Over two thirds of donors think charities put gifts in direct mail to make them feel guilty and most would not give a donation if they received a gift, according to new research by the Fundraising Standards Board.

A survey of over 2,000 existing donors found only one in six thought putting gifts in direct mail as an incentive was acceptable, and 70 per cent thought charities put them in to make people feel guilty. A further 93 per cent thought money spent on gifts might be better spent on the cause.

The research, Signed, Dealed and Delivered, comes amid heated debate about the use of incentives such as umbrellas, pens and shopping bags in direct mail, sparked by a recommendation earlier this month from a group of direct marketing agencies that charities should state how much such items cost. 

The research, which asked both regular givers and the general public what they thought about charity direct mail also, found that privacy was an important issue.

Over three quarters of charity supporters felt it was unacceptable for charities to swap names and addresses with each other to get more donors, with the same number saying they wanted some say about how often charities contacted them.

Ignoring donors wishes could prove costly and 88 per cent said they would stop giving if a charity kept contacting them after being asked not to.

However, the research found little evidence that either the public or donors were unduly offended by shocking or distressing images in direct mail material.

Although 30 per cent of the general public surveyed thought such images were rarely or never acceptable, the majority of existing donors agreed it was acceptable to use them, but that charities should not exaggerate when trying to encourage giving.

The top 14 charities spend nearly £70m a year on direct mail, but the mechanism is currently under scrutiny as the Institute of Fundraising awaits the results of an extended consultation into direct mail before publishing the first ever code of practice for the mechanism. The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) research will feed into the consultation.

Jon Scourse, chief executive of the FRSB, said: “Members of the FRSB will have to abide by this code when it is developed, so it needs to be workable and have considered the views of the public who are recipients of this method of fundraising.”

The FRSB research was conducted in two parts, through a question in nfpSynergy’s charity awareness monitor of the general public, and through a questionnaire sent out to existing donors at eight FRSB member charities.

For more detailed analysis of the results, see the Direct Marketing Spotlight On ...