Preview for IFC session by Charlie Hulme and Ken Burnett ‘How to make relationship fundraising work for you and your donors’ One of the biggest mistakes many in our sector are making in response to 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…
I’ve just been watching the movie, Selma. It tells the story of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King and his frustration at the slow pace for bringing about change and the right Read more…
Our sector’s never taken the kind of media mangling it took earlier this month. (For anyone outside the UK who doesn’t know what I’m talking about quickly Google ‘Fundraising in the UK’. You will see Read more…
“Wow. There are a lot of very clever, experienced and influential people here.” That was my first thought as we sat down to host the first Audience Future of Fundraising debates. This was followed by 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…
I just finished re-reading “Deep Dive” by Rich Horwath, a book about strategic thinking. It reminded me how important that competency is to successful major gift work. There are lots of conversations on and offline Read more…
If you knew there was a pile of money that people wanted to give to you that you weren’t getting, wouldn’t you commit some time and energy to getting it? Yes, fundraisers, I know you Read more…
You can’t do that. **** Last week, Olive Cooke killed herself by jumping off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol UK. The Coroner has not yet established the cause of death, but her family has Read more…
A devastating earthquake hits Nepal. Many people are killed, and tens of thousands are without shelter, clean water and food. International organisations from nation states, UN and NGOs respond fast. People all over the world Read more…
This is the first of two blogs looking comprehensively, and provocatively, at the state of relationship fundraising. In this first blog, we define relationship fundraising, and look at its implications, strengths and weaknesses. In the Read more…
(And they’re all about your audience) There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tactics we can apply to get better fundraising results. But what are the big things that make the really big differences? 1. You’re Read more…
Across the charity sector we literally spend days on the creation of boardroom presentations, we meet for hours in cross-functional working groups, and the other half of the day we’re either in one-on-one or team Read more…
‘Hate’ would be too strong a word. I really just think we can all do so much better. I know every charity that sends a welcome pack to new donors has the best of intentions. Read more…
I do it every year. Think about what I want to do differently in the months ahead. Lose weight. Exercise more. Learn a language. Be a more effective manager. Listen. January finds me strong and Read more…
With 2014 drawing to a close, for many of us thoughts turn to what 2015 has in store. It’s an ideal time to get inspiration from some of the fundraising industry’s brightest brains. And what Read more…
In many occasions fundraisers manage stand-alone direct mail campaigns, telemarketing campaigns or any other channel-campaigns. With hardly any idea whether the timing and proposition are suitable to the supporter, but just because they fit general Read more…
“Oh no, no another post on retention” I can hear you crying…
Is it not something out of the Middle age of fundraising? Is it not really common sense?
A prompt acknowledgment and thank for the donation, a regular update on what the donation has helped to achieve (and don’t forget to ask again!) and voila the donors are ours forever, isn’t it like that? Not really. (more…)
I grew up in that profoundly awkward era where we all had landlines and nobody had mobile phones. When I phoned a girl I was trying to woo it was paralysingly scary – one of her parents may well have answered and I’d have to deal with that.
That was bad…but even now, where we essentially have a direct line to anyone, making that call can be terrifying. Maybe that’s why so many people try to avoid picking up the phone? (more…)
To fundraisers, hearing the word ‘no’ can be a little jarring. Sometimes even a little awkward.
As a direct marketer, it’s never bothered me so much. In many ways, crassly it’s a numbers game. For me, ‘no’ simply means, “there’s nothing to see here”.
And on I move. Looking for more and better ways to find people who say ‘yes’.
Until recently. (more…)
It all boils down to “the ask”, doesn’t it? All the phone calls, lunches, meetings, tours, events, trips; all that cultivation, it’s all fun and games until the ask.
People give money because they care about the cause, because they feel a duty to give, because they want to make a difference, but the most important reason people give is because they are asked. (more…)
Why?
It is 22 years since Ken Burnett published the seminal book “Relationship Fundraising”. Everyone claims to have read it. Most people now call themselves a relationship fundraiser, yet almost no-one is actually implementing the core ideas in Ken’s book. Why?
Professor Adrian Sargeant has proved beyond doubt that relationship fundraising increases lifetime value. Yet few of us could say how much we are spending on retaining donors. Why? (more…)
Is anyone’s loyalty programme actually working (and, just to clarify, I’m using the more traditional definition of ‘working’ as you used to lose loads of donors but now you don’t)?
I’ve never met anyone (who wasn’t selling such a programme) who could answer ‘yes’. But that doesn’t stop us squandering enormous amounts of time, energy and money on an entirely unproven ‘best’ practise that’s making things worse. I know several fundraising directors who know for sure retention got worse after they introduced their loyalty programmes. But they continue to run them. It would be funny if it wasn’t tragic. 
(more…)
So, you have a new donor. What now?
“My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.”
Yankee Doodle Dandy
It all begins with two magical words; thank you. Not hard to say. Someone has gone out of their way to send you a donation, so the least you can do is take the time to respond properly. Don’t treat donations as simply items to be processed, no matter how big your mountain of mail. (more…)
In the magazine TRENDYSTYLE, I read an article titled: “How often do you call, how mobile is your love?” According to the article, couples in love call each other all day long. If a day passed without a call, stress and mistrust may set in quickly. This reminded me of the relationship between the donors and charities. How often do you actually call each other? I believe there are at least ten occasions when your donors may appreciate a call: (more…)
