Why do you mail so frequently?

Are all of my donations used locally?

How did I get on your mailing list?

What should I do if I receive duplicate mailings, or have an address change?

I have written to you several times. Why haven't I gotten a response?

Do you conduct door-to-door solicitation?

Why do you spend my donation on “fancy, expensive-looking” letters?

Do you ever sell your mailing list?

Why do I sometimes get 2 or 3 of the same mailings?

Can I give a monthly gift, instead of getting all of your mailings?

Why do you send “thank you” letters?

How are you financially accountable?

Why do you mail so frequently?

Our mailings are the best vehicle we have, other than personal visits and tours, for making people aware of our work and communicating our financial needs to those who are concerned about the people we serve. We know that everyone cannot give every time they receive a request from us, but we also know that it is our responsibility to keep the needs of homeless, hungry and hurting people in front of those who care and can help. If you would like to be placed on a less frequent mailing list, please call (714) 247-4321.          top

Are all of my donations used locally?

Yes, every dollar received stays in our community. All rescue missions are autonomous and governed by a local Board of Trustees. Your donations support the local work of the Orange County Rescue Mission.

How did I get on your mailing list?

It is vital that we continually gain new donors. One way of doing that is through special mailings. For these mailings, which we do approximately twice a year, we rent lists of names for one-time use. If you subscribe to any magazines or other publications which might indicate an interest in helping others, your name may have been included on one of these lists which we rent. If you give a donation to us from this one-time mailing, you will be included in our mailing database. If you do not respond with a donation, you will not be put on our mailing list, and there is no need to have your name “removed” from our database.

What should I do if I receive duplicate mailings, or have an address change?

Simply send any necessary corrections to P.O. Box 4007 Santa Ana, CA 92702-9898. For address changes, it would be helpful if you would cut your name and address from your most recent mailing so we can verify that we are making the correct changes. If you are receiving duplicate mailings, cut the mailing address from all the pieces and send them to us. Indicate what address you would like to have deleted. Please be aware that by the time we receive your changes, we may have one or two mailings already in production.          top

I have written to you several times. Why haven't I gotten a response?

We receive correspondence every day with no name and/or address. Please be sure to include that information and direct it to the Development Department. Someone will respond to you as soon as possible.

At times our correspondence is backed up a bit... we try to answer everyone in a timely manner. If you need immediate response, either e-mail us or call (714) 247-4300.

Do you conduct door-to-door solicitation?

We DO NOT conduct any door-to-door solicitation in our community for financial donations. Please report anyone who claims to be collecting money for us.

Why do you spend my donation on “fancy, expensive-looking” letters?

We painstakingly evaluate every mailing from the standpoint of cost vs. return. We have been able to maintain our expenses at a consistently low rate, while making sure that they are still effective in bringing in the needed cash to support our ministry to the homeless.

Do you ever sell your mailing list?

No we don't. This has been our policy and we have no intention of changing it. We never sell, trade or give any donor's personal information to any other entity without that donor's prior written permission.

Why do I sometimes get 2 or 3 of the same mailings?

Misspellings, or differences in name and/or address are our biggest source of duplications. We spend a lot of time trying to keep duplicates off our list, and verifying correct mailing addresses. We appreciate your letting us know of those we've missed. If you are receiving duplicate mailing of any of our newsletters or monthly mailings, please send an e-mail with ALL OF the INCORRECT ADDRESSES, and the address we should be mailing to. Your help will keep our mailing costs even lower! Please be aware that by the time we receive your changes, we may have one or two mailings already in production.          top

Can I give a monthly gift, instead of getting all of your mailings?

Yes. Our Friends of the Homeless Program allows you to give a monthly pledged amount to the Mission. You should receive fewer appeals, and provide the Mission with a steady source of income.

Why do you send “thank you” letters?

It is important for you to know how thankful we are for your support. Most of our donors like to know that their gift was received and appreciate having a letter as a receipt for income tax purposes.

Also, the IRS regulations contain several important provisions on the substantiation of charitable donations that affect both charities and donors. Donors making gifts of $250 or more are not able to rely on a canceled check to substantiate their deductions. Instead, those donors must receive a contemporaneous, written acknowledgement from the recipient charity. Otherwise, the gift is not deductible.

We also use our thank you letters as a way of letting our donors know how their gifts have helped change lives.

How are you financially accountable?

Our ministry is accountable to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and is subject to their periodic audits and evaluations. We are also a member of the Better Business Bureau of Orange County, and a member of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, which evaluates and has awarded us the honor of a "Certified Excellent" rating. On top of all these points of accountability, our financial records are audited by an independent CPA every year. We are committed to good stewardship of our financial resources.          top