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 this site who have more than a passing interest in charitable giving sometimes cast a jaundiced eye over yet another letter from a charity that was previously unknown to them. Charities must sometimes despair about the problems of getting their message through. However, just occasionally a charity sends you something that really takes the eye. This year’s Crisis Christmas Appeal has done just that.
In case you have not seen it, and I know that londoners’ blog has already brought it to the attention of readers of this site; the letter is in the form of a 10 inch dinner plate with a picture of a very tasty looking Christmas Dinner on it. Now that just might delay its path to the recycling bin! Like londoner, I have been a supporter of Crisis for some time. They are the charity that I most associate with doing something to help homeless people who are on the streets at Christmas. Unfortunately, I felt that for some years they were not as good as they could have been at connecting with their supporters and getting their message across. They have improved significantly in recent years, but this is quite unexpected. Not another buff or or white envelope containing a dull letter, address stickers or raffle tickets. This catches the eye, and really encourages you to go inside, learn more and (with any luck) give a little. It has probably been quite expensive, but I really hope that it works. Charities need innovation. A worthy aim and a good message are important, but asking for money in a good cause doesn’t need to be mundane.