Mark Roy, chief executive, The REaD Group
Is it just me, or is anyone else shocked by the wastage demonstrated by the charity sector when it comes to mailing lists? For an industry whose success depends on its ability to demonstrate prudence on its use of donor’s money, it is surprising to see it using a scattergun mailing technique that leaves it bottom of the league for responsible citizenship.
According to our figures, a staggering 88.5 per cent of mailings are still being sent out unscreened and unsuppressed in the charity sector every year, accounting for more that £11.5m of waste. Charities were also the worst culprit of any sector for mailing the deceased, with less than 10 percent of all their mail screened against a suppression file.
In comparison, The Bereavement Register screened an average of 60.4 per cent of all mail sent out by other sectors and prevented 39 million items being dispatched through the post last year.
Maybe charities think it doesn’t matter. If the intended recipient doesn’t get the mail, maybe somebody else will open the envelope and begin donating? Perhaps charities think they can’t afford it? Perhaps they don’t think the environment is a big enough cause to worry about the consequences? But there is also something far more worrying, particularly in relation to the damage done to the brand.
A few months ago, a charity sent out a mailer to its databases asking for a donation of £12 to help old people pay their heating bills to ward off the winter cold.
It included the strapline: “One Snug Young Lady. One Dead Old Lady. One Simple Request”. It also included a rather upsetting and graphic image of a corpse. The major problem with this mailing? It was sent to a Dead Old Lady and was opened by her recently bereaved husband.
The upset and suffering caused by this single letter can only be imagined and one can only expect that any likely donation promptly stopped.
Brand damage is probably just as deadly as wasted money or resources and is something charities need to start addressing quickly.
Is it just me, or is anyone else shocked by the wastage demonstrated by the charity sector when it comes to mailing lists? For an industry whose success depends on its ability to demonstrate prudence on its use of donor’s money, it is surprising to see it using a scattergun mailing technique that leaves it bottom of the league for responsible citizenship.
According to our figures, a staggering 88.5 per cent of mailings are still being sent out unscreened and unsuppressed in the charity sector every year, accounting for more that £11.5m of waste. Charities were also the worst culprit of any sector for mailing the deceased, with less than 10 percent of all their mail screened against a suppression file.
In comparison, The Bereavement Register screened an average of 60.4 per cent of all mail sent out by other sectors and prevented 39 million items being dispatched through the post last year.
Maybe charities think it doesn’t matter. If the intended recipient doesn’t get the mail, maybe somebody else will open the envelope and begin donating? Perhaps charities think they can’t afford it? Perhaps they don’t think the environment is a big enough cause to worry about the consequences? But there is also something far more worrying, particularly in relation to the damage done to the brand.
A few months ago, a charity sent out a mailer to its databases asking for a donation of £12 to help old people pay their heating bills to ward off the winter cold.
It included the strapline: “One Snug Young Lady. One Dead Old Lady. One Simple Request”. It also included a rather upsetting and graphic image of a corpse. The major problem with this mailing? It was sent to a Dead Old Lady and was opened by her recently bereaved husband.
The upset and suffering caused by this single letter can only be imagined and one can only expect that any likely donation promptly stopped.
Brand damage is probably just as deadly as wasted money or resources and is something charities need to start addressing quickly.
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