Working the phones without being a nuisance

It is difficult to criticise a charity for going the extra mile to raise funds for a given cause and documentary makers at Dispatches faced just this dilemma when sending undercover reporters into agencies working on behalf of organisations including the RNIB (see news).

The openness of scripts used and the amount of pressure exerted on donors was called into question and one Channel 4 reporter was eventually let go for not been quite tenacious enough.

Outsourcing such activities to external call centres, as in wider industry, is nothing new, but the integrity of charities such as the RNIB and respect for the generosity of donors should be carefully protected.