Charities that mail change

[Stephen Tashiro]

It's strange to get a mail solicitation containg coins from a charity that is seeking a donation. It that a good indication that the charity is a scam?

[Brian Elfert]

Plenty of legitimate charities do this. They hope to guilt the recipient into making a donation. My parents get tons of solicitations from charities including the ones with coins. Some charities send little trinkets instead for the same reason. Some charities ask for the trinkets back if you don't donate, but legally you don't have to send them back.

[Val Kosmider]

If I wish to give, I give.

I am insulted that they somehow think my time, or my conscience, can be bought for a shiny coin.

Years ago Barron's wanted folks to take a survey, so they stuck a five in the paper ......Better.

Sadly, solicitation for charities has become a big business. The solicitor gets most of the money, and the needy organization gets the dregs. Even though the mailing has the name of the charity plastered all over it like it came directly from them.

Like I don't know I want to donate to the Cancer Fund or the SPCA?

Now...those little license plates that I could put on my toy dump truck......

[Matt Meiser]

March of Dimes sent me a dime after I donated several years in a row to a friend's walk. The letter said if I'm the kind of person they think I am I'll send it back with more. As of that letter, apparently I'm not.

[David Weaver]

I'll sound like a contrary person saying this, but when people send me something and try to guilt trip me, they usually make their way off of my donation list.

If I send them donations on a regular basis and they reward that by asking for more on a very regular basis, they are working their way off of it, too. I don't love the amount of junk that follows almost immediately every time you do something nice. There are charities we give to on a regular basis, and there are also charities that I've only ever given to once. I'll bet the ones I've given to once have sent me 300 emails since then and a whole bunch of paper mail.

It's their job to generate money, I just wish there was another way they could do it without subjecting us to a stream of guilt trips and junk mail.

[Jerry Thompson]

The Wounded Warriors and Salvation Army are the only one's to see any of my money.

[Bob Vavricka]

Charitynavigator.org is a good place to check out how legitimate a charity is.

[Shawn Pixley]

A while back I got a solitation that included a 5$ bill. I looked them up and only 18% of the money taken in was used for program expenses (e.g. Helping others). Yet, there are considerably worse charities out there. My quick look on charity navigator found a charity where only 3.8% of the money taking in was used for program expenses. Fundraising was 79.9% of the gross expenses. Let the giver beware.

[Bill Cunningham]

The Wounded Warriors and Salvation Army are the only one's to see any of my money.

Ditto... If some one sends me a dollar and asks me to fill out a survey that will only take 20 minutes(according to them), means they only think my time is worth 3 bucks an hour and 'that's' downright insulting..

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Isn't this a hold over from when someone would sent the money for return postage?

These days they'd need to send a Brinks truck.:D

[Jim Rimmer]

I get the coins but I also get a lot of address labels. I could paper a good size room with my address now.

[Kev Williams]

What I dread is when the caller ID says "Unknown Caller". 9 times out of 10 it's someone looking for money. And my biggest peeve is the multiple charities. As in, I get a call from the something-something Veterans, I pony up a 50, then 2 days later I get a call from something-something Veterans.... "I just gave to you 2 days ago." No, we're not THAT blahblah Veterans, were yadayada Veterans.. sheesh. For 2 years now I just tell these people I don't do this over the phone any more. Last guy who succeeded in getting money from me anyway was a something-something Firefighters. 2 days later, another call from another something-Firefighters. "I just gave to you 2 days ago". His response: "No you didn't. We only started calling today." Had some choice words for him before I hung up. Never again.

Money in the mail, I figure if they need money bad enough they wouldn't be sending me any...

[Phil Thien]

Years ago Barron's wanted folks to take a survey, so they stuck a five in the paper ......Better.


Chase wanted me to take a survey last month and offered $100. That got my attention. Took fifteen minutes.

In terms of giving, I try to give when people I know are raising money for something. I don't really care too much what it is all about (as long as it is truly charitable). But I'd rather give to (for example) my local Children's Hospital when the neighbor kid is asking, than if Children's Hospital asks directly.

[Bill Cunningham]

What I dread is when the caller ID says "Unknown Caller". 9 times out of 10 it's someone looking for money. And my biggest peeve is the multiple charities. As in, I get a call from the something-something Veterans, I pony up a 50, then 2 days later I get a call from something-something Veterans.... "I just gave to you 2 days ago." No, we're not THAT blahblah Veterans, were yadayada Veterans.. sheesh. For 2 years now I just tell these people I don't do this over the phone any more. Last guy who succeeded in getting money from me anyway was a something-something Firefighters. 2 days later, another call from another something-Firefighters. "I just gave to you 2 days ago". His response: "No you didn't. We only started calling today." Had some choice words for him before I hung up. Never again.

Ahhh your on the 'sucker list' Once you donate something to one of these, they put you on a list.. Years ago I bought some advertising space in a Shriner's Circus Program. Just wanted the add to say 'Laser Engraving' and my phone number.. For TWO YEARS after that, I got calls from every Tom, Dick, and Harry soliciting money for one cause or another, and they ALL asked for Mr. Laser.. From then on, the Shriner's Circus program callers were on my S.List.. Usually when it's a police or firefighters funds solicitor calling it's for advertising in some worthless booklet their distributing to schools and such, and most often either never get published, or end up in the nearest trash can....

[Rick Potter]

Like most of you, I have a list of charities I support. Even though I am on the no call list, I still get several calls a day, which are allowed because the list excludes companies affiliated with companies I actually deal with.

Sometimes I get those calls from the actual charities I support. I tell them that I give on my own accord, and if they continue to call me they will be taken off my list. Most have stopped, but it makes no difference to the mass market call centers.

We only answer the land line if we suspect it is someone we want to talk to. We never answer before the third ring, and usually let it go to voice mail. Amazing how many don't leave a message.

Loose coins go right into the burrito fund.

Rick Potter

PS: You should see our mail. Solicitations and catalogs by the pound.

[Tom Stenzel]

Ahhh your on the 'sucker list' Once you donate something to one of these, they put you on a list.. .

I wonder if there's money in the selling of the lists. I mean for the CHARITY, not the fundraising company. I can guess the answer for the companies.

At my house it's the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Give them money more than once and their memory is longer than a herd of elephants.

[Myk Rian]

What I dread is when the caller ID says "Unknown Caller". 9 times out of 10 it's someone looking for money.
That's why I installed Call Control on my Smart phone. No sales calls. No political calls. No charity calls. Nutin. Just those in my contact list, and numbers I put in the white list.
We got rid of the house line because all we got on it were sales, politicos, and scammers.

[Ole Anderson]

I have yet to have a charity phone call that didn't end immediately when I asked them to do something for me: "put me on your do not call list". They always agree without an argument.