Charities face an interesting few years

Yesterday Oxfam announced that it had appointed an agency to develop its legacy marketing to the Baby Boomers (whoever they are).

Charities and all types of organisations that depend on volunteers face an interesting period. On one hand they have loads of older people reaching the age that has historically been associated with ‘giving’ - on the other hand the new-old may not be destined to follow their parent’s generation in giving their time and money.

This is a subject I will be commenting about a lot more. Dick Stroud

Cancer Research targets over-50s in legacy push

Cancer Research is the UK’s largest charity dedicated to researching cancer. The press and radio campaign, created by WWAV Rapp Collins, carries the phrase "We will", with the call to action to contact the charity by either coupon, phone or online.

A key focus of the campaign is the over-50s audience. The media choice includes Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping and Saga, as well as radio stations Magic, Smooth FM and Classic FM. All good standard 50-plus stuff.

I will keep my eye on this campaign and post copies of the creative. Later in the year I am talking at a Legacy fund raising conference so this will make an interesting real-time case study. Dick Stroud

Let’s hope Help the Aged really is intune with the market

Help The Aged is to sell home insurance and other financial products to the "grey market".
The charity is to set up a financial services arm, Intune, selling insurance products (e.g. travel, home and motor insurance)

The charity hopes the £5m venture with insurer Liverpool Victoria will aim to be profitable within three years.

"Many companies are guilty of lumping the over 50s into one amorphous 'grey' market and being inflexible or discriminatory with their products and services," said Anne Grahamslaw, Intune's managing director. You cannot argue with that!

Well Intune has been fortunate in having a real life case study of how not to appeal to the 50-plus market, with the Heyday disaster, so let’s hope it has learnt some of the lessons.

I just wonder if mixing charities with commercial ventures is fundamentally flawed. Time will tell. Dick Stroud

A grant for nonprofit organisations

My chums at Immersion Active have come up with an interesting offer.

The company has established the first Internet marketing grant for nonprofit organizations targeting mature consumers. Immersion Active will award one organization with a year long commitment to their strategic Internet marketing plan. If you want to apply you need to get moving since the deadline for applications is June 1.

The grant will allow one organization to collaborate with Immersion Active on things like: establishing a strategic Internet marketing plan; redesigning the organization's identity and redesigning of the website.

For more information, and to access to access a grant form. Dick Stroud