Any information given out without the permission of the individual is a violation of the privacy act. Anyone associated with a business or organization knows this. Giving out an email address definitely falls in this category. Definitely contact corporate level. You have contacted them on the local level and they have chosen to ignore you, its time to take it to the next level.

I agree with this completely!

I would ask to meet with them to see what is happening. It may just be a misunderstanding. I work in a hospital and many of my "terminal" patients receive quilts from out volunteers. It is wonderful to know they are warm and comforted by these quilts.

I would like to know how an unknown person got your e-mail to request another quilt. I would be tempted to ask her to send a picture of the quilt. It may not have been one of yours. But at any rate, RMD House should not be giving out your e-mail address.

The whole thing does sound a bit fishy to me. If you wish to continue donating to them put a label on the back that states "Donated to Ronald McDonald House, not intended for sale" and quilt it down. See how they like that one.

i am probably the odd man out on this thinking ..this is probably an isolated incident involving one person. Not the group as a whole.
i think this should be handled privately, and in person,with the director and whoever handled the quilt. Not on a message board,where it may influence others giving to them,when in actuality it is one persons doing.
And i really think, she is not pulling a fast one..if she was, your info would not have been given out as a contact to see about making another quilt..
IMHO, I think it was a misunderstanding.
I can understand your frustration..it not ending up where it was meant to go. That would make me sad.
As a group i belong to,We make quilts,raffle them off and all the funds go to RMH. We know what is happening to the quilts..
that is the difference. Kim

Please let us know what results you get if you decide to follow up on this. I know I'd be very interested in the information.

And I believe you were completely right to express your concern here on the board. We're your friends.

Thank you, all, for your responses and sound advice. I'm going to sleep on this and decide my next step.

My feeling at the moment is that if my quilts were going to be sold for profit, I should have been advised up front. My quilts are intended to bring comfort to a child, not profit for an organization. Otherwise, I would just write a check. And it is imperative I know up front so that I donate only my original work and not inadvertently use a pattern that may be copyrighted.

I also strongly feel that common courtesy dictates a response to an inquiry, certainly two inquiries, even if that response is to say we cannot answer by e-mail, only by phone call (which would be suspect also, since the best documentation is written). They apparently had no trouble communicating by e-mail before.

In answer to how the unknown person who wanted me to make her a quilt got my e-mail address, it was a generic, nonpersonal e-mail address printed on my labels on back of all my quilts for the general public and was not the personal e-mail address furnished to RMH personnel. That is to identify me as the quilter and used in case recipients wish to contact me with care questions or with expressions of appreciation.

Thank you, too, for the reminders of why we do quilt for charity and what moves us to give of ourselves for others.

That's funny, I always wonder when I donate some nice quality things to Salvation Army or Goodwill whether they will really go to the intended purpose or whether someone will take it for themselves. Some years ago several members of one family who ran several nearby Goodwills were prosecuted for theft. Seems they were taking antiques and nice donated furnishings and they had a private store that sold them to the public. They were given jail time. Too bad we can't be sure where our donations will ultimately go.

Oh boy, I'd be wondering too. You put time/money into those quilts, and I know once we give something away, it's out of our hands, BUT you need to know if you want to donate more to this place. It sounds like a glitch just at this particular place with one particular person... so that doesn't tarnish any good names at all. Let us know what you find out! Good luck.

The person who bought the 2 quilts and wants you to make another one - ask them. They can tell you that they paid $50 for the quilt, or that they received it as a donation for an ailing child and might just have mistyped, ya know? Ask them. And go in person to talk to the director. And if s/he doesn't respond, ask the district manager/CEO/someone higher.