Address Label Apocalypse

    I am not especially generous, but at the end of the year a few donations are made. The organizations that receive the modest amounts appear to be grateful since they are in constant contact and, about this time of year, some of them send me cards and sheets of address labels. They also apparently alert other charitable associations and let them know of my generosity and they in turn send me packets of cards and, yes, sheets of address labels. I have many address labels and I am sure you do as well.

   I am also sure that, like me, you probably don't write many letters that go in envelopes, for which, admittedly, it is nice to have ready-made address labels. I suspect, however, that there is an inverse ratio here and that there are far more address labels being produced than letters written. Far more. 

  I do admit to using some of them, the few without bunnies or angels, without contributing to the charitable organization that provided them. I feel only mildly guilty about this and even less so if they are from a charity to which I haven't given any money. This means those charities that send out address labels to those who haven't donated to them, may be losing money, unless people feel more guilty than I. 
   The question is, "Is it still a good idea for charities to pay for address labels and send them to us to raise money?" I suppose it is or they wouldn't be doing it. On the other hand, the fact that so many of them use the same tactic makes one think that they are not overly creative in coming up with new fund raising ideas. Or, they all may be paying for advice from the same consulting firms which also can't come up with anything new and think that snail mail is still the preferred form of communication. 

   There is an additional problem with address labels, unlike some of the other items we are sent to make us feel guilty and goad us into giving, and that is there is no other use for them since very few other people have our name and live at our address, so many of them surely end up in the garbage.