Ways to Reduce Charity Solicitations

Looking for a way to cut back on all of the solicitations you receive from charities, especially at the end of the year? 

Donate anonymously to new charities

The thought here is simple: charities can’t contact you if they don’t know who you are. Donating anonymously allows you to protect your privacy while still being generous. It will also ensure your name and contact information aren't shared with other organizations or third parties.

Some donors use their donor-advised funds (DAFs) to give anonymously, while others may donate money order or via check without their personal information. Using Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket is another great way to protect your privacy when donating - our platform allows users to select how much information they want shared with each charity they’re supporting.

Make monthly donations

Charities communicate with current and past donors more during times of year when they’re likely to be more receptive, like the holiday season. Many organizations allow you to sign up to make a recurring gift, whether it be monthly, quarterly, or annually. If you're signed up to make a recurring gift, most organizations will not contact you to make an additional gift.  And, if they do, it will likely be much less frequent than if you make a one-time gift each year. 

Get in touch with the charities

Tell the charities you support what your plans and preferences are -- do you plan to give once a year? Or quarterly? What can they expect from you? This will help them reach out to you at the optimal times. You can also ask them to pause or limit their communications with you. Respectable charities will want to accommodate your wishes.

And, don’t forget, you always have the opportunity to unsubscribe from email communications you don’t want to receive. Most often, this option is provided at the bottom of charities’ emails to you. While the organization will be sad to see you go, unsubscribing is a better option than reporting the email you’re receiving as spam, which would hurt its reputation as an email sender.

Even though you may not be faced with an email or letter from a nonprofit as regularly after December, if you have room in your budget to support an organization that aligns with your passions, we encourage you to do so.  Receiving a contribution outside of the holiday season should be greatly appreciated.  You can utilize the tips outlined here to make sure your giving sets you up for success.