Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by The National Autistic Society [NTC 025]

The telephone is the single most successful way that—as a charity reliant on public donations—we raise money from individuals. Indeed it is far more successful than street, door, direct mail and other routes to market.

Last year alone we were able to recruit 1,469 new donors who all chose to set up a monthly gift to our charity. This may not seem many—but it grew the number of people giving regularly to us by 40% and is expected to provide us with c. £600,000 income over the next five years. Income that will be spent supporting people with autism and their families—people who are often at crisis point with nowhere else to turn.

What’s more it’s the best way we have of ensuring as many people as possible are part of the Gift Aid scheme, a further significant source of income.

By changing telephone to an opt in channel or any other extreme measures proposed this income can be expected to diminish significantly—in the above scenario I would be surprised if we were able to generate even a third of that income. So less people with autism and their families are supported when we already struggle to meet demand for our services due to funding shortfalls.

Please do not curtail our use of this marketing channel—I would implore you to fully consider the implications for society before making any changes.

August 2013