Dear county humane society. You really have a lot of nerve. I emailed your executive director and foster coordinator a month ago asking if I could get a courtesy listing on your website--a service I know you offer--for a stray cat we were caring for. I indicated to you that we'd had her spayed and vaccinated. You also know that my husband and I similarly cared for three other strays last year, all on our own dime. You weren't particularly helpful with them, either. But it should be abundantly clear to you by now that we care about animals and have at least some disposable income with which to help them.

You never responded to my email. Yet, you had no problem sending me a letter yesterday asking for money. You won't be getting a contribution from me. I did donate to two other organizations who did offer to help me. Unlike you, they returned my emails within 24 hours and bent over backwards to help.

I've worked on NFP boards before. It's a thankless job, and I fully appreciate that you're likely stretched pretty thin. But here's the thing. When you're the NFP, you cannot afford to alienate those people in your community who are, or can be, partners and donors. You. just. can't. So, while I do care about the animals in our county, I'd prefer my money go elsewhere to help them.