Perplexed by The Great Red Cross Giveaway

[HourglassTigger]

In the post today a veritable Xmas Stocking’s worth of unsolicited goodies from the British Red Cross; 2 x [decent quality,’ ‘The Snowman’ ] Christmas Cards + envelopes, Snowman bookmark, full set of snowman coasters, and a pen. As it so happens I have more than enough of all the above spilling out me drawers already. Anyone else on the receiving end today and similarly underwhelmed? I wondered might we persuade the Red Cross to send all the pens to Flobird instead?

There was surely a begging letter in along with all the gubbins - but it must have got lost in the giddy excitement of opening everything. What is the deal here - am I meant to now feel morally obliged to furnish them with my bank details? Because instead I feel that if I were an existing donor I’d be raging purple at them squandering funds on such extravagent gestures.

This said I do like to stuff a British Heart Foundation Santa Sack for them come Boxing Day - so I guess its a delicate judgement call for the charidies.

I'm new to Mumsnet and conscious there must have been countless threads on this theme over the years, but I'm genuinely curious: Who responds positively to this style of appeal?

[Rinoachicken]

I agree with you!

[BYOSnowman]

I get this from save the children and Red Cross. Really pisses me off as I can't get them to stop and I won't donate now so they have effectively lost money on me now!

[cleaty]

I agree with you, and it is a real shame because The Red Cross do brilliant work. But it seems a very poor way to fundraise.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

What is the deal here - am I meant to now feel morally obliged to furnish them with my bank details? Because instead I feel that if I were an existing donor I’d be raging purple at them squandering funds on such extravagent gestures. Yes, and as an existing donor, yes.

I gave them money in the first place because they were excellent in a snowstorm we had. They went out onto the streets and made sure that the homeless people there had beds for the night. They were out in the freezing cold and probably saved lives. They almost lost the money because the young woman who came to my door asking for money for the International Red Cross, hearing my British accent said, "It's Canadians helping Canadians". Bloody idiot.

Their work is great, their fund raising is awful.

[Littlef00t]

It'll be carefully tested and researched to get the optimum return on investment. Sadly it does mean that many are giving money that is used to fund more fundraising than actually going to help.

[cleaty]

In Britain they lend vital equipment to terminally ill people. A relative who was diagnosed with cancer and died within 3 months, was loaned lots of equipment which meant she could stay at home and die. Everything from a hospital bed to a hoist. So I know first hand that they provide vital services.

[HourglassTigger]

Oh Cleaty, awkwardly I have personally benefitted from the Red Cross - both First Aid Training and their Event Support Services. Consequently have been a regular [tho never direct debit] donor. I get the 'you got to spend money to make money' principal. But the sheer abundance of unsolicited guff in that great fat envelope today just irked.

[cleaty]

It would really have annoyed me too.

[gallicgirl]

I can only hope they get lots of corporate sponsorship.

[trixymalixy]

I cancelled my direct debit to the Red Cross after the ten millionth phone call asking me to give more. They were calling once a week at a minimum. Totally counter productive.

[G1veMeStrength]

I agree. I give to DEC as a way of trying to avoid the hard sell waste.

[BestZebbie]

The free stuff is all calculated to encourage more donations in the future by creating a whole cascade of future times in your house/at work (pens/coasters/bookmarks) when you see the thing and think 'oh, the Red Cross'. This increases the chance that you will think of them first next time you want to donate to charity.
The cards work similarly - if you send one to someone else, that is like a personal recommendation of the charity to your friend, which is pretty much the most effective thing in promoting giving. Your friend might not yet be on their radar but then become a new donor.
It doesn't matter that nearly all the cards and coasters get binned - a certain percentage will get through and increase the donations by more than the value of the campaign (like oak trees making thousands of acorns to get one new oak tree) - the percentage that make it and how much value they add will be very accurately known.