I’m really pissed about something. I have recently been upping my donations to various causes I believe in. Many of them have to do with environmental protection, third-world poverty and abuse, recent catastrophies such as in Haiti, and local poverty in the US. I was feeling pretty good about upping my contribution levels the last few years. Until the mail started rolling in.
The more I donated the more junk mail I received from the non-profits to whom I have given. Further, it was clear my name was being sold to other non-profits for the inbound paper mail from non-profits to which I didn’t want to give escalated considerably. Worst of all, some of the biggest offenders are those NGO’s that are focused on the environment. I can understand, I guess, that an non-profit focused on Haiti might not be worried as much about the waste of paper represented by the mail. But it is hard to understand how the environmental groups can send so much paper to their members. Give me a break.
So I have made a new resolution. I won’t give to any organization that sends me anything in the mail. I’ve started my own campaign to stop the mail from good causes. I’ve begun reaching out to individuals organizations by email and asking them to remove me from their mailing lists. Several have responded at once and said “No problem,” though they acknowledged that it may take 2 months to get me out of their systems. Others have sent me a phone number I have to call to have myself removed. I’m still in process so I don’t know the results yet. But I have made a committment that my giving doesn’t have to mean the destruction of more trees.
There has to be a way for non-profits to create commitment and raise money without participating in the destruction of the environment. And certainly environmental groups should be at the forefront of that effort to figure that out. I, for one, am not going to give any donations to organizations that pester me with paper mail.
Will you join me in this commitment? Maybe once we get the non-profits on board we can turn our attention to the for-profits as well. At least their pestering us with paper is understandable, though no less offensive.
Will you join me forcing organizations to take you off their mailing lists? Stop the waste of paper by non-profits.
