As a donor and supporter of various charities, including environmental causes, I'm troubled by the wasteful and unsustainable (but common) practice of sending unsolicited free "gifts" to donors and potential donors.  There's an easy solution offered in this petition.  If you agree, please sign and share the link (https://www.change.org/StopFreeDonorGifts-AddOptOut ) - it's free to spead the word to friends & family and make this happen! 

Follow us:  https://twitter.com/stopfreegifts/

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail from a charity that included a polypropylene tote bag, a plastic pen, and a calendar.  I didn't ask for, need or want any of it. The tote bag's estimated to take anywhere from 20-30 years best case (other plastics 200 to 1,000 years) to break down in a landfill.

I felt so saddened and frustrated looking at it all that I took the time to write the charity and said, "Please don't send more stuff - spend my donations on your core mission."  They replied, "Sure we'll take you off the list - takes 4-6 weeks."

I thought:  why do I have to spend my time writing countless charities doing this vs. why don't charities make it quick & easy for conscientious donors (like you and me) to opt out of such "gifts?" 

Newsflash to charities:  we don't donate to receive junk - we donate to help people, animals and the planet.  Please stop sending us "landfill" stuff and focus our donations on the core charitable purpose(s) we support.

Basically, a sea change is needed in this marketing practice, and now's the time.  While these may seem like harmless "feel good" gestures, they're terrible for the planet because cheap promotional items are usually made of non-recyclable, petroleum-based materials.  So, is it really even a "feel good?"

Good news is...there's a simple solution:  We hereby ask charities worldwide to add an opt-out from free "gifts" checkbox on every donation web page and on every printed solicitation card.  Let donors speak easily and quickly!

They send us cheap tchotchkes because they believe people donate more out of guilt after receiving something for free.  Do you really want to be emotionally manipulated by a cheap plastic pen to give to worthy causes?  I don't.

While a November 2018, study by Texas A&M economics professor, Jonathon Meer, did find people donated slightly more after getting promo items than not, he also found that the actual net cost to the charity was a loss (on both more expensive and even cheap freebies).  They're actually creating negative donations! - not to mention harming the planet.  But they feel they have to do it because every other charity is doing it, and it's become an expectation.  It's time to stop the madness!  We can and should reset collective expectations.

Sign this petition, and when it hits 10k signatures, I will deliver it to the top 100 charities in the US per published Forbes list (combined $58 BILLION in private donations reported in December 2022).  Can you imagine how many mailings and plastic landfill tons raising $58B has entailed?  I'll also be happy to collaborate with people in other countries who want to send it to their top charities - reach out. This is a global problem.

Charities are usually well-intended and play an important role in society - and they should also be good stewards of donated funds.  By wasting money on useless and unwanted "gifts," they divert resources away from their intended charitable purposes that we care about helping.  As responsible global citizens facing urgent environmental challenges, we can no longer afford (or remain silent about) such wasteful practices.

Therefore, sign and urge charities worldwide to make an immediate and simple change to donation web pages and response cards. Let's empower them to collectively stop this nonsense (from "but everybody does it" to "nobody does it because it's wasteful"). Empower we, the donors, with a simple, free way to opt out. Now, that's a freebie I want!

Let's come together as people who care about charitable causes and our planet's well-being. Please join me in signing this petition today and in sharing the link (https://www.change.org/StopFreeDonorGifts-AddOptOut ). Together, we can make a difference and ensure that every dollar donated goes toward making a meaningful impact - not into a dump.

Thank you for your support!

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