August 17, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I felt that I could not let the Olympics pass without writing something about Free Tibet. As a ‘political’ movement they are an unlikely charity for me to support, but I was moved to do so some years ago following the Chinese State Visit when Free Tibet protesters were detained for protesting in London. That, I [...]
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June 30, 2008 at 8:24 pm
A couple of recent business trips to London reminded me of a method of charity fundraising that I had almost forgotten – teams of young fundraisers stopping individuals in the street and trying to get them to commit to regular monthly contributions. Some of the charities that I saw involved were the Samaritans, Voluntary Service [...]
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May 18, 2008 at 6:54 pm
This is my first blog for a little while, because I have been pretty tied up with plans for a future career change. Most important amongst these plans was buying a house in France. Not the best of times to make such a move, with the economic downturn and the strength of the Euro, but [...]
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January 31, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Breadline Africa, one of the charities that I have supported for longest, have recently started to contact me by e-mail. I really ought to be delighted by this development, which means an end to plastic windows in envelopes, coins sellotaped to letters, free pens and unsolicited raffle tickets. Unfortunately, I cannot help wondering what impact this approach is [...]
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December 2, 2007 at 8:08 pm
A few days ago I received an A4 package from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). It had a cute picture of a puppy on the front and the envelope proudly announced that it was a present ‘just in time for winter’. I do not support the IFAW, and regard them as a somewhat dubious [...]
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November 15, 2007 at 10:03 pm
How many appeals letters does the average charity giver get in a week? Sometimes 4 or 5, possible 8 or 9, maybe even more at some times of the year. Do you open them all and study them carefully? No, I thought not. I certainly don’t, and I suspect that even the bloggers and readers of [...]
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October 28, 2007 at 7:17 pm
At weekends, I like to listen to the radio with Classic FM being one of the stations that I tune into. Anyone who listens regularly to that station will know that adverts for charities often feature. World Vision (one of my personal favourites) has featured regularly pretty much since Classic FM started. I am intrigued by radio [...]
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September 24, 2007 at 9:48 pm
People who know me well express some surprise that I am a supporter of CIWF. For a start, I am a long way from being a member of the ‘meat is murder’ tendency. I enjoy a good steak, and hell will probably freeze over before I become a vegetarian. However, I am passionately interested in the [...]
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August 27, 2007 at 11:29 am
Writing these blogs gets you thinking about questions such as – how do charities create and develop relationships with supporters? What level of contact maintains interest without creating irritation? One charity that I believe strikes just the right balance in the way it builds a sense of involvement with donors through its quarterly newsletters, is [...]
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August 2, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Two things that irritate me about charity communications are coins sellotaped to an appeal letter, and questionnaires. Recently, I received a letter from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that managed to combine both of these pet hates. The reason I dislike receiving coins is because I feel that it it applies undue pressure to respond – [...]
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