The New Lexicon of Fundraising: Part 4 “Emotions are the lubricants of reason.” F.Yakob When you first become a fundraiser the focus is on techniques, channels and strategies, learning the art and craft of fundraising. Read more…
Fundraisers do talk a lot about their donors, relationships, the need (and right) to ask, the importance of saying thank you. The challenge of retention, and the importance of making supporters feel special. But we Read more…
For years I raised funds from major donors and legacy donors. “Relationship manager” my card said. I raised money and made friends. I still remember the personal stories donors told me, their motives to donate, and the name of their pet. They remember me too, because I still get postcards, phone calls and warm greetings from some of them, although I have been working for another charity for almost 2 years now. It was my job to build a long lasting relationship between the donor and the charity and I delivered. They still donate to MSF. (more…)
The New Lexicon of Fundraising: Part 3 “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.” Buddha So having looked at the very core Read more…
I’m tired of hearing about the ‘economic crisis’ as a reason for not achieving fundraising targets. It’s what it is. It’s the new normal.
The charities that are achieving and exceeding targets today are the ones that accept this new normal and are responding to the needs of their supporters.
This is especially true in corporate partnerships. Companies no longer have budgets for making donations to charities in the same way that they did 5 or ten years ago. Their world has changed. They have to work smarter and leaner. (more…)
And why you should aim to get fan mail. It’s striking: Fundraisers seem to completely ignore the people that love their organizations and causes the most: Those who deliver your services, run your soup kitchens, Read more…
The New Lexicon of Fundraising; Part 2 Change your words, change your mind, change your outlook, change your actions and change the world. In this second challenge piece on the words we use to describe Read more…
In the year 2000 my charity employer sent me on a course. Brand new to fundraising, many of the ideas were extremely useful. And I was impressed by a neat system which our tutor gave Read more…
I’ve just got back from the wonderful IFC conference in Holland. Tuesday to Friday was a blur of chats, sessions, drinks, chats, more sessions and a lot of laughs. The IFC is one of my Read more…
Thoughts from IFC 2013 Whichever numbers you look at, from whichever angle you look, retention rates in our sector are appalling. Why? Well have you ever thought that the way we bring people in is Read more…
As someone who has recently gone through the fundraising recruitment machine, I have been amazed at the number of national and large charities who handle recruitment of their fundraisers badly.
Any recruitment agency will tell you that finding the right candidate is all that matters, but bearing in mind that the recruitment process for that candidate will help to shape their view of the organisation, I have been scratching my head sometime trying to work out what is expected of me as a potential candidate. (more…)
At the IFC this week I will be presenting a completely new session on changing your mind-set, changing your words and changing the way you think about fundraising. A powerful set of challenges to begin Read more…
Legacy fundraising can be a tough job… along with the difficulties colleagues, including other fundraisers, often have in really understanding how this area of fundraising works, there can be the constant pressure to measure KPIs Read more…
When on holiday recently in Iceland on a remote, deserted road I saw two sheep being hit by a truck. I stared aghast as one twitched and quivered in its death throes, paralysed on its Read more…
“Everybody who donates to our organization is a friend to us. We make no difference in how we treat our donors.” It’s about a year ago when Eveline Aendekerk, executive director of dance4life, said this to me. At first I thought she shared this as her ‘vision on fundraising’ to me, as a lot of fundraisers do. But she went on and told me about the friends4life concept. And I learned that when Eveline talks about her donors as her friends, she means it literally. (more…)
There are statistics and numbers that stay on your mind for months and constantly challenge your assumptions. One of the numbers that keeps me awake at night (seriously!) is the ratio 6 vs. 59. Yes, you know, or you should know, this is the % of customer attrition in the commercial world vs. the nonprofit sector, according to Bloomerang. (more…)
Identifying those crucial supporter insights that underpin all great new fundraising products In preparing for our Innovation Masterclass at the IFC, Andrew Bathgate of Good Innovation, Rob Cummins of ActionAid UK and myself were clear Read more…
Earlier this year, the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non Profit Studies (ACPNS) at QUT released research examining leadership and fundraising in Australia. While this study highlighted some positive themes there were also significant concerns Read more…
Now here’s a thing I don’t understand. I’ve picked it from a very long list of things I don’t understand which includes; differential equations (obviously), how to get jam to set properly (recent problem), and Read more…
“How are we going to bring in more money? Let’s get creative, folks!”
Employees at nonprofit organizations of varying shapes and sizes have heard this from upper management in one way or another. There are only so many sources of fundraising revenue, and traditional foundation grants, corporate grants, and annual appeals can become stale very quickly. (more…)
In my first blog ‘Simple Retention Calculation that packs a powerful punch’ I talked about the importance of setting targets that will lead you to grow your supporter base and suggested a way to set Read more…
As fundraisers we all know the importance of the board… getting trustees engaged and on-side is vital as you strive to communicate the success of current campaigns and appeals (thus maintaining, or increasing, budget allowance), explain in a minute amount of time exactly why this return on investment is good for a certain type of fundraising and that results from recent investment in a legacy campaign are not expected immediately (this would be a rather sinister twist!) (more…)
The one thing we didn’t guard well was the treasured book itself. There’s a lot that I recall with affection from my first fundraising job. But one thing I remember particularly fondly – the good Read more…
Today I want to share what I think is the single most important ingredient for fundraising success. This ingredient can make it, or break it. It’s the multiplier effect. It’s the most powerful element in your Read more…
So, in a few weeks time, it’ll be my birthday, yet again, and I’m getting a little uncomfortable with how close 30 has become. I’m well aware that age is just a number, but the Read more…
