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Controversial SPCA campaign attracts new supporters

Fundraising | 9 Mar 2009

A confrontational advertising campaign by the Scottish SPCA accusing its sister charity of stealing donors has attracted 1,000 new members to the charity.

The £100,000 web and newspaper campaign used the slogan “The RSPCA won’t save me” and was accompanied by claims that the Royal Society asks for Scottish donors’ money without helping animals north of the border.

The SPCA also accused the RSPCA  of breaching Institute of Fundraising guidelines which require charities to be explicit about where they work.

The campaign provoked significant public reaction, and prompted the Institute of Fundraising Scotland  to offer to facilitate a meeting. Spokesman Gregor McNie explained: “We wrote to the chief executives of both organisations offering to broker  a meeting between them to discuss some of the concerns raised.

“Having since spoken to both parties, we understand that some level of agreement has been reached between the two on future working based on our guidance and they  feel that, given this development, an Institute-brokered meeting would not be necessary at this time. We have all agreed that the door remain open  to meet in the future if required and we continue to keep in close contact with both parties. We are very happy for all involved and affected by this, that such a significant step forward has been made.”

A spokesman from the RSPCA told PF: “We were extremely surprised by the campaign, mainly because we talk to our counterparts regularly and we go to enormous lengths to make sure our marketing does not go to Scotland.

“We did not think that charities should spend time and money and effort attacking other charities, especially in the current climate.”

The spokesman also refuted  claims that the RSPCA has breached the Institute of Fundraising codes, saying the charity actually helped draw it up. He added: “We did not get into a media scrum with them (SPCA) because we did not think the public would respond well to that. We are hopeful the issue has been resolved.”

Scottish SPCA chief executive Stuart Earley said: “Our talks  with the RSPCA are ongoing and  we are awaiting a reply as to how any advertising it places in Scotland will make it explicitly clear to the Scottish public that any donations will only help animals in England and Wales.

“We have been overwhelmed  by the positive response to the awareness-raising campaign we launched recently, with over a thousand new members joining  the Society.”

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Directory: Institute of Fundraising | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)