Charity Christmas cards are sometimes sent as direct mail gifts. Photograph: Graham Turner
The use of gifts such as pens, umbrellas or coins which some charities include in their direct mail packs to donors and potential supporters has been a topic of forceful debate within the fundraising community for years. At the heart of this debate is the question of short-term financial gain against long-term reputation, writes Megan Pacey.
On the one hand, some practitioners argue that enclosures such as branded pens or bookmarks make it more likely that the public will respond to the appeal. Fundraisers have a duty to ensure that a return on investment is a high as possible and evidence shows that including an item such as a pen, a badge or a branded bookmark in a direct mail pack generates a higher response rate. If it works in encouraging people to give, what right does anyone have to reduce their income and potentially threaten the security of their organisation and those who they support?
Others practitioners contend that some gifts such as coins or expensive looking umbrellas are included to generate a donation through the inducement of guilt. It is enclosure of these "gifts" that some practitioners believe risk damaging the reputation of the individual charity as well as the sector as a whole.
This Christmas, as thousands of charity packs hit the doormats of generous British households, the debate about direct mail and what should or should not be enclosed in charity direct mailings has never been hotter.
Why? Because earlier this year saw the introduction of the self-regulation of fundraising. Members of the public who have complaints about the way in which charities fundraise, can now contact the Fundraising Standards Board, and fundraising organisations that participate in the scheme are obliged to adhere to best practice guidance detailed in the codes of fundraising practice.
The Institute of Fundraising develops these codes in consultation with the sector and its stakeholders. A direct mail code of fundraising practice is currently being created and consulted upon and the sector is engaged in a vigorous and healthy debate about what is best practice. Not surprisingly, there are many differences of opinion.
There are lots of highly effective examples of charity direct mail campaigns where the inclusion of a gift engaged the donor and strengthened the message. A strong example was the Amnesty International pack that told the gruesome story of a young man who was tortured by having his eyes poked out with an ordinary ball point pen. The mailing enclosed a small plastic pen and said "what you hold in your hand can be an instrument of torture or it can change the world". It was great copy, and not surprisingly, worked well. The pen was a relevant and meaningful addition to the pack.
All fundraising needs to be thoughtful, relevant, ethical and sensitive. Direct mail is no exception. With the forthcoming establishment of this new code, the Institute of Fundraising is seeking to define best practice in charity direct mail and raise standards further.
· Megan Pacey is director of policy and campaigns for the Institute of Fundraising
