Can you get some blank checks to a non-existing checking account? Let her write the checks and place them in an envelope. Then you offer to mail them for her, but you don't.

There's no harm done and the lady is happy.

You could submit change of address forms to the charities so that her mail from them goes to your house.

Or fill out the form at the post office that directs them to hold her mail until pick up. Or have her mail forwarded to you.

I second Mona's suggestion. Just make sure she doesn't have any stamps around! Tell her you have a new stamp machine or something and will take them to stamp and mail for her.

When I lose my mind, my family will have to rig my computer so that I think I'm still doing my thing!!

Does anyone have financial power of attorney for your MIL?

The advice depends on where she lives.
The easiest is to put a change of address form in at the post office & have her mail go to your house or a PO Box; if she lives with you; you can ask your mail person to hold stuff like that until a certain day of the week to where you would be home to get it yourself.

As far as the actual charities; good luck. We haven't donated in 2 years; you wouldn't believe the amount I get each month.

You have hit on the bane of my existence of the past year. A battle fought aggressively for 9 months (and not quite yet won, but major headway made).

My own mother has been generous with various charities over the years, who solicited her relentlessly and sold her name to anyone and everyone. It's no longer enough to submit a request to DMA and call it a day. Tho that seems to prevent oddball mailings, so is still worth the effort, be sure to include name variations and misspellings.

AARP is on another planet. At last count I placed 2 calls, sent 2 notes USPS and at least 5 emails. Finally success, a lull for 3 months, and they have started the barrage again. They are so obnoxious they emailed a reply on 2 occasions they could not remove her name unless I provided a membership # and copy of canceled check for her paid membership. (I didn't know whether to laugh or pull my hair out with that one.)

What I found most effective (excluding AARP) is one of two solutions:
-For smaller, local charities or those without web sites: have a form letter ready, fill in their address & mail it via USPS to the address given on most mailings for removal. Often well hidden & in fine print, I even found one buried in tiny print on the underside of rear flap of their envelope.
-Email. Quickest & most likely to get a response back. Most charities have web sites, those web sites have privacy policies, and hidden deep in that page is the email address you'll need. (Online privacy policies/opt out contact info is almost always for postal mailings as well.) Shortcut to finding email address is google "Charity X privacy policy" and that should lead you right to it.

What does not work is the rumor to send your request back in their postage paid envelope. It goes to a department collecting $ and almost always the dept that handles privacy is at a completely different address.

Here is a sample letter I found on the web that covers all the bases.
----------------
Subject: Opt Out

Dear Charity:
It has become necessary for me to reduce the amount of solicitations and mailings that I currently receive.

Please:
-Remove my name from your mailing list
-Do not share, sell, exchange, trade or lend my name or contribution history with any other organization
or business.
-Please put me on your "Do Not Call" list [if applicable]
-Please do not share or use this email address for any other purpose other than to reply to this
specific Opt Out request.
Thank you,

Name
Address (exactly as it appears on their label)
Phone # (only if relevant)

---------------------

If it is a charity near & dear to her, there is a happy solution. Somewhere I found you can request they send only one solicitation per year and they'll set up their database accordingly. Two of my mother's favorite charities readily complied with that method and sent confirmation.

Give it 8 weeks to see results. With a few you might see a lull and then resume again, so 2nd request might be necessary. I wish you lots of luck, it's not fun.
Tho not necessary for solicitations, ditto the suggestion for POA. I've had it for years, used rarely, and in a blink in recent months it's become a standard signature.

Be careful about the fake checks. If by chance she would actually manage to mail one by giving it to the mailman/woman, that could be considered fraud. Not saying that anyone would go through with pressing charges, but corporation scan be pretty cold-ask me how I know! One small little man threatened my 84 year-old mother with jail several years ago when I was in the process of taking over her finances-wow.

I think AARP lost a significant number of subscribers over their stance on the health care bill so they are being relentless in trying to get members back. A friend had paid for a 5 year subscription when this happened, he called and demanded a refund. They would not refund the entire amount but did refund most of their money. I called about my subsciption that was running out and told them not to send me renewal notices. I am still getting mailings from them even though I have returned some more than once telling them their views do not reflect mine. The last one I received had return postage paid so I tried again. I have noticed they have ads on our cable TV looking for subscribers so I think their revenue must down these days.

nan53 - When you find an absolute solution, please post. I have been on a mission in an effort to get off of all mailing lists. Have tried unsuccessfullly unsubscribing, requesting do not calls, sent certified letters directly to certain charities and the like, with the instruction to remove my name, address, etc. from these types of things for about a year. I've done everything I can think of, save an in person visit and I am still receiving mail, email and calls despite my efforts. It is so aggravating and I cannot imagine trying to do this for someone who wants to write checks! Could your MIL be receiving phone calls of which you are unaware, wherein she is providing her contact info? Also, beware of her giving out personal info such as credit card and bank account numbers.

I would try to get a POA as soon as possible. Perhaps you could contact her bank in an effort to enlist their help with the situation. The conversation with your MIL will be difficult, but if you can take her over to the bank and change her checks, perhaps all checks sent out could require two signatures?

AARP is THE worst. DH and I started receiving mail from them 2 years before we turned 50. Actual membership request forms. It is comical the amount of paper/postage they are wasting in their fishing expedition.

I go from the mail box straight to the outside trash every day. The stuff doesn't even come into the house, unless there is something contained therein that needs shredding. In that case, it goes right through the shredder then into the trash.

These companies sell lists of donors names, address, phone contact numbers and email addresses over and over. Also, anytime you order something online or from a catalog, your email info is usually sold.

Most recently I started receiving email invoices for Seventeen magazine. I never ordered the magazine nor did anyone in my household. I contacted them by phone, email and certified mail. Told them I didn't order, wasn't paying and if I received even one issue of the magazine, I was keeping it as a gift. Finally after that last call I received an email acknowledging the cancellation of my subscription. WTH, what subscription? Whatever, so long as they stop sending me invoices.

I don't know how much luck you will have asking the postal carrier to hold these things. I have a great raport with my postal carrier and he can't do that. The carriers, by law, must deliver all mail addressed to you. They can't hold anything. If you go online to usps.com you can have your mail held for vacation for a short period of time, but you can't pick and choose what is delivered.

Oh, and the fake check thing, wouldn't chance it. Chances are, there may be one check that manages to find it's way to the post office for delivery. You don't need that aggravation.

Also, has anyone noticed a significant increase in the credit card offers? The offers were much fewer and further between while the new credit legislation was in the process of enaction. Now the mailbox is full every day. It was so nice to have that break. Now I am once again shredding like a madwoman.

Good luck to you in this endeavor.

Thanks for all your replies. I have spent hours going to each charity website and requesting opt out, do not mail, do not contact. Some are easier than others. I have done about 25 so far. She is on everybody's list! I can't seem to get magazines to stop the renewal notices unless I cancel her subscriptions. I'll have to talk to SIL and see what she thinks about that. I am many miles away from MIL and my SIL has been dealing with the day to day things. I am simply trying to help in a small way. I'll let you know if this has been successful in eliminating the mountain of junk. I know most of us would just toss this stuff and not worry about it.

Work, I didn't see your post before my last reply. Yikes! You have really tried it all. That is so disheartening! I hope we have better luck. SIL has the check book and is on the account. FIL is still in good health but has never done the finances. I'll definitely discuss possible phone calls with SIL.

I think you're doing it the right way. We went through this several years ago when we found out that Grandma was writing checks to the ______ _________ Foundation (fill in the name of a president you hate), a charity set up on behalf of a former president Grandma despised. Mom did exactly what Graywings suggested, she had Power of Attorney, so she changed Grandma's address so all of her mail went to Mom's house. Mom STILL gets charity solicitations for Grandma, who's been dead for a few years now.

My mom is a kind-hearted Christian woman, so I had a brief talk with her last time I was home. She gets at least 5 or 6 charity solicitations a day (nothing to do with Grandma's mail) and always has. She does a lot of catalog ordering, too, so her address has been sold many many times over. But, being kind-hearted, she feels that if a charity goes to the trouble of mailing her some note cards and envelopes (and encloses a "statement") she needs to send them at least a few bucks. It makes my blood boil that all her $5 is going to do is make them sell her name and address to dozens more "charities" as a "proven" customer -- one who actually fell for the bait and sends money in!

So when I go home I sneak through her charity requests pile and get rid of the worst. (Yes, I know my own ethics here are iffy.) I bring them home and begin the phone calls and web-lookups. The good news is that I do this every few months, and I've accidentally called a few charities a second time to remove her name and they've told me she's already on the "don't send any more" lists. (They always tell you that even though they're taking your name off the list, you might still get a mailing or two that are already at the printers'.) So I think it really works. She has some favorite charities that I won't call, but they are bona fide charities.

Keep up the good work, WIP, and you'll see results. I know the mail at mom's has lessened. I told her she needs to keep her money -- Grandma lived to 103 and mom (she's 80) works extremely hard to eat healthfully and exercise her mind and body every single day. She needs to keep her money to get her through the next 23 years!

P.S. - the worst charities are ones who make the envelopes and mailings look like invoices or statements. Perfectly designed to get older, more trusting and less-savvy people return them with the "payment". May those "charities" rot in H-E-L-L.

P.P.S. The previous owner of our home had every catalog in the world sent to her on a daily basis. After much calling and webbing, we're off those lists as well. Of course, any time I need a plastic crocheted angel and have no catalog handy, I'm out of luck. :)

Another thought -- I agree with those who are saying no fake checks -- too much danger of fraud. How about you re-arrange her desk or office corner where she kept her mail so it doesn't look like a mail corner any more? If nothing else, you could find some word-find or puzzle books to put there and eventually she may not associate that place with check-writing. Just another thought....

Thanks Folk for all your wisdom. I received a number of positive responses from the charities indicating they would remove her from their lists. I hope it happens.