Christmas

If you have had enough of all the doom and gloom stories about falling income trends, lapsed major donors and cancelled direct debits I have just the thing to lift your spirits and make you smile.

If it’s nearing Christmas it must be A Time for Virtual Gifts.

I guess from the professional fundraiser’s perspective I am new to the charity sector (I have been with telephone fundraisers Premier Contact for only 5 or 6 weeks!),

And you thought it was just the nude (or near nude) charity calendars that raised eyebrows...

If you are planning to use online auction website eBay to raise funds in the run-up to Christmas, now is the time to get started. EBay's charity partner MissionFish is launching a Christmas charity microsite next week.

According to Nick Aldridge, chief executive of MissionFish UK, almost 1,000 charities use the site, raising an average of £6,000 each per year.

www.missionfish.org.uk

And the first 2007 charity Christmas card catalogue to arrive this year comes from... East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). It arrived this morning.

Crisis is already urging companies to avoid sending printing Christmas cards this year. In a newspaper advert it is even offering them an incentive to do so.

The first charity Christmas catalogue to hit our doormat arrived this morning, courtesy of WWF.

Modern ethics are increasingly tricky. Is it really good to give beneficiary presents to your friends and family at Christmas?