I don’t need to buy any Christmas Cards this year – why not? Because the following charities have all sent cards and have trusted me to pay for them:

Feed my People

Bread and Water for Africa

World Villages for Children
Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation
International Children’s Care
Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (is this a registered charity I am not sure)
World Emergency Relief
Society of the Little Flower
Medical Foundation International

Am I going to be trustworthy?  In some cases yes and in others no.  Yes, obviously because I support a particular cause even though I am not necessarily attracted by the cards themselves and no if I don’t support the cause (animal charities mainly – sorry).  The positives include the Mouth & Foot Artists (even though they might not be a charity) because I have nothing but admiration for such skill and World Villages for Children because I admire their work but not their cards (I will send them nevertheless).

Who chooses charity card designs?  I could not possibly send the cards offered by the Society of the Little Flower since they are too Catholic even for my catholic tastes.

The Medical Foundation has produced some good cards based on old masters (these are to my taste) but the cards have no indication that they are in aid of such a valuable charity so if I send them the recipients would be no wiser, surely a missed opportunity.

Christmas Cards are, of course, incentives.  I have already blogged about these and now a number of direct marketing agencies who were asked by the Institute of
Fundraising to express their views on incentives have argued that they should be restricted.  It has also been suggested that charities should publicise the cost of incentives.  However some charities have responded by saying that incentives are not manipulative and can be proved to work.

So which view will prevail.

No doubt we will all continue to receive address labels (useful but saturation point reached), notepads (useful, a shopping list with a colourful edge lightens the spirits even in Tesco!), umbrellas (useful at least the first one), pens (useful for scribbling the first draft of this blog whilst sitting comfortably in an armchair), prayer beads (not for me), T shirts (useful when cycling), calendars (useful – at least the first one), skimpy pieces of cloth (useful for cleaning the car) but it is very chastening to learn that these pieces of cloth are in fact used as blankets by African mothers for their sometimes starving, sometimes sick children.

Isn’’t it easy to be glib in our wealthy society?

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