Stephen Pidgeon sought to defuse the row between the Institute of Fundraising and the face-to-face community over a comment he made on a YouTube video promoting an Institute direct marketing event, by issuing a public apology – of sorts – at the start of the day’s proceedings.

Pidgeon (pictured), who chairs the Institute’s standards committee and is also founder, though no longer owner, of DM agency Tangible Response, riled some fundraisers earlier this month when he fronted a viral movie advertising the Institute’s DM conference.

At the end of the minute-long clip, Pidgeon exhorted viewers to “forget all other forms of fundraising, because DM is for you”.

The PFRA complained to the Institute about Pidgeon’s conflict of interest and responsibility to treat other fundraising techniques equally and the comment was hastily edited out of the video.

Rowena Lewis, head of fundraising and development for the Fawcett Society, had also posted a comment on Civil Society’s original story about the row: “I for one was taken aback to see a senior figure with high standing within the Institute of Fundraising make a public statement to ‘forget face-to-face and other forms of fundraising’ in my IoF e-bulletin last week.

“Would it be acceptable for a grants fundraiser to say forget DM, ROI in grants fundraising is significantly higher in a public statement from the IoF?

“I’m pleased to hear the IoF has edited the content.”

Pidgeon: 'I apologise profusely'

So, in his opening address to the conference this morning, Pidgeon asked how many people had seen the film – the answer was two – and then launched into an apology.

“I apologise profusely for making such a comment, which was clearly against the rules of the Institute, of which I am a trustee,” he began.  “Apparently some people, especially in the face-to-face community, were extremely upset that I should appear to denigrate other forms of fundraising.”

But his true feelings on the subject became clear in his concluding remark: “Quite why they should be so upset about what was obviously a throwaway comment I don’t know, but apparently I did offend them and so I apologise.”