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Every day, we receive correspondence, lots of prayer requests and letters of encouragement.
Sometimes, there are questions about our fundraising, and we are grateful because we know
these are expressions of concern from people who really care about the Rescue Mission and
the people we serve.
It would be ideal if everyone could come to the Rescue Mission for a tour, have the
opportunity to see the scope of the ministry and ask their questions in person. We could
be more certain that everyone was able to fully understand the needs of the people coming
to us for help, the challenges we face and all that we need to make our ministry
possible.
Because that is not always possible, we would like to take this opportunity to answer some
frequently asked questions about the fundraising practices of the Rescue Mission. We hope
you will find it helpful!
If you don't find the answer to your question here, contact the Rescue Mission at 315-472-6251 or
info@rmsyr.org and ask.
Why do you mail so frequently?
Direct mail is the best vehicle we have for reaching most of the friends of the Rescue Mission,
keeping them aware of the work that we do and communicating our financial needs.
We do not expect everyone who receives a mailing to respond, but we also know it is our
responsibility to keep the needs of the homeless, hungry and hurting people we serve in
front of those concerned people who are most able to help.
Why do you send "fancy and expensive" letters?
Sometimes, I feel my whole donation goes into sending me more mail?
We painstakingly evaluate every mailing that leaves the Rescue Mission from the standpoint of
cost and effectiveness.
By doing the writing and graphics in-house, employing competitive bidding, utilizing a
group of more than 40 dedicated mailing volunteers and less expensive non-profit mailing
rates, we have been able to maintain our expenses at a consistently low rate.
In addition, generous printers and suppliers in our community often support the Rescue Mission
through donations of printing and paper supplies.
Overall, if your household were to receive every mailing which the Rescue Mission sends
out during the course of a year (11 appeals and 8 newsletters), it would cost the Rescue Mission
around $6. Most households receive only a fraction of those mailings.
Are my donations used locally?
Yes, every dollar stays in our community. All rescue missions are independent, governed by
a local board of trustees.
Do you ever make donor names available to other organizations?
The Rescue Mission has never rented, sold or loaned its mailing list to anyone. We
have no intention of changing that policy.
Why do I sometimes get two or three of the same mailing?
Name misspellings and address changes are the biggest sources of duplicates on our
list. Although we do spend a lot of time trying to prevent duplications, they do
occur.
If you are planning a move, please contact us with your old and new addresses so that we
can make the appropriate changes.
Also, if you do receive more than one mailing from us, please send duplicate mailing
labels to the attention of the Development Team at the Rescue Mission and it will be
corrected.
Can I give a monthly gift instead of getting so much mail?
Certainly! Simply check the box on any of our mailings or contact the Rescue Mission and tell us
you want to be a "Love In Action Partner". You will receive fewer mailings and
help provide the Rescue Mission with a consistent flow of income all year.
I have written the Rescue Mission to ask a question, but haven't received a reply. Why?
Every day, at least one letter comes to the Rescue Mission with no name, only a first
name or no address. Please be certain that complete information is on your letter and
write again. Someone will respond to you as soon as possible.
Why do you spend money thanking me for my gift?
It is important to us that you know how your gift is changing lives at the Rescue
Mission.
In addition, many donors appreciate knowing that their gift has been received and keep the
thank-you letter as a receipt for the gift. For any single gift of $250 or more, the Internal Revenue Service requires a donor to have a receipt from the recipient charity in order to claim a
charitable deduction.
We are often able to save money by mailing thank-you letters at the reduced bulk rate, but
consider money spent saying thank you to be well-spent.
Has the Rescue Mission hired an outside agency to conduct telemarketing campaigns?
Isn't that expensive?
All telemarketing calls for the Rescue Mission are made by our employees and volunteers calling from our Gifford Street location. Telemarketing has been a great support to our
fundraising efforts and has given us the opportunity to communicate directly with our
donors.
If you would prefer not to receive telemarketing calls from us, please notify our caller
and you will be placed on our do-not-call list.
What about door-to-door solicitation?
We presently DO NOT conduct any door-to-door solicitation in our community for
financial donations. If someone comes to your door asking for money for the Rescue
Mission, please contact us immediately.
How are you financially accountable?
We submit an annual report to the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability and the Charities Bureau of the New York State Department of Law. In
addition, we undergo an annual independent audit and produce an annual report for our
donors.
We are committed to good stewardship of the money which is entrusted to us by our
community for the care of the poor.
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