There were ten items in my mailbox yesterday. 

A copy of The Economist magazine, two letters from U.S. Social Security, an advertisement for daycare addressed to our son Seth who doesn’t live here and doesn’t have any children and six fundraising solicitations, four of them from organizations that I donated to last month.

It’s a shame that these non-profit organizations waste paper and postage to solicit contributions as frequently as they do.  It is rare for me to give to an organization more than once a year.

For the most part, non-profit organizations solicit for worthy causes.  However, it’s a good idea to check websites such as Charity Navigator or Guidestar.org to learn what percentage of your contribution goes to administration and fundraising before you donate.

The work these organizations do is vital.  But it sure would be nice to find a hand-written letter from a long-lost friend in my mailbox.