Mail guides
Donation mail
Manage fundraising mail without confusing appeals, receipts and donation settings.
Ask to keep a charity newsletter but stop appeals
Some charities can send you the newsletter without the appeals, and some cannot. Ask before assuming the two can be separated.
Respond to a charity mailing with address labels
Some charities enclose address labels with an appeal. You owe nothing for them. If the volume of mail bothers you, you can ask the sender to take your address off its list.
Separate local and national charity mail
A local chapter and a national office may keep separate donor databases, so mail from each may need its own removal request. Use the return address on each piece to decide where to send the request.
Ask about two donor records at one address
A charity may keep separate records for two people at the same address, which can mean duplicate mailings. To sort it out, note whose name is on each piece and get permission before acting on a record that is not yours.
Read the mailing preference on a donation form
Paper donation forms often include checkboxes for mail, email and data sharing. Reading each one before you submit helps your preferences get recorded the way you meant.
Keep donation receipts while reducing appeals
A charity may send receipts and appeals as separate mailings. You can ask it to stop the promotional pieces and keep the acknowledgment letters, as long as you say clearly which is which when you contact it.
Handle fundraising mail after a memorial gift
A memorial gift can put the donor on a charity's mailing list. If you want fewer follow-up appeals, contact the charity directly. Tribute acknowledgments go to the honoree's family and may be handled by a different office.
Reduce paper appeals as a monthly donor
Monthly donors can still receive plenty of paper appeals. You can ask the charity to cut them back while your recurring gift continues. Keep the two requests separate.
Verify an unfamiliar charity before replying
Before you respond to a charity you do not recognize, check it using sources other than the mailing. Do not send personal details to a sender you have not verified.
Trace mail after a workplace gift
After a gift through a workplace giving program, a charity may start mailing you directly. Ask the charity whether it holds your address and how it got it, and ask the program what it passed along.