Madam, - I was very disappointed to read Shane Hegarty's item on street fundraising, entitled "Chuggers", in his new "encyclopaedia of modern Ireland" (Magazine, April 2nd).
Not only does he use over-emotive language but he shows little knowledge of how face-to-face fundraising in Ireland actually works. For example, he refers to the "sniper alley of chuggers" who "station themselves within walking distance of cash machines". Our fund-raisers are employed to represent charities by signing up long-term donors through monthly direct debit. Any proximity to banks is pure coincidence.
No cash changes hands between donors and our fundraisers on the street, and donation details collected on the fundraisers' mandates are sent direct to the charity for processing.
The reality of fundraising today in Ireland is that charities now have to go out and actively recruit donors, as they are unable to rely on enough people volunteering. By signing up for monthly direct-debit donations on the street, people have been generously helping charities to make a difference, not only today and tomorrow, but also over the next few years or even decades.
Charities use a wide range of fundraising tools, of which street fundraising is one, in order to secure enough income to continue their vital work. Different fundraising techniques work for different audiences, and street fundraising is proven to be particularly effective at recruiting new, young donors who do not traditionally respond to other expensive and sometimes risky forms of appeal, such as direct mail, TV and press advertisements, where there is no guaranteed return on financial outlay.
Moreover, your readers might like to know that as face-to-face fundraising has grown over the past year, the industry has recognised the need for self-regulation: a new professional organisation, the Fundraising Forum for Direct Recruitment was set up in 2004 to oversee face-to-face and door-to-door fundraising activity across the country.
Its membership is made up mostly of charitable organisations and a handful of agencies working in this field. As well as drawing up a code of ethics which all members have agreed to abide by, the body is also looking at ways to engage and educate the public, donors, the media and authorities about the advantages to charities of this type of fundraising. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN KEILTHY,
Managing director,
Face2Face
Fundraising Ireland,
Dublin