They want you to send them money.

@kritiper Obviously but that’s not a valid explanation for why they all send calendars!

I know right.
Calendars are so dated

@janbb “Obviously but that’s not a valid explanation for why they all send calendars!”

A calendar is very likely to persist for a year, provide utility, and generally good feelings towards the organization. For the bulk cost to produce/distribute these, calendars likely have the best ROI of any other alternatives.

@gorillapaws But my point is that everyone sends the same thing and I can’t believe they don’t realize that!

@janbb I see. Well, a lot of people can put multiple calendars to use, but there’s definitely an upper limit to the utility of multiple calendars.

My guess is calendars are so much more effective on a ROI basis than things like keychains, branded pens, etc. that charities tend to gravitate towards them. Also, It may be the case that few people donate enough money to enough unique calendar-sending charities that this ever becomes a problem. These numbers are completely fictional, but let’s say 5% of an organization’s donors also receive calendars from more than 2 other charities. If the ROI is substantially higher than the next best thing, then it’s still worth it. Furthermore, THEIR calendar may be the one you like best and decide to hang in your kitchen.

There’s pretty low risk on their part for sticking with calendars if you think about it.

I’m more likely to get address stickers, like for envelopes.

@smudges I get them some of the time too and they are useful.

Calendars are becoming a relic of pre-internet times. I suppose the giveaways are meant to keep reminders of the sending organization in your thoughts all year, with something that’s useful so you feel a sense of obligation.

I don’t ever use those free calendars because I prefer to choose my own designs, four wall calendars every year from calendars.com. But my mother used to hang them up in layers so she could change the pictures several times a month. Ain’t eccentricity grand?

My ca!endrical eccentricity is that I often reuse the calendars when the same year configuration recurs. After all, there are only 14 different calendars. This year is the same as 2011.

As for sending the same thing, maybe they assume that people who support nature organization A won’t also be donating to nature organization B.

There was a time when I made the mistake of openly donating to the causes I supported. Previously, I had restricted myself to a basic few, because I believed us under the gun. But upon loosening the strings, I got a powerful lesson. The mailman despised me. I was compelled by guilt to double his annual bribe, and as an experiment, we began saving the begging letters in a bushel basket, which we were compelled to dump ever more frequently even after abruptly closing the tap. That was probably some 30 years ago, and it was merely an indication of just how clueless I was. After all, how much sense is necessary to appreciate the consequences to a reputation for giving away money? The solution? Money Orders. Save the receipts.