It's always been honorable to donate anonymously.
Today, it's not only honorable, it's a headache-saver. If you donate with a credit card, that charity will sell your data to other nonprofits -- who then flood your mailbox with spam.
So, how do you stay under the radar? You go through a middleman that promises to keep your information private.
One easy option: iTunes. Apple (AAPL) added a button to the iTunes store that allows for quick donations to the American Red Cross.
Apple promises to transfer 100% of your donation to Red Cross relief efforts in Nepal. And Apple says it "is not sharing your personal information." That means no charity gets your name or credit card number -- so they can't hound you for money later.
(On the flip side, the transaction is listed as an iTunes purchase. So you might run into trouble claiming a tax deduction next year.)
Nepal definitely needs the help. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Saturday has killed more than 4,400, injured twice as many, and turned Kathmandu and small villages into piles of rubble.
In theory, Apple Pay's consumer anonymity would make it a great option right now. But there aren't any charities set up to accept Apple Pay just yet.
Another easy option is Facebook (FB), which promises to keep your personal details private too. Plus, it's matching up to $2 million from user donations to the International Medical Corps. The company doesn't say so on its website, but a Facebook representative told CNNMoney it won't share your name or credit card data with anyone.
Another private option is Network for Good, a nonprofit that redirects your money to charities. It promises to keep you anonymous -- if you check off the right boxes. The difference? This group takes a 3% to 5% cut to process every transaction.
There's a reason to stay off charity marketing lists. Your name, address and other personal information is bought and sold behind closed doors. That's how you end up getting nonstop envelopes from nonprofits that insert gifts like stickers or personalized labels. Or those stupefying letters that include a 5¢ coin that you know should have been spent on a starving child -- not spamming you.
This way, when you give to the needy, you don't announce it with trumpets -- and avoid junk mail.
