Monday, April 06, 2009

The Canadian Liver Foundation sells me out

Last summer, I organized a charity run that was not entirely altruistic but lead to a modest donation to The Canadian Liver Foundation. The cheque probably came as a surprise to the charity and hence, the administrator who typed my name into their database was possibly giddy when s/he spelled my name wrong.

I took the charitable receipt in stride, not bothering to request a reprint. However, I soon became the target of numerous other begging hands. The Canadian Liver Foundation had sold their mailing list, which included my misspelled name.

I used to complain to Joe that I never received the cool address stickers and personalized note pads that charities sent to him in an effort to pique his generosity. Now that I have become a recipient of those coveted address stickers and they display my misspelled name, I feel the burn of the adage, "Be careful what you wish for...or be very specific."

The following charities buy their mailing list from The Canadian Liver Foundation and will only receive my scorn:
Easter Seals
YWCA
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
Children's Aid Foundation
The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation
Ontario March of Dimes
ALS Society of Canada
CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)
The Canadian Hearing Society
The Cancer Research Society
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
The Monastery of Mount Carmel, Society of the Little Flower

I will be updating the list of scorn as I continue to receive unsolicited mail addressed to someone else.

3 comments:

Jason said...

I recommend canadahelps.org since you can donate anonymously to (just about) any charity you want. It's what I use since I'm similarly tired of getting tons of further solicitation letters from the charities I've helped, and the joy, as you've experienced, of having your name sold. If selling your privacy doesn't buy your continued loyalty to a charity, what will?!

Flocons said...

I think it would be a great idea if you donated to charity in the name of someone you disliked. Give money with the name of Jane IsaPooPooHead Doe or John AssWipe Smith. They would be bombarded with insulting stationary for years to come.

PS: Please don't do this to me.

Shannon Persaud Tolnay said...

Hello, I am writing on behalf of the Canadian Liver Foundation. First, I'd like to thank you again for organizing your charity run and selecting the Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF) as your charity of choice. We value your support and it is unfortunate that your name was incorrectly spelled in our records. Please call us at 416-491-3353, ext 4945 and speak with Judy to correct your information, and/or if you would like your name removed from our lists. In order for the CLF to efficiently raise funds for our programs and services, we trade names with other charitable organizations. We regret that your name was shared and that you have recieved unsolicited mail. We value the privacy of our donors and make every effort to protect your information. We were remiss in not including with your reciept the option to opt out of our trade lists, this has since been rectified. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and hope that we can resolve this situation in a timely matter.
Sincerely,
Shannon Persaud Tolnay, National Director Fundraising