How to Stop Charity Mail and Nonprofit Donation Requests

calendar Jun 1, 2026 / · 6 min read · catalog opt out charity mailers mail preferences dmachoice catalog choice paperkarma junk mail direct mail  ·
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Who Sends Charity Mail, and Which Opt-Out Reaches It

Federal law lets you keep the address labels, calendars and other small gifts that charities send. The FTC's page on unordered products says that "charitable organizations can send you merchandise and ask for a contribution," and that "it's your right to keep such merchandise as a free gift." You do not have to pay, donate or send it back.

Stopping the mail itself depends on one question: have you given to this charity before? The DMAchoice FAQ splits mail into two kinds. If the mail comes from "organizations you never donated to, you're a prospect." If you have "donated to an organization in the past two years, you may be considered a customer." DMAchoice can stop the first kind. For the second, the FAQ says "you will need to ask them to be removed directly."

So most people need two things: a DMAchoice registration for the charities they never gave to, and a short request to each charity they did give to.

How to stop charity mail: step by step

  1. Register with DMAchoice for charities you never gave to. DMAchoice is run by the Association of National Advertisers. Its FAQ lists "donation requests" among the prospect mail you can stop, along with catalogs and magazine offers. The fee is "$8 for online and $9 for mail-in registration," your choices are kept for 10 years, and you should "allow 90 days for your request to take effect." DMAchoice works only with organizations that take part: the FAQ says "companies or organizations that don't subscribe to DMAchoice will not receive your suppression request."

  2. Contact each charity you have given to. DMAchoice does not cover "customer or donor mail for those companies or nonprofits that you have purchased from, subscribed to, or donated to in the past." For those, use the contact details on the charity's website or on the reply form in the envelope. The DMAchoice FAQ suggests looking at the organization's privacy policy or Contact Us page to find who to ask. Say what you want in plain words. Catalog Choice gives this wording on its Restoration Hardware listing , and it works for a charity too: "Please remove me from your postal mailings list. I no longer wish to receive your mailings. Do not rent or sell my name or address to other organizations." The last sentence asks the charity not to pass your name to other groups.

  3. Search Catalog Choice for the charities in your mailbox. Catalog Choice is a free nonprofit service. Its home page says its database of "nearly 10,000 titles" ranges "from clothing brands to credit card companies to charities." Search for each one and submit an opt-out. Catalog Choice either sends the request for you or sends you to the charity's own page.

  4. Optional: use an app for small and local groups. PaperKarma is a paid app. You photograph a piece of mail and it sends the opt-out for you. Its pricing page lists plans from $3.99 a month to $59.99 one time. Its yearly and lifetime plans also let you add local mailers that are not yet in its database.

Keep giving, but get less mail

You do not have to stop supporting a charity to cut down its mail. The DMAchoice FAQ says that as a donor you "may receive certain benefits, updates, and offers," and that you change that by contacting the organization. So when you write to a charity you give to, say exactly what you want: no mail at all, or no mail except receipts, and no sharing of your name with other groups. Keep giving in whatever way suits you.

What is not covered

The DMAchoice FAQ lists mail it cannot stop. Two kinds matter here:

  • Political mail. The FAQ says "political mailings are exempt." Campaign and political group mail needs a direct request to the sender.
  • "Current Resident" mail. For mail with no name on it, the FAQ says to "contact your local Post Office for assistance in being removed from these mailings."

Catalog Choice has the same limit. Its FAQ says "Current Resident" mail "is usually distributed by the USPS to every house in a given area," so the sender has no name to remove.

Mail for someone who has died or moved out

Charity mail often keeps coming after a death. Catalog Choice's FAQ says you can opt out for a family member who has died "by filling in that person's name on the opt-out form," and recommends the Deceased Do Not Contact List. The FTC's junk mail page says DMAchoice runs that list and a "Do Not Contact for Caretakers List" for someone in your care. For a previous resident, read our guide to catalogs for a previous resident .

What to expect

The mail will slow down over weeks, not stop at once. DMAchoice says to allow 90 days. Catalog Choice says it "may take 6-8 weeks to stop receiving mail from a particular merchant." Charities you contact directly will each have their own timing. Some mail planned before your request will still arrive.

If one charity keeps writing, contact it again and check that it has your name and address exactly as printed on the envelope. Catalog Choice also warns that "there is unfortunately no law requiring companies to honor opt-out requests," so a polite second request is often needed.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to return free address labels or gifts? No. The FTC says that when a charity sends you merchandise and asks for a contribution, "it's your right to keep such merchandise as a free gift."

Will DMAchoice stop all charity mail? No. It covers donation requests from groups you have never given to, if they take part in DMAchoice. It does not cover charities you have given to in the past two years, political mail, or "Current Resident" mail.

Does it cost anything? DMAchoice costs $8 online. Catalog Choice and direct requests are free. PaperKarma is paid.

Is it safe to give DMAchoice my name and address? Its FAQ says: "we will not use — or allow others to use — the information you provide on this site for marketing purposes. Your information is only used to fulfill your specific opt-out requests." It also says the ANA "is not the source of consumer names for marketing purposes."

Is there one list that stops every charity? No. Catalog Choice's FAQ says "no current service has the capability to stop all of your incoming junk mail in one fell swoop."

For the full method across all catalogs, read How to Stop Getting Catalogs in the Mail , and our comparison of DMAchoice, PaperKarma and Catalog Choice . For junk mail beyond catalogs, OptOut.ws has a guide on how to stop junk mail .

References

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