Tag: UK

Why do fundraisers insist on formulaic letters? Four of the five letters here run to two pages, start with a head and run second-colour sub-heads through the text. It is a strange communications device, used only by charities.

World Emergency Relief (WER) (1) is the least-known of these five charities. Perhaps that’s why it has to shout more. ‘What about the disasters you don’t hear about?’ bellows the outer envelope. The rest of the piece is old-fashioned to a fault with a punchy flier aimed at distinguishing it from its flashier competitors. ‘WER does not have large overheads or fancy offices’, it says. ‘Only seven per cent of our income goes on administration and raising funds’. I’m happy to believe the first statement but raise an eyebrow at the second.

Cancer Research UK (2) has been dissecting its brand value for a few years now and it shows. This cold mailing uses the given colours, the given typefaces and the slogan ‘together we will beat cancer’ throughout. The nifty little free pen is also brand-consistent and an eight-page leaflet offers a smart good news/bad news format. But it’s a lot of paper when the ask is as humble as GBP 2 a month.

UNICEF (3) goes the extra mile. A bright chocolate-type wrapper contains the story of Plumpy Nut, a vitamin-rich sachet for malnourished children. We’re in full colour here and there’s a little 14-page concertina-fold leaflet. And the ask? You knew it already. Yes, GBP 2 a month.

Save The Children (4) flies higher. This is a part thank-you, part-Christmas appeal mailing – clearly mailed to the top end of its supporter file. And the tick box suggests donations of GBP 120 and upwards. This is a bright and intelligent piece which will have done well. Its coup de theatre is a DVD of projects in the field – irresistible and presented here with integrity so that few recipients will not watch it. And it costs just 30p to make, says the letter.

No such production values with VSO (5). Black and white throughout and an ask of GBP 15.75 to pay for three days upkeep for a volunteer overseas. This charity and its agency have brought a new intelligence to fund-raising creativity. Their work in sending volunteers to the world’s poorest countries is not the easiest cause to sell, but they bravely use short, powerful words to describe it and dispense with fancy graphics. ‘Men and women wanted’, this piece says, ‘Small wages, basic accommodation, hard work, long absence from home, contribution to ending poverty in case of success’. Terse and highly evocative. Nothing less than a copywriting classic.