
By Doug Garr
Last September I published a piece in West Side Rag about my frustration with the relentless stream of solicitations from charities. As an experiment I was saving all the junk mail only from the various organizations where I had made previous donations (or where they had shared or sold lists to their competitors). My main causes were environmental, civil liberties, food banks, hospitals, and the like. I excluded political mailings – that deluge would have broken my spirit. I included those mailed separately to my late wife, who died in 2021.
I pledged to update the September 28 story at the end of 2024 with a final tally, sort of a catalogue of the desperation of asking for money. I weighed the mail, which was filling up a second box, before we reached the busy fourth-quarter season, when our mailboxes really get stuffed. Thirty-two pounds. In the following three-and-a-half weeks, another 13.5 pounds arrived, a total of 45.5 pounds for the calendar year of 2024. Three boxes full. (On January 2, 2025, I began eighty-sixing everything the way any normal person does. What surprised me was when the onslaught continued throughout January, the usual five-plus envelopes per day — in case I forgot.)
Readers of the earlier story may recall that I wrote to some of the charities that I continued to support, asking them to update their records and take my wife off their mailing lists. This naive notion only resulted in my getting double the amount of mail, his and hers. For example, she supported Planned Parenthood. When it looked like Roe v. Wade was in trouble, I bet my brother $100 it would be overturned. An ex-lawyer and something of a Constitutional law buff, he said there was no way that Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito would vote to repeal the decision guaranteeing a right to abortion. When he lost the bet several months later, I asked him to just send the check to Planned Parenthood. He did not. He sent it to me. I cashed it and made a donation in his name. I’m now on the mailing list; I’m not sure if he is.
So how to analyze the relentless assault on my mailbox?
At first I thought I would sort the envelopes. But I quickly disabused myself of such a daunting task. After scanning the come-ons, it occurred to me to separate the cleverest ones from the pack. These are the ones that are simply ghosts. Nothing on the outside of the envelope indicates which charity it is. These may not be the worst offenders, but they are certainly the sneakiest. I called this “dark matter.” You can only guess what they are by the “nonprofit” third-class mailing designation from the postal service in the upper right hand corner. I did not include the ones where you have to look on the back to see where it’s from. That’s not actually sneaky. It’s just a ruse to pique your interest.
There were 67 mystery envelopes that qualified. Those were among the ones I was curious enough to open. There were eight with an air-mail style trim, the most identifiable repeater of the solicitations. It was from a 40-year-old microloan foundation named FINCA International that serves women in poor countries, many in Africa. With operating revenues of $273 million in 2023, it gets a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. I’m not sure how they found me, but it will be on my giving list for 2025.
There were seven thick envelopes with two birds on the front side. I assumed it was a save-a-species pitch, but I was wrong. It was from the International Rescue Committee and it contained five blank illustrated cards (no name on them, a classy touch) and envelopes. Founded in 1933 (a name change was inspired by Albert Einstein, who wanted to acknowledge those who fled Nazi Germany), it is a relief organization for refugees and “those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster.” It too gets a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. It’s also on my giving list this year.
There were five that tried to look something like an auto-generated check (“To open, tear along perforation.”) They were from the American Cancer Society. Not sure how I feel about this approach.
Random multiple blank envelopes revealed appeals from the Boys & Girls Club of America, Covenant House, Fountain House, and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
Next, I checked out the auto-script addresses, a quaint kind of pitch now that our public schools are abandoning teaching cursive to grade-school children. These included Habitat for Humanity (multiple times in various fonts), The New York Public Library, and Greenpeace. Amnesty International had an official looking brown envelope, “For the exclusive use of addressee only,” while another one alerted me that there was a “Document for your signature enclosed,” while still another read “Important documents enclosed.” A “FINAL NOTICE” came from OXFAM. Pro tip: never believe a final notice.
The masochist in me dictated opening all of the blank ones. Here is a list of some of them, many of which had repeat mailings with different envelopes:
Animal Haven; Safe Horizon; American Indian College Fund; Salvation Army; Environmental Defense Fund; Save the Children; New Israel Fund; Susan Komen (breast cancer fund); American Civil Liberties Union (a cause I contribute to every year, and thankfully, they only sent a single “renewal notice”).
I did call out the March of Dimes in my first article, noting that I didn’t feel guilty taking the dime they traditionally put in the tiny window of the envelope because I’d made donations that surely covered the coins. In 2024, they sent 12 pleas for more money (“loyal supporter”), which I’ll document in a photo before pocketing the $1.20. I should also note other foundations likely sent me and my wife more than a dozen letters. I couldn’t muster the energy to sort all of them.
There were two other envelopes that deserve a special call out: one came from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. It gets the award for most creative pitch. “Everyone thinks they’re a comedian…view our lineup inside.” The other came from the American Stroke Foundation, based in Overland Park, Kansas, a cause I’ve supported because my wife lived with a severe disability caused by one for 17 years. It was simply a thank you for my donation, and they didn’t ask for any more money.
In summary, I’m not going to complain about this phenomenon any more. The U.S. Postal Service needs the money. And who knows how many jobs are related to fundraising for all sorts of needy organizations? But if you’re in need of a tote bag or a 2025 calendar, ping me and you can pick it up.
Doug Garr has been a journalist, author, and speechwriter for more than 50 years. He’s been an Upper West Sider since 1993 and a New Yorker since 1972.
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Thank you Doug Garr. You are a man of intelligence, diligence, generosity, compassion and good humor, not necessarily stated in order of importance. And your round up of the jobs created by the volume of annoyance we receive is a heartwarming switch of perspective. When there is phone number listed I will often call to speak (preferably with a human being) and request to be removed from a mailing list, and that does work.
Definitely condolences to you on the loss of your wife, and all good wishes to you.
I think you must love getting all this mail. I don’t know anyone who goes through all the junk mail. I get the mail once a week or so and look it over while in the elevator. Maybe there is something to keep but all the rest goes unopened into the trash.
That’s a hue mistake. Most identify theft occurs when people toss out their mail. You must shred everything.
Dear By Doug Garr,
You have great patience, so how about putting it to work on new approach:, and follow up every offer to have your name removed from the relevant mailing list? I think you’ll have new and equally interesting data for the rest of us!
Call them and they will take your name off their list. It may take 3 months but it works.
This is nothing compared to the amount of requests for donations I get via email every day. Not to mention spam and scams. Over 100 daily! Can someone explain why email from the same address sometimes arrives in the inbox and sometimes in the junk box? Why aren’t blocked emails really blocked, i.e. never appear anywhere in my email.
unsubscribe–it eventually works
https://www.catalogchoice.org/ is the website for a nonprofit that I have used for many years to reduce the amount of junk mail we receive. It’s free — although they do accept donations — and describes its service this way:
“Are you overwhelmed by paper junk mail and wish you could make it stop? You’re not alone. Junk mail is a huge waste of our natural resources and our time. Sign up for Catalog Choice and start reducing your junk mail today!”
Yes, I came here to recommend Catalog Choice. I’ve been using it for years and it is very effective. A few years ago I was logging into Catalog Choice a few times a week to request removals from mailing lists. Now I barely use it once a month because the unwanted mail I receive is so minimal.
Great piece, Mr. Garr! Dissecting this phenomena over a long span of time helps us put it into more perspective, and reminds me that I don’t suffer alone. I, for one, feel that being inundated by all kinds of junk mail has a cumulative negative impact on quality of life. And how does one safely get rid of dozens of pounds of junk mail? Tossing in the trash invites indentity theft, and shredding it is either time-consuming and expensive or both.
Please keep writing!
Please discard junk mail in the paper recycling, not the trash (where it will get trucked at taxpayer expense to far away landfills and buried in unsightly leaking mounds)!! We in Manhattan are lucky to have a good paper recycling system. Our paper is trucked to west 59th st and dumped onto a barge that floats down the Hudson to Staten Island where it is literally turned into rolls of brown paper and into pizza boxes. Each barge holds over 80 truckloads, which saves so much inter borough traffic and pollution. Such a small effort on our parts makes a big difference. Doug Garr, thanks for the interesting, entertaining and relatable article!
I always check to be sure the charities to which I donate have a good track record of using most of their donations for actual work. But even the best send an absurd amount of direct mail solicitations.
The ones that really irk me are ones where I donate online, get a USPS mailed thank you, but they STILL mail me additional pleas throughout the year. If I give $50, I’m pretty sure it’s piddled away in marketing and mailing costs.
PS to those of you inundated with email from nonprofits and political organizations: Set up a separate email account just for donations and start using only this account. Slowly unsubscribe, delete, block, and mark as junk all the email going to your personal account. Eventually it will dwindle away.
I love (sarcasm) thank you letter where they ask for an additional donation.
Its as if you asked your uncle for a little cash to help you out, and as he hands over the money, you say “:Thanks., now how about some more?”
Fundraisers, as I was before retirement, call it direct mail because it goes to an individual human. We don’t consider it junk mail because it raises a significant amount of our budgets. Usually it is more reliable too. For example, government funding, which many organizations receive, can be easily cut off by a government which does not agree with an organization’s mission. When you first donate (which I hope you will) to an organization with a mission you like, include a request to not have your name exchanged with any other organization, request only an end of year mailing, and, if you are able to afford it, give a significant donation because then your name will not be exchanged. It costs the organization the same amount of money to manage a $10 donation as it does a $500 donation. And more money stays with the non profit if you give a larger amount.
I go by charities that have good ratings too. But I do wonder how they determine the ratings, be sure the International Rescue Committee is always advertising on YouTube. I sincerely doubt it is cheap.
I think if you donate online you are less likely to get inundated by mail, though I do sometimes get mail from orgs I donate to. Mostly it all comes by email. So I just have a list of orgs I donate to and just give money every year.
I like West Side Campaign Against Hunger, since they are right here and help those living in our community. I also gave to the Animal Control Center, though that may have been a mistake. If you lose a dog or any pet, and the NYPD or FDNY picks them up or someone drops them off at a precinct, the animals go to an Animal Control Center.v
I must get mail from St Judes 2-4 times a week!
This reminds me of the “Seinfeld” episode in which Kramer tries to get out of receiving mail altogether. It ends with an encounter that Kramer has with the Postmaster General in which he cringes because he is encountering a “General” , and give up his efforts.
With all of the ridiculous laws that are being changed it would be nice to have the Post Office stop sending mail to deceased family members.
This is why any good building has a garbage can near the mail boxes.
By the way, USPS is subsidized by our tax dollars. They are not making money by delivering junk mail. They are losing money.
If I were President, I’d raise the cost of sending junk mail by enough to essentially end it. What a waste of trees.
“Nothing on the outside of the envelope indicates which charity it is. ”
Every so often I’ve suggested, both directly to the Postmaster and to elected officials, a simple change to Postal Regulations. Namely that any group using “bulk” or discounted “non profit” postage rated have to put proper ID on the envelope.
Never even got a response…
(yes, a second post by me…)
If you really want to stop the garbage, USPS Form 1500 is your friend. This is the one mandated by Congress decades ago, in response to people (well, pressure groups) pissed at getting pornographic solicitations.
It’s a mandatory demand that the sender stop sending you any further letters.
And the key point is… you, the receiver, are the ONLY person who determines whether it’s sexually oriented..
So yes, you can fill out the form and claim the fundraiser from Nancy Pelosi or.. the RNC, etc., meet the criteria and should be STOPPED.
When you fill it out and drop it at the post office counter (stupidly they require an in person handoff), yes, the clerk may say “nope, the Red Cross isn’t pornography”.
Insist they take it anyway…
https://about.usps.com/forms/ps1500.pdf
Terrific piece. Love that the WSR runs such unexpectedly thoughtful essays.
One time I read an article where some guy took all those postage paid return envelopes and filled them with lead powder in ziplock bags and returned them. the companies pay the return postage by weight… they are expecting to pay almost nothing per envelope, you can make them pay something
I think it was 1958 when my mother decided to keep the catalogs that mailed their way to our Seattle home: 33 during the Christmas season!
Hell no!
A dime is a dime,,,
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The absolute worst junk mail senders are ALL of the local and national Democratic candidates.
It never ceases to amaze me that people are bothered by mail. For starters, never throw out unopened mail — especially credit card offers. It’s the number one cause of stolen credit and identity theft. Shred everything. Additionally, I actually like knowing which organizations waste money with cold calls, who buys mailing lists, and who is worth supporting, and what free stuff I get. Then again, I’ve always loved mail and have collected antique postcards for the past 45 years. When I was a kid, I painted a picture of a dog as a mailman (my two favorite things put together) and I still have it. To each his or her own.
My father-in-law used to write on the outside of junk mail envelopes with a big black sharpie: DECEASED. RETURN TO SENDER . And drop the envelopes in a mailbox. It seemed to work back years ago. Now – I wonder.