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Fundraising mailings remain effective and impactful for Swiss nonprofits but at the same time can be viewed negatively by the public. President of Swissfundraising Hanspeter Bigler explains the issues, and how the fundraising association is working to promote ethical practices, including through the creation of its new award for Best Fundraising Mailing in Switzerland.
In June, Swissfundraising, the Swiss fundraising association, presented its first award for the ‘Best Fundraising Mailing in Switzerland’. Reputation effect on the sector and innovative strength were evaluated, as well as economic criteria such as average donation, and response or yield per item. However, the award stands out from other prizes in the fundraising community because the majority of the criteria relate to ethical principles and their implementation.
The Swissfundraising board’s decision to create such an award was based on the conviction that, on the one hand, fundraising mailings are and will remain a central instrument in the fundraising mix and greatly impact how the respective organisations are perceived, as well as the sector as a whole. On the other hand, despite the unbroken willingness to donate, there is increasing concern or even rejection of fundraising mailings among the Swiss population. These trends must be taken seriously and addressed.
Critical attitudes in the Swiss population
Six years ago, a study commissioned by Alliance Sud, an alliance of Swiss development organisations, showed that, in addition to identifying with the goals and work of aid organisations, the population also held some negative feelings towards the organisations themselves and particularly towards their fundraising.
Worryingly, this included negative stereotypes such as inefficiency or bureaucracy. Lack of transparency and authenticity due to exaggeration or oversimplification were also assumed, particularly in fundraising mailings. Rejection of the stereotype of misery and of the paternalistic narrative was also central. At the same time, the messages did not always seem to reach their audience as desired because the language was seen as often being technical, full of jargon and not very conversational. Furthermore, the study found that the credibility of fundraising mailings was in danger of dwindling if only success stories were communicated without self-criticism or discussion of challenges, problems and failures.
Ethical principles for strengthening donation mailings
The important insights gained in this study and the subsequent discussions led to the creation of the ‘Manifesto for Responsible Communication’. In 2020 Swissfundraising also took up the discussion with the aim of promoting ethical practice in fundraising mailings and thus simultaneously contributing to the long-term acceptance of this fundraising tool. The idea was to create an award for best practice examples to raise awareness in the industry. To this end, Swissfundraising has further developed the conclusions of Alliance Sud on ethical principles. The ethical principles for responsible fundraising summarise the aspects outlined above in eight points:
- The self-image and values of the organisation are communicated.
- The objectives of the work, its impact and how it is measured are made transparent.
- The language is appropriate for the target group, comprehensible and dialogue oriented.
- An authentic picture of the work and its context is conveyed.
- Contributors speak for themselves and are respectfully portrayed at eye level.
- Challenges, setbacks and problems are addressed self-critically.
- A sustainable solution perspective is shown.
- The communication is relevant for the addressees and mobilises them.
Practical outputs
Ethical principles only add value if they are implemented. What is needed is an implementation that analyses and evaluates the relevant means of communication; sets in motion an internal learning process with a further development of these means of communication and a proportionate effort that is also feasible for smaller organisations; and produces a result that is ethical in practice and not detrimental to fundraising.
Various organisations have already taken on this task. Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER) for example is attempting to operationalise its ethical principles in this way by means of an annual self-evaluation by those responsible for relevant communication and fundraising tools, such as campaigns, fundraising mailings, magazines, annual reports, websites and newsletters. These tools are evaluated in terms of their compliance with the ethical principles. However, external transparency is also important, i.e. providing information in a suitable form about the status of implementation and the challenges, e.g. in the annual report or in more detail in a corporate governance report.
Hanspeter Bigler
About Hanspeter Bigler
Hanspeter Bigler has been working in fundraising for 25 years in nonprofit organisations and also as a consultant. He is a member of the executive board of Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), heads the communication and mobilisation division and is deputy director. Since 2024, he has also been president of Swissfundraising, the Swiss fundraising association. Hanspeter Bigler studied ethics and political philosophy as well as contemporary history at the University of Fribourg/Switzerland, is a certified NPO manager VMI and holds a master’s degree in communication management.
Picture by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
