My mom recently got two big envelopes in the mail, both from charities. Both were jammed with Christmas cards, address labels, and other stuff she hadn’t asked for. It made her angry. She had given to these organizations, but she didn’t want a bunch of stuff.
In fact, she was kind of steamed that any of her money had been spent on it.
Seeing this, I started to wonder – is this how everyone feels about getting swag from charities? I sent the question out on Twitter, and the overwhelming response was that yes, most people hate it. Not a single person expressed a differing opinion.
So I have to ask: if we pretty much all hate this, why do charities continue to do it? Asking around, the best answer anyone seems to be able to give is: “It works. People feel guilty enough to either use the stuff (thus promoting the charity), and/or give again.”
But does that really qualify as “working”? Is a little more money and brand recognition worth damaging relationships with the very people who have been supporting you?
It seems like an awfully short sighted strategy to me. People will only continue to respond to something that makes them feel bad (guilty, resentful) for so long before they start voting with their feet.
What are we missing? Is there some more solid reason that charities do this? If there’s anyone reading who knows, please share!
Or could it be that they’re not aware of how much it annoys most of us? Are we being too quiet in our resentment and annoyance? Should we be more vocal?
Charities and their supporters have shared goals – we should be able to be honest with each other about what works in the relationship and what doesn’t. This seems to be a perfect example of something that doesn’t work – for the supporters, at least. So why is it still happening?
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