Why Charities Send Multiple Mail Appeals

Donors often get frustrated by multiple appeals, but charities send them out because they believe such mailings work, says The New York Times.

Some groups have stepped up their efforts to ensure that appeals are carefully aimed at people likely to want to respond to them, the newspaper notes.

For example, the Nature Conservancy uses statistical analyses to determine how often to ask certain donors for a specific amount of money, and always gives donors the opportunity to write or call the group to opt out of mailings.

But some donors may not feel that charities are careful enough. Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for Charity Navigator, told the newspaper that her watchdog group is receiving a growing number of complaints about multiple mailings. “It’s a commonly held belief that the more times you ask, the more times you’ll get, but people are withdrawing their support,” she told the newspaper.