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Two large charities face 'spam' criticism
Howard Lake | 5 May 2003 | News
NFP TECHNO reports this month that e-mail marketing agencies for WWF and RSPCA have sent the charities’ messages to some people who had not opted in to receive them.
The May 2003 issue of NFP TECHNO asks: “what I really want to know is how WWF have associated themselves with a company that appears not to employ ethical standards in the collection of e-mail addresses.”
NFP TECHNO featured the story because its editor had himself received the unsolicited message from WWF asking for a membership payment.
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WWF is reported to be “extremely sorry” that its agency advertising.com exceeded its brief and that it is no longer working with it. NFP TECHNO concludes “I think it would be nice to see some form of apology appear on the respective websites but I’m not holding my breath!”
UK Fundraising’s editor also received an unsolicited WWF e-mail appeal on 17 April, addressed to an e-mail address that is never used to sign up for newsletters. Not surprisingly the message could manage only “Dear” and then a blank for my name – a good indication that the address was gathered without the owner’s permission or any accompanying details.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.