Propelling your organization to double-digit growth, exponential mission impact, and leadership in your movement, there are only a few strategies that consistently make the grade. Focus on major gifts from all sources Make individual giving 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 are writing about upgrading, cross selling and cash gifts. Why these three? I covered retention separately in my two blogs (here and here) on relationship fundraising and (here) on recruitment. These three are the Read more…
Blue ocean strategy is an alternative way of approaching strategy that’s about creating new markets (a blue ocean) instead of competing in existing markets (a red ocean). This distinction is of fundamental importance to fundraisers Read more…
For almost as long as I’ve been a fundraiser, I’ve struggled with the disconnect between the notion that more donors equals more funds raised and the reality – that I’ve seen too often – that the Read more…
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…
Evaluating activity v/s performance In my last post , I shared my insights on the importance of making Optimism an actvity (yes! not just an attitude) to impact fundraising performance. In this post, I 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…
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…
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…
What will the charity landscape look like in 2035? That’s a question we ask ourselves a lot lately. Economic crises, changing consumer behavior and new forms of entrepreneurship force organizations to change. If you take Read more…
Do you remember being 6 years old? Did you ever experience the 20:2 principle? 20:2 is, when as a child, you show your parents or your teacher your math homework. There were 20 questions. You Read more…
I’ve had a mountain to climb.
This is not a metaphor. In reality, I had six mountains to climb. In three days. With virtually no sleep. It started on Friday 3 July. Eventually we climbed eight mountains. I’m 53. It still hurts. A lot.
Of course, it was a fundraising challenge (really no need for you to give unless you want to feel great). (more…)
Choose one:
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…
Last year I became an accidental marathoner. I entered the New Year as a recently quit ex-smoker and instead of simply getting rid of the cigarettes I decided to put something into the vacuum they left 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…
We have a unique profession, and one that very few of us plan to choose when we begin our careers. Many of us stumble on to a job as fundraisers, fall in love, and never Read more…
So what’s the problem? Income – expenditure = profit. This is one of the fundamentals for anyone in business. However, when these same business people come into a charity’s trustees meeting, profit, or net income Read more…
How many of you have been frustrated by the hype of the ‘next big thing’? Our whole sector experienced it last year when #nomakeupselfie and the #icebucketchallenge took off – ‘create a campaign just like 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…
Some months ago someone asked me why I spend so much time preparing the right set of questions for an interview panel. I told him that we only have one chance of doing this right. Read more…
Six major international development charities were asked a very simple question; “what’s the reason donor’s support you and not your competitors?” Each gave their answer. A cross section of their donors was asked a similar question; 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…
