Newspaper Christmas appeal includes regular gift ask for first time

A full page colour advert in The Guardian's G2 supplement for its Christmas charity appeal today included a request for a regular gift. "£15 a month will save a life" was the first line of the appeal. "To make a regular or one off donation" it adds further down the page.

This is a considerable development for newspaper charity appeals. Until now they have focused on one-off gifts, with most of them including a Gift Aid declaration.

For a national newspaper to heed the advice of fundraisers at its beneficiary charity/ies is a very encouraging move. Giving donors the option of regular or single gifts should be standard practice on newspaper appeals, but it isn't, so congratulations to the Guardian.