Uncharitable thought

Besides all those cards and catalogues, 'tis the season of what my mother used to call "the begging letters." Whether driven by tax considerations or seasonal good will, we are more likely to donate to charities in December than in much of the rest of the year. Newspapers know that -- they deluge us with "the season of sharing" appeals.

And the big nonprofits know that. They start with the direct mail appeals in mid-November and don't quit. Like many people, I just chuck these and grumble about the waste created by physical, snailmail spam. All those trees, so much gas, so much labor ...

Want to know who are the largest senders of this stuff? I ran across this list here.

A survey by Target Marketing reports that 17 of the top U.S. mailers by volume are nonprofits. These not-for-profit leaders, in alphabetical order, are: AAA, AARP, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Consumers Union, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Disabled American Veterans, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Society, National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Republican National Committee, Salvation Army, Smile Train, and U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Remind me there are probably more needy recipients for my giving.