Today I have read a number of letters which WER has received from both existing donors and people responding to a first request from WER for a donation.

|PIC1|It is important for me to have that constant 'feel' as to what is going on and how people perceive WER and the work we seek to do.

I read these in the context of a number of emails received from programme partners in Burundi, Guatemala, Jordan and Uganda.

The letters included: 'Being an old age pensioner I find it hard to support all the charities who contact me. Here is £5 which I hope will help feed some of the children.'

Another said: 'I do not like you sending the calendar as this is a complete waste of money. Do not send me the calendar again or I will stop supporting you.'

Each year we mail out a calendar that illustrates some of the projects we support. It is in fact our most successful fundraising tool and brings in the greatest amount of net income each year.

Other donors write in thanking us, as the calendar encourages them to pray for the children and families WER supports.

The final letter said, 'I also note that you use a 0870 telephone number. Christian charities should not use these to fleece their donors.'

Often it is the Christian donors who are the most aggressive in their complaints.

Fundraising is not straightforward or easy. Alongside these letters is one email from a partner in Guatemala which tells us that, unless more money can be found, the disability project they operate may have to close.

It's a sharp reminder of the constant pressure our UK-based team is under to raise funds in order to keep hugely valuable projects in business. Yet today it's harder than ever. There is more competition for donations and as a small charity it's increasingly tough to catch a potential donor's attention and keep it.

Another challenge is how to raise funds for the less popular projects. Our experience shows that some projects are easier to fundraise for than others. For example, fundraising for disability projects is always tough. I've never understood why, as the work undertaken in this area is so important and valued.

Another challenging area is our work supporting Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria. Many are Christians who have fled from persecution and death. It is not easy to publicise and in any case many people in the UK are tired of hearing about Iraq.

Reading some of the complaints can be frustrating but we do need to respect our donors and value their feedback. Sadly, responding to the urgent cries of help from our programme partners is not always possible.

Easy ... no ... but, thank God, I would not want to be doing anything else at this moment.

About Alex Haxton:

Alex has been Director of Operations at Christian humanitarian agency World Emergency Relief (WER) for the past seven years and before that worked as a consultant to the charity.

His business career was spent in the catering equipment industry for over 20 years before he moved on to Christian ministry which is how he first came to go to Africa.

A few months spent at Roffey Place Christian Centre brought a more radical change than anticipated, and it was there that Alex met a Pastor from Burundi who became a central influence on his life, even to this day.

He has since worked in Christian ministry, which he describes as "a call of God we must not ignore".

It was the work in Burundi and Rwanda, post genocide, which eventually brought Alex into contact with WER as he sought funding for relief and medical work in those countries. He remains heavily involved with humanitarian and development work worldwide through WER.

About World Emergency Relief:

World Emergency Relief is a non-denominational, global fellowship of Christians, working together, and with others, to help people in need. Underlying World Emergency Relief's efforts are God's love for this WORLD He created, the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic EMERGENCIES afflicting millions, and the RELIEF we can bring to hurting people, especially children, thanks to God's unending mercy coupled with the generosity of our donors.


www.wer-uk.org