As professional fundraisers we often feel like fishermen. We dangle our best case messaging like bait over a pool of potential donors and wait patiently (or not so patiently) until they take it and make Read more…
The future of fundraising will no doubt be something we don’t even know about yet. You know, the next Big Thing. Of course, it’s going to be digital, isn’t it? Probably. Maybe. Or it could Read more…
Wouldn’t you like to relax and have a digital strategy that works, rather than chase the latest new social media channel and always wonder if you’re spending your time in the wrong place? You can Read more…
The year just passed will probably get, and deserve, some colourful descriptors from fundraisers, most of them uncomplimentary. In Britain particularly it was uncomfortable, to say the least. But as the year ended a number Read more…
On the real and virtual high streets of the UK, John Lewis – an employee owned UK department store – owns Christmas. The launch of the John Lewis Christmas advert has become an important part Read more…
We’re The Ripple Refugee Project, a group of private citizens in Toronto who’ve come together because we want to help refugee families start new lives in Canada.And under Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, that Read more…
The Resource Alliance’s International Fundraising Congress is hands down the best investment a fundraiser can make in their career and themselves. Every year, some of the best minds in fundraising gather in Noordwijk to elevate Read more…
There are many little details that drive great fundraising, but they count for nothing if the big idea is not right. This is evidenced. The ‘big idea’ is one of the trinity of big chunks Read more…
You’ll have to be my age or older if you know the name of Harold Sumption. And even then, you probably won’t. But you should. Harold was there at the beginning of modern fundraising. He Read more…
Beg, Borrow or Steal? Every charity I know of now has firmly embedded in its fundraising and marketing strategy an objective around ‘innovation’ and the need to develop new ideas, new target audiences or innovations Read more…
I’m likely preaching to the converted here. A group of fundraisers reading an international fundraising blog may not feel there are seismic shifts in the way people behave in different countries. And they’d be right Read more…
Crowdfunding is a powerful tool for non-profit organizations. After running several successful crowd fundraising campaigns, it is my believe that every non-profit, no matter how small or large, can and should run at least one Read more…
“Show a people as one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become”, said author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her thought-provoking TED talk on the danger of telling a single story. She Read more…
With a young family, my wife and I decided we couldn’t support Ebola in the field by me going to West Africa, so she suggested we embrace the Walk Without Borders campaign instead! We fundraised Read more…
Why we should all adopt the retiring Giles Pegram CBE* as our role model. The police officer was puzzled. The women driver appeared to be quite annoyed about the fact that he’d pulled her over. Read more…
You probably remember it much as I do: the white wristbands, the star-studded Live8 concert, the remarkable celebrity ‘finger click’ ads, Blair and Brown and the G8 summit engaged and involved. And all of it Read more…
It’s Sunday morning and I’m helping my 9 year-old son with his math homework. 60 sums, 10 seconds each, all in his head. By question 50 he gets frustrated as thoughts of Lego dominate. It’s Read more…
Have you heard about the ‘why’? And why it’s so important to find the ‘why’ of your organization in order to raise more money? I guess you do. You’ve probably read about it in books, Read more…
Christmas is the time when fundraisers get excited about the sound of a man or woman trudging through the snow struggling under the weight of a sack full of gifts. Only for us, it’s the Read more…
Answer: None of them started with fundraisers! Fundraisers here at IFC and all over the sector are raving about the spontaneous phenomena of the ‘No make-up selfie’ and the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’. But in our Read more…
By Francesco Ambrogetti and Derek Humphries ‘Ebola’ and ‘you’. These are probably not words you want to think about. Not in such close proximity. Not words any of us want to see so close to Read more…
I’m an unabashed direct marketer. Turned fundraiser. Or if we’re being pedantic, direct response fundraiser.
I live and die by results. It’s why (I think) our clients like working with us. No fluff, no window dressing. Just out and out obsession with producing great results.
Facetiously, it’s in part why I never really “got” events. When I started fundraising and met event fundraisers I felt uneasy when I was told that their event didn’t raise much cash but generated a “heap of awareness”, and “was great for stewarding some major donor prospects”. (more…)
Collecting Facebook pagelikes must not be your key objective any longer. In 2013, your focus should be on improving the interaction with your Fanbase. In this blog we’ll introduce IPP, an effective KPI to monitor Read more…
In 2011, I helped raise $30 million. In 2012, I helped raise $300,000. And I was just as proud. This was when I was on maternity leave. Toronto city council voted to close a number Read more…
© fallingfifth.com
If you work with creative agencies, there’s a good chance you will someday be involved in a pitch process.
I’ve been involved client-side in two separate pitches, each of which have taught me where I’ve made mistakes, and where a few good choices can make everything run smoothly for all involved.
Here are a few of the tips I’ve learned that I hope will be useful if you ever find yourself conducting an agency pitch. (more…)
