Fundraising through stamps and covers in our country goes back to the Civil War, America's first experience with widespread devastation, human suffering and displacement. During that time the fear of death was not just from guns and bombs, but also from disease. The Sanitary Commission was formed to deal with this concern, and funds were raised through the sale of stamps and envelopes at Sanitary Fairs, held in various cities.
After the Civil War, the greatest U.S. disaster was the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The earthquake occurred at the height of America's fascination with and use of the penny postcard, so obviously today the stamp collector's colleague, the deltiologist, aka postcard collector, finds the cards are plentiful and readily available to those who want to add one to their collection. Cards were sold by publishers and others who donated funds to rebuilding.
It was only a year after the quake, 1907, that the Red Cross established a successful and long running fundraiser: Christmas Seals which raise funds to stamp out Tuberculosis, aka TB.
And a few years later, for those away from the homefront in WWI, the Red Cross had the materials, like lettersheets and envelopes, now collectible, that servicemen and women needed to communicate with loved ones back home.
As the Red Cross's influence grew worldwide, so also spread the seals, eventually appearing as far afield as Korea where a Christmasy mother and child design might seem slightly odd. By this time, the 1930s, Christmas seals were used to raise funds for the National Tuberculosis Association and later the National Lung Association.
While charity stamps like Christmas Seals accomplish their goal by raising much needed funds, in the end it is the government with its printing and distribution capabilities that can make a great deal of money for charitable causes: since its issuance in 1998 the Breast Cancer Research stamp has brought in more than 35 million dollars for the cause.
And right now the U.S. Postal Service currently has two other fundraising or "semipostal" first-class letter stamps available to the public: the Heroes of 2001 stamp that, through FEMA, provides assistance to families of emergency relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty in connection with terrorist attacks of Sept. 11; and the Stop Family Violence stamp.
