Complaints about email fundraising have far outpaced the increase of the number of fundraising emails, according to the annual Fundraising Standards Board annual report released today.
Direct mail, telephone fundraising and face-to-face on the doorstep remain the top three sources of public complaints about fundraising, according to the 2011 complaint data in the FRSB's annual report, with direct mail accounting for almost half of the more than 30,000 complaints about fundraising registered last year.
But email fundraising complaints saw the sharpest increase. Volume increased by a quarter between 2010 and 2011 results, but complaints rose nearly threefold (282 per cent). Meanwhile, complaints about outdoor events nearly doubled (up 187 per cent) despite the fact that the volume of these events fell by a fifth and complaints from fundraising volunteers rose by 160 per cent even though the amount of this type of activity was steady.
Alistair McLean, chief executive of the FRSB, said: “While complaint levels remain proportionate to fundraising volumes, the significant increase of email fundraising, outdoor events and volunteer fundraising complaints will be closely monitored.”
Although email complaints grew significantly in 2011, the proportion of complaints to contacts was one of the lowest of all fundraising types – just 0.002 per cent of contacts brought about a complaint.
Corporate fundraising registered the highest proportion of complaints-to-contacts, but even this was low at 0.3 per cent. Addressed direct mail prompted one complaint for every 1,000 pieces sent.
As in 2010, data errors were the main cause of complaints. Data protection and general poor data issues were behind one in six complaints in 2011.
Complaints and volumes rise dramatically
In total 30,838 complaints were received by charities as a result of 9.6bn fundraising contacts in 2011. The complaint numbers were far higher than 2010, when fewer than 19,000 complaints were registered, but this was against a far lower number of contacts (3.9bn).
The figures are drawn from FRSB members' reports. While the majority of FRSB member charities reported in to the study, two-thirds said they had not received a single complaint.
