Charity representations of distant ‘others’ in direct mailouts: time for a rethink?

(Image of Sightsavers mailout – Charity Direct Mail Database)In an era of shrinking aid budgets, economic instability and intense competition for donor attention, charities are under significant pressure to distinguish themselves and cut-through an increasingly oversaturated market.

In this context, how they communicate their work is often more a matter of survival than style, and has become  central to securing funding and remaining operational. This has led organisations to adopt increasingly innovative – and sometimes controversial – strategies, many of which have come under intense recent scrutiny.