St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. ABN: 28 911 702 061 RN: A0042727Y 43 Prospect Street Box Hill Vic 3128 Locked Bag 4800 Box Hill Vic 3128 Telephone: (03) 9895 5800 Facsimile: (03) 9895 5850 Email: info@svdp-vic.org.au Website: www.vinnies.org.au/vic
Letter to the Editor 12 January 2010
St Vincent de Paul Society rejects breached privacy allegati ons BEGINS St Vincent de Paul Society rejects allegations it has breached the privacy of its donors (Charity ‘breached’ privacy, The Age, 12 January). The mailing being questioned was not directed to existing Society donors. It was not even distributed in Victoria. It was designed to acquire new donors in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and was mailed to a list of consenting addresses provided by Acxiom. The survey included with the mailing was designed to assess recipients’ understanding of homelessness and our work, and provided an opportunity to opt out of a response. We have had a strong, positive response to the mailing. The donations and new donor information will allow us to further refine our fundraising practice – and continue our work with the 1.8 million Australians who reach out to us for assistance. Naturally we will continue to review the effectiveness of this program and our procedures so we can continue to meet the expectations of Society members and our supporters. Syd Tutton National President St Vincent de Paul Society Australia PO Box 243 Deakin West ACT 2600 ENDS