This time of year, the combination of the general good will that tends to come over even Scrooge-ish folks like FD, combined with the thought that one’s tax deductions could use a boost, leads to thoughts of charitable giving.
And, no surprise, it is also the time one’s mail begins to consist of half catalogs and half pleas for donations. FD gets lots of donation requests; Mr. FD gets even more (he is more generous). FD is not at all moved by the junk that arrives in some of those envelopes. The address labels get shredded immediately — FD has an internal capital in her name, so most of these don’t spell the name correctly. (On the rare occasions that a group has managed to spell FD’s name correctly, they do get a modest donation). The cards and memo pads go into the Goodwill bag. Other times, a group will send a calendar. A good friend sends FD a calendar from the Nebraskans for Peace group (Cat Lovers Against the Bomb) every year, so those calendars aren’t really welcomed. They, too, end up in the Goodwill bag, unless they can be turned into attractive envelopes. FD has a small collection of envelope templates, and About.com has a page with links to on-line offerings.
FD uses the ratings done by the American Institute of Philanthropy , which publishes the “Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report” to decide whether or not to donate to national organizations, though for the most part, it feels better to donate locally.