Mail guides
Writing the request
Say which paper mail should stop and give the sender enough information to find it.
Keep account notices while stopping promotions
Unsubscribing from marketing is not the same as closing an account or canceling a subscription or donation. Word your request so it covers promotional mail only.
Keep email offers while stopping paper mail
If you want paper mail to stop but email offers to continue, say both in the same request. Senders handle this differently, and stopping one channel does not guarantee the other stays.
Write a follow-up that includes the earlier request
A follow-up works best when the sender can find your first request from it alone. Give the date and method of the first contact, describe the piece that arrived since, and restate what you want.
Fit a paper-mail request into a contact form
Online contact forms are built for digital questions and may have no postal-mail category. You can still send a clear request by picking the closest subject and putting your full mailing address in the message.
Prepare notes for a postal opt-out call
A call goes better when you know what to ask and what to write down. Prepare a short script and a place to record the answers before you dial.
Ask for fewer mailings instead of none
Some senders can mail you less often instead of removing you. Many cannot, so ask whether the option exists before you write a request that depends on it.
Ask what a postal-mail confirmation covers
A message saying "you have been removed" may not name the brand, channel, or address it applies to. Ask the sender to spell those out so you can check that the removal matches your request.
Write a short postal-mail removal request
A short, specific letter gets further than a general complaint. It needs your name exactly as printed on the mailer, your address, and a plain statement of what you want stopped.
Write a donor list-sharing request
Some charities share or rent donor lists with other nonprofits. Stopping that sharing is a different request from stopping the charity's own mail, so write each one separately.
Ask to stop one catalog brand
Several catalog titles can come from one parent company, and a broad request may stop titles you still want. Name the specific brand so the sender knows which mailings to end.