The hard sell

I suspect that I have been as disturbed as anyone by the tactics of charity fundraising agencies so much in the news recently.

I think what troubles me the most is the message they send out to anyone who is considering donating to any of our key UK charities.

It seems that many of the fundraisers seek to reward this generosity with a limitless barrage of requests for further donations to the original charity – as well as many other charities.

This negative and lazy marketing tactic is fundamentally short-sighted and unsustainable – to say nothing of being cruel and unethical – as it can only serve to discourage future donation. But I can’t help wondering whether the upsurge in these stories is related to wider reductions in government support for key causes.

This, alongside austerity-driven reluctance of individuals and organisations to give as generously as we once did.

No one can condone the bullying and borderline intimidation used by these call centres, but I think one can sympathise with the desperation of the charities who employ them.

Rocks and hard places come to mind.

David Stockton

Dalgety Avenue

Edinburgh