Like most people, I love getting free stuff. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Case in point: personalized address labels.
One of the reasons I don’t appreciate the free charity labels is purely pragmatic. As far as I can tell, there are two types of people: those who get 0-1 free address labels per decade and those who seem to average about one a month. I fall firmly in the latter category.
When I move to a new place, I appreciate the first sheet of free address labels I get. Heck, I’m even grateful for the holiday-themed sheet. But after the fourth or fifth set of address labels, I just start throwing them away. With email and automatic bill pay, I send just a few letters each month. In any case, I know that if I should somehow run low, some well-meaning but misguided charity, to which I have no intention of donating money – will send me personalized address labels before long.
Which brings me to the second reason why I disdain charity labels – why do I have to get so many? Why am I constantly solicited by non-profits I have never heard of and have no intention of donating to? (Yes, getting something for nothing from a charity does make me feel guilty… and I don’t appreciate that aspect of it, either.)
Every time I get another unsolicited solicitation, with an unwanted freebie thrown in, I have to wonder whether the organization has nothing better to do with money than buy mailing lists…
To charities that recognized themselves in my words: be more selective in your marketing campaigns, and more creative with your choice of incentives. I assure you, I won’t be the only person thanking you.
