and be done with it. If the amount is sizeable, then I request a receipt and fill in the info myself.
I, too, have been inundated recently with unsolicited requests for giving, even though I am on the government’s ‘take me off your mailing list’ roles. I suspect from time to time that someone is genrusly profering my info for some reason of their own.
The best to you all and all of them!
Thanks for your position, Ginnie. Seems we agree on this aspect of giving. I guess overall sales tactics are what they are, whether it’s for profit or not for profit.
There is a way of donating for charities anonymously at the Network For Good website–an online charity service. This website was started awhile ago, I believe by Yahoo. There are a lot of charities you can donate to, there. Before you complete your donation, there’s a place in their web form where you can request the donation be anonymous.
Network for Good, itself, has nothing to do with junk mail or junk email. They just send you e-receipts which you can use on your tax returns if you wish.
http://www.networkforgood.org