The Parkinson’s Diseases Society (PDS) has recorded its most successful direct mail appeal, exceeding targets by more than a third.

The charity launched a direct mail campaign focusing on the fact that scientific research is entering a critical stage. The campaign ran during Parkinson’s Awareness Week at the end of April.

Children’s charity the NSPCC is launching a fundraising direct marketing campaign to highlight its work to support young witnesses in domestic abuse cases, who are often accused of lying.

The campaign is designed to encourage existing donors to upgrade their regular donations, give a cash gift or to start donating again if they stopped.

Mental health charity ‘Mind‘ is using male service user case studies in a direct mail fundraising appeal to coincide with its Mind Week men’s mental health campaign launching next week, which is being backed by Stephen Fry and Alistair Campbell.

The direct mail appeal is aiming to raise about £60,000 from a mailing to 35,000 donors who have given a small or medium size donation in the past.

Direct mail was the reason for most complaints made by members of the public according to the first annual review carried out by the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB).

31.1% of total complaints received by the FRSB related to direct mail, 21.17% related to data protection issues and 21.1% to telephone fundraising. This came as a bit of a surprise, as it was expected that most complaints about fundraising would be about face to face situations, but only 13.6% of total complaints were made about this.

The report goes on to say that direct mail is causing concern and problems for many charities and supporters, but in its first year, the FRSB, set up to provide the charity sector with a self-regulatory body, seems to having a significant impact. Public trust and confidence in charity fundraising is crucial and the major responsibility of the FRSB is to be the voice of the public and ensure that sector codes of fundraising practice takes its interest into account.

This was the first time ever that the public’s attitudes to direct mail have been sought and their feedback has been sent to the Institute of Fundraising.