Here we go again: a charity sending 12p in coins, and expecting recipients to send back the 12p with a cheque for £10, or more. Where is the logic? I agree, however, that sending 12p in coins, with a cheap-to-produce letter, may very well cost less than some of the fundraising packs doing the rounds.

The letter, from a Sister in Guatemala, tries to make one give: “Please help me so that I won’t have to turn her or any of the other children out. And help me so that I won’t have to say ‘no’ to youngsters who have no hope for the future unless……”

All this from a charity whose last filed accounts show income of some £8m+ and expenditure of £7m+. And the trustees say they “have established a reserves policy that ensures that the charity has sufficient funds to meet its charitabkle objectives and its beneficiaries needs both now and in the future”.

World Villages for Children may do a very good job: I don’t know. But, to me, it gives the impression of crying ‘Wolf’, and provides plenty of ammunition for those who are critical of fundraising methods. What is one to believe?

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