Charity mailing moans soar 36%

Complaints about charities’ direct mail campaigns rocketed by more than a third last year, according to official figures, with other methods – such as telemarketing and door-to-door – meaning the direct marketing accounted for nearly 60% of all complaints.
With DM being the most common form of marketing charities use, it is perhaps no great surprise to see the discipline dominate complaints to the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB), but it is the increase in the volume of gripes that has taken the industry aback.
Addressed direct mail complaints rose 36% year on year to 16,966, telephone fundraising moans went up 26% to 8,019 – although just three charities were responsible for a third of those – while protests over doorstep fundraising went up 27% to 7,041. Overall, DM accounted for 59% of all complaints last year. Public collections were the next most complained about method, accounting for 29%.
Face-to-face street collection saw complaint numbers drop by 10%, although the activity was hit by the collapse of the biggest street fundraising agency, Gift Fundraising, the previous year.
SMS fundraising complaints soared by over 1,000% but still came in at under 2,000 although gripes about email actually fell. Advertising, including TV, radio, print and outdoor, accounted for just 2% of complaints.
Overall, complaints about charity marketing soared 44% year on year in 2013 to 48,342, an increase on 2012, when they went up by nearly 10%. However, the FRSB argues that this was due in part to an increase in marketing activity in the sector.
Colin Lloyd, chair of the FRSB, said: “Charities are having to work harder than ever to raise funds and meet the needs of their beneficiaries. They are doing more fundraising and are using a range of techniques to engage with supporters.
“Although the large majority of charities don’t receive any complaints, a small minority of organisations that deliver high volume campaigns are generating the bulk of all concerns. These charities appeal to millions of people with their work and, when something goes wrong, complaint levels can quickly escalate. As such, they carry great responsibility for maintaining the highest standards in their work to preserve and protect public trust in charitable giving.
“All charities are encouraged to carefully consider public feedback to their campaigns, striving to ensure that fundraising is always a positive experience that inspires the public to support the good causes they care about.”

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