Clever Catholic Junkmail

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DisorientingSneeze

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I think certain second collections resulted in my being on some mailing lists now that I wasn’t before and I’m pretty impressed with the creativity in Catholic junkmail.

What is the cleverest one you’ve seen?

I like the interactive ones where you send your intention back to them with a donation and whatever item they sent and they create something with it.

Examples:
Tiny candle that they melt into a big candle and take with them to pray at a specific shrine.
Little rose they will weave into a wreath and take with them asking for St. Therese to intercede for you.
Little patch of fabric you write on and they create a banner to be hung on a special date or in a monastery to pray for the intention.
 
The reason I ask is that I think some of these ideas could be adapted for a Sunday school class or adult prayer group. Creating a display of intentions that travels among the group or travels with someone on a pilgrimage.
 
The FSSP sends really pretty holy cards each month/quarter (I forget which) along with their newsletter, which is nice, as I collect holy cards 😃

I’m sure other ministries do this as well
 
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I get plenty of the ones you mentioned above.

Around the end of the year, I start getting calendars and Christmas cards from various Catholic monasteries and organizations. Even Catholic Answers sends me a calendar. My general rule is, if I actually use whatever it is they send me, I’ll send in a donation. I do use the wall calendars and Christmas cards, so these are effective fundraisers (at least where I’m concerned).

Also, in November, I get offers of prayers for my departed loved ones from several Catholic monasteries. I always send in the names of my dead family members and friends, and a donation.
 
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I automatically can every single piece of unsolicited direct mail I receive, without opening it and without exception.

I would NEVER respond to any junk mail, and would NEVER give even a penny to any organization that contacts me. My rule is guilty until proven innocent. There are a lot of scam outfits posing as genuine religious organizations that take the money and run, and then pass your address on to other fellow scammers. It’s called a “sucker list”.

A good rule is to NEVER donate anything to any organization that you do not find on your own initiative and thoroughly vet first.

You want your money going for the useful purpose you intend, rather than lining the pockets of unscrupulous scammers.

If you are getting lots of junk mail, it’s a good sign that you are on someone’s sucker list.
 
Careful vetting is a must. A lot of it goes into the trinket box above my washing machine. It feels wrong to just throw out all the holy cards and religious items so I save them as prizes for a future CCE class.
 
I do the same. I have a whole box of those little things. 🙂

I have mixed feelings about it. If it’s a little coin with a dove on it, that’s one thing. But I’ve had some places send rosaries and other legitimate sacramentals. While on a personal level, I like receiving those as they are more useful to me than something generic, I am still a bit reticent at the thought that thousands of these are going out there, many of which will be summarily trashed by people (like Andrew 😜) who throw away all their junk mail without even opening it.

I am always kind of fascinated by junk mail, though. I have a friend who is familiar with the ins-and-outs of the little tricks solicitors use to increase the likelihood that you’ll mistake the mail for non-junk mail and actually read it. For example, some utilize machines that deliberately skew the angle the stamp goes on the envelope because it subconsciously makes us more likely to think a human being sent it to us rather than some automated entity. Others use faux-handwriting rather than regular type on the mailing address.

But mostly, it’s a numbers game. They know that they can only count on a 1% response rate (if they are lucky). So you just multiply your desired number of responses by 100 and send out that many.
 
My favorite was from our own Benedictine sisters. They have an annual fundraiser called the ‘None’s Ball’.
You basically buy a ticket and then stay at home since it’s a non-event. The big advantage, or so they say, is that non-attendees don’t have to dress up, or get a baby sitter, etc. etc.
 
AndrewAxland said:
I would NEVER respond to any junk mail, and would NEVER give even a penny to any organization that contacts me. My rule is guilty until proven innocent.
Click to expand...
I don’t even go that far.

Any organization that has the funds for bulk emailing off of someone else’s list doesn’t need my money, while there are other organizations that do.

hawk
 
When I was traveling, I ended up getting on a zillion mailing lists, because I was frequently away from my home church, and I supported a few organizations instead. Now, however, things have settled down, and I direct more of my charity dollars towards my much-in-need home parish… but those solicitations still come in.

I do have to be cautious, though-- I get so many relics/relic medals/holy oils in the mail and stuff, I don’t feel comfortable in just putting that kind of stuff in the trash. So I still go through everything that comes my way… and I make a nice collection of prizes for the local Sunday School in the process. 🙂
 
Catholic junk mail - is the worst.

They’re like pigeons !
You feed one - you’re swamped - till the end !

It’s anazing how these ‘organizations’
feel absolutely no shame at all
bombarding you like a Nazi Blitzkrieg.

Help !
 
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tad said:
My favorite was from our own Benedictine sisters. They have an annual fundraiser called the ‘None’s Ball’.
You basically buy a ticket and then stay at home since it’s a non-event. The big advantage, or so they say, is that non-attendees don’t have to dress up, or get a baby sitter, etc. etc.
Click to expand...
Now that is clever! 😆
 
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