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.

With the New Year barely off the starting blocks, the gloom-mongers are hard at work.

Marketers are working longer hours, we’re told, because of increasing client pressure, a point taken further by Seth Godin in his workaholic post. Data protection issues loom even larger following various highly disturbing public sector breaches and a red-faced Jeremy Clarkson, who proved that even the serious business of data security had its funny side.And companies will have to shape up and deliver on those promises if green marketing isn’t to end up being merely the bandwagon of all bandwagons. Over it all hangs the small but darkening spectre of US recession fears.

At Eclipse we’re a ‘glass half full’ agency and refuse to be downhearted by any of this. Instead of wasting time worrying, we’ll be helping our people work more effectively for clients and have a life, looking at our own data security procedures, and making sure we live our green credentials, not just talk about them. As for economic jitters from across the Atlantic, we’re with those who see the prospect of a global downturn as another opportunity - though we wouldn’t go as far as some, calling it a blessing in disguise.