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NSPCC Baby Names Booklet

12 replies

Martini · 07/10/2005 20:46

Has anybody else been sent this piece of fundraising material from NSPCC?

Its a booklet called Baby Names. Looks innocent but when you look inside it is a series of case histories of children killed by their parents. I found it very shocking and unpleasant but it also made really angry.

Why? Because it was unsolicited,had no warning on the cover about what it might contain (there was a covering letter but this assumed that, as I did, you would look at the book first). It could have been sent to someone in a very vulnerable position e.g. someone with PND, someone who had just lost a child as a result of an accident.

I know that terrible things happen to children and would usually be happy to support organisations that are doing something to prevent it but this piece of fundraising material just made me feel really very cross. It is designed to shock but tells me almost nothing about what positive things NSPCC does.

I feel that sometimes charities are going too far in their efforts to raise money. It has certainly had the opposite effect on me - I wrote to them to complain.

Has anyone else had it? What did you think? I have complianed to NSPCC so would be interested to know if I am in a minority of one or whther others feel the same.

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startingtobehalloweenylover · 07/10/2005 20:51

i ahven't seen it. but i actually am getting sick of having stuff through the door from them.

maybe they should spend their money on helping kids instead of sending me crap every week

popadopalis · 07/10/2005 20:53

How awful. I can't believe that. I agree that it should at the very least have a warning on it. Haven't recieved that booklet just a survey from them in the past couple of days. I hope I don't get it but I will be aware of what it is if I do.

Martini · 07/10/2005 20:56

I have also had the survey. I thought it was rather patronising - unfortunately I threw it away before I got the baby names booklet. If I still had it I would have complained about that too.

Glad to hear I'm not alone in my views.

OP posts:
hester · 07/10/2005 21:04

I've always disliked the NSPCC's fundraising stuff.

Martini · 07/10/2005 21:14

Well they have gone a bit shock horror in recent years. Not like when I was a kid and pestered my family to put money in my blue egg so I could get another bluebird badge - did anyone else do that?

OP posts:
vickiyumyum · 07/10/2005 21:20

no sorry never heard of the egg thing.

i stopped my contribution to the nspcc as was constantly bombarded with mail from them asking for more money and enclosing a free pen so i could send it straight away!

BlondeinLondon · 07/10/2005 21:40

I got it. I thought it was awful and I would be more interested in what they propose to do with any donated funds.

Martini · 07/10/2005 21:46

Thats what I said to them in the letter I wrote. Of course if more people feel like me they won't get any donated funds ...

OP posts:
Caligula · 07/10/2005 21:47

They do it because it's successful.

Their donations have gone through the roof since they started the shock tactics.

But as with everything, it will eventually cease to be effective and they'll stop doing it and try something else.

startingtobehalloweenylover · 07/10/2005 21:51

shock tactics are ok... but this is way OTT

the adverts are shocking, but make you think.... this is unnecesarily nasty

netter · 07/10/2005 23:07

I had it too, it certainle made me think but there was a time when it would have really upset me.

I was cross about the fact that dd became very distressed at their advert on the TV the other week. They ran the full ad at 7.30pm, well before the watershed.

madmummyof2 · 24/10/2005 14:10

NSPCC get No government funding. every thing they do is paid for by the moeny we send them.

if you donate to them and feel bombarded with emaikls simply return teh email with teh word NO on the subject line and you shall be removed from the email list.

i am constantly getting junk mail from mail order companies i use ..i dont stop buying from tehm because tehy send it..if i dont like it i just bin it.

those case stories you read and were upset by were real. they were nto the thought up fiction of a highly paid writter. and i can assure you they were"cleaned up" for the add.

i worked for the NSPCC for 2 years and if you think that the very tame cases shown on adverts and leaflets are upsetting you shoudl go to their case library...pick up any brown file and read.

you will turn to your children, hug them as tighly as you can vowing never to let them out of your sight again and the empty your purse into an envelope in teh vain attempt to help prevent that happening to another child again.

It is a sorry fact that charities have to use highly emotive shock tacticts to get people moved enough to donate. if that booklet just detailed hwo tehy would spend their money you would not have posted here..i doubt you would have read teh info long enough to even thought about it.

if upsetting you for a few moments saves the life of one child then quite frankly...GOOD

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