On May 26, 2005, at 9:04, Malvary J Cole wrote:
One of our charities, to which I do subscribe, send out their annual
appeal, then every 6 weeks or so send out another request [...]
I called them, told them that I was quite prepared to continue to
respond to their annual appeal, IN MY OWN TIME, but that if they
continued to harrass me with other appeals and reminders, then I
wouldn't donate anything. They immediately put me on their "Main
appeal send nothing else" list
I agree with Martha; *nothing like that* seems to exist in US. The
general feeling on the part of fundraisers seems to be "we'll grind
them down by repetition". And, perhaps, it worrks on most of their
victims. Myself, after I've sent a *written* notice "please, send one
appeal a year only" and it's disregarded (in one case, I got a response
saying it was too much trouble/expense to personalise donors that way),
I drop the charity off my list. It's their money, and their decision on
how tyo use it...
I now have a totally new (to me) charity scam to report... :)
About a week ago, I got a "charity-beg" phone call from a nation-wide
organisation: our law officers are short of bulletproof vests, would I
be willing to contribute? Given how our troops *abroad* have been
shortchanged on equipment, I found it easy to believe that it's even
worse on the home front, so said OK to a $15 pledge (a compromise
between being worried about the safety of those who protect me, and
being pissed off at the administration who should be seeing to the
problem and isn't).
In the mail yesterday, I get the "coupon", with my pledged $15 typed
in, and instructions I should remit by May 26. Doubtless, to discourage
me from reading the small print :) Which, on inspection, says that the
organisation is -in essence - a *lobby*... Devoted not to providing
bulletproof vests for law officers (or pensions for widows), but to
changing laws regarding what's "crime". And, because of their
law-meddling status, my contribution would not just be going to a place
I never intended it to go; it would not even be tax-deductible... :)
Well... In the past 5 yrs, I've seen enough of criminal behaviour, in
respect of changing laws, to match all I've seen in communist Poland,
and it was all done by the so-called "lawmakers". So I'll be damned
if I contribute to *them*, pledge or no. I do not give money to
politicians; it's like giving matches to a 3yr old.
All they're gonna get from me (but not before they've sent several
reminders <g>) is a note telling them "you're not the only ones who can
lie, barefaced". It'll cost me a stamp - the reply envelope isn't
postage-free - but it'll be worth the 37 cents :)
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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