The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 8 “Love is friendship caught on fire.” Northern Exposure One of the core lessons of leadership and management is that people can only take so much change. So, on Read more…
Having celebrated over 30 years in fundraising (which probably qualifies me to be a really boring old fart) I find myself wondering whether anything has really changed in fundraising apart from social media – which Read more…
The New Lexicon of Fundraising: Part 5 “One loyal friend is worth 10,000 relatives.” Euripides We are all familiar with the normal division used in a direct marketing or individual giving teams: acquisition, development and Read more…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This is a blog special for fundraising managers (and for fundraisers who have the ambition to take over the position of their manager as soon as possible….). I’m going to convince you that, unless you Read more…
My friend Marianne accused me of living in “Karen Land,” a place where everything is perfect and there are no obstructions to success. “The rest of us,” she said, “live in reality.” She’s right. When Read more…
Today is the 67th Independence Day of India. Such milestones are good time to reflect on the past and forecast the way forward. Hence I will focus on fundraising insights from India, one of the countries that are generating tremendous fundraising interest globally. These reflections are based on my ‘on-the-ground’ experiences working with non-profit leaders, fundraisers, corporate decision makers as well as donors and philanthropist in India and across Asia. (more…)
It’s tragically ironic that ‘Relationship Fundraising’ comes of age in a year when donor retention is at an all time low. When Ken Burnett published his book 21 years ago his definition read: “Relationship fundraising Read more…
Not long after the start of the current great recession a bright young man from deep inside the British Government came to see me, to talk about how volunteer boards in the UK might be strengthened and improved. He told me that scheduled government cuts mean politicians will want to transfer yet more government responsibilities to the voluntary sector. He talked about contracts and capacity and increased flexibility of funding for local authorities, and things like that. Basically what was on the table was less money for all and more central abdication of social provision. But he was worried that, rather obviously, the voluntary sector doesn’t have the capacity to take on more. (more…)
In my experience, often in fundraising departments no-one actually has the word retention in their job title. Not so for acquisition. Retention often hides behind the skirts of other programs. It’s hinted at in words Read more…
As the Institute of Fundraising, UK, celebrates thirty years of championing excellence in fundraising, I have created a new presentation with fresh thinking on what we have learnt in thirty years and which learning people Read more…
Everyone in the sector is trying to tell their story. The power of storytelling was showcased earlier this month when 20 well known fundraisers shared tales that had inspired them at SOFII’s ‘I Wish I’d Thought of That’ (or, in my case, ‘I Wish I’d Gone to That’!)
But if everyone does it how’s yours going to stand out? (more…)
“The more one knows, the more one can control events” Francis Bacon Do you ever wonder if there’s a better way you could use your limited resources? Or if your fundraising results could be higher Read more…
