# Cut the clutter on off-the-page fundraising

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/04/27/cut-clutter-offthepage-fundraising/
- Published: 2011-04-27T09:25:57+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

It is time to cut the clutter on fundraising appeals, argues marketing and advertising
consultant Andrew Papworth in his latest monthly newsletter. “Off-the–page fundraising
is fast becoming a junk yard of logos, codes, reference numbers and other clutter”,
he writes in the May issue of ‘Harvest’ newsletter, published next week.

The newsletter highlights the problem facing art directors of the ever-growing number
of graphics and textual information made necessary by statutory and voluntary regulatory
bodies and the increasing demands of hi-tech communications.

Logos and graphics you are likely to see on fundraising appeals include the Fundraising
Standards Board tickbox, the Gift Aid logo, the Direct Debit logo, the Direct Marketing
Association logo, and perhaps even a QR code.

## Advertisement

“It’s hard to know what can be done to cut down the clutter,” said Papworth “because
of the demands of modern payment methods and the need to allay donors’ concerns 
about bad practice; but graphic designers could certainly help if they designed 
their logos to take up as little space as possible whilst achieving their objectives.”

The newsletter also features praise for a Water Aid advert that makes a virtue of
text giving, a good idea from the Labour Party for personalising mailshots, suggestions
for using QR codes more imaginatively, and analysis of two adverts featuring trees
that “fail to make their points”.

Andrew Papworth has been a freelance marketing and advertising consultant for many
years. He used to run the Charity Monitor on behalf of the RNLI and syndicated its
findings to several other major charities. His Harvest newsletter features issues
relating to advertising, marketing and communications as they affect charities. 
It is available free on request either as a hard copy by mail or as a pdf.

www.andrewpapworth.co.uk

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