Arise Sir Local Hero…

January 10, 2011 Leave a comment

UK Fundraising’s blog post on this year’s (2011) New Year Honours list highlighted the fact that three quarters of those to have received an honour this year are local heroes.  I don’t know about you, but I’m pleased to hear that.  I suspect though, that the majority of them were offered MBEs or CBEs rather than becoming Dame Such and Such or Sir Blah de Blah – both of which seem to be reserved for sportsmen and women or actors.

Personally, I think more honours should go to those who tirelessly and for no personal gain go out of there way to support their local communities or to raise the profile of a cause close to their hearts.  Year after year, we hear how someone is being awarded for services to sport, theatre or film – which is largely them being awarded for doing their job, isn’t it? 

I don’t want to sound churlish – and I’m not disputing that there are some fine actors and sportsmen and women out there – but presumably, they want to be top of their game anyway, so it’s not been an entirely selfless act to get there.  Not like running the local youth club in a run-down estate or providing support for local elderly people either as a volunteer or as an employee doing a job with very little pay and without much complaint or need for recognition.

So, personally, I say ‘well done local champions’.  Let’s see more of them being honoured in the future.

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Remember Trustee Week!

October 28, 2010 Leave a comment

As I mentioned in a previous post, this is Trustee Week, an initiative launched by the Charity Commission in England and Wales to encourage people to consider becoming charitable trustees and board members.  While the initiative itself only covers England and Wales, it is something worth considering no matter where you are based.  Charities need a broad range of skills and individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds in order to help them operate effectively, while board members themselves can gain a wide range of skills.

Becoming a trustee can help you to enhance your skills, gain new experiences, meet a broad range of people, increase your confidence and communication skills, all while giving you the opportunity to support a charity whose work you have an affinity with.

If you’re interested, you can start by looking at the SCVO and NCVO Trustee Bank websites for a list of trustee opportunities.

So why not give some consideration to becoming a trustee of a local organisation that you support? 

 

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How Can You Fundraise with Limited Resources?

October 27, 2010 Leave a comment

Well, my first piece of advice would be to download my free Top 10 Tips on Fundraising!

The limited resources in the title of this post refer to staff and time as opposed to money, as fundraising on a small scale shouldn’t cost you a huge amount of money.  It will, however, cost something, even if it’s only factoring in the time of the person delivering your fundraising needs, postage and stationery.  However, if you are intending to raise a large portion of your annual income, you really need to consider making a proper investment in fundraising by either recruiting a fundraiser or paying a freelancer to fundraise for you.  Either way, if no-one has any experience of fundraising in your organisation and you want to make this a regular aspect of your income, you should consider getting professional advice to help with your planning and organisation.

However, many small organisations need to raise money to deliver a few key projects and need to use the resources available to them to achieve this.  Perhaps you have some resources to invest in a freelance fundraiser?  Or maybe recruit a part-time member of staff?  But what if neither option applies?  In that case, you need to consider who in your organisation has the skills and time to fundraise for you.  And fundraising for your organisation will include researching potential donors; identifying key projects that you need and, as important, that will appeal to potential donors; developing a case for support for your organisation – why should a donor give funding to you, what will you use it for, how much do you need and when do you need it by; writing fundraising bids and meeting with potential donors – and of course, writing thank you letters and follow up reports.  You may have a member of staff who can take on this role – or a few who can split the workload between them.  Or perhaps you have a volunteer or board member with experience (or the willingness and necessary skills) to develop this for you? 

Where do you go from there?

My top 3 tips would be:

  1. Decide who is responsible for fundraising in your organisation – and make sure they have the time available to achieve your fundraising aims
  2. Get Organised – look at your systems and determine how they will support your fundraising (and develop some new ones for fundraising, such as looking after your donors)
  3. Make sure your messages are clear and consistent – your fundraising should sit well with your overall vision and objectives or donors won’t understand who you are and what you are aiming to achieve.

Do you have any other tips – or questions – for organisations who really are starting from scratch with no previous experience in this area?

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Gain New Skills, Become a Trustee!

October 15, 2010 Leave a comment

Next week, 25th to 31st October 2010, the Charity Commission is promoting Trustees Week, which aims to encourage more people from all walks of life to get involved in supporting charities by becoming a trustee.

 Trustees play a crucial role in terms of charity governance and, given that charities represent all walks of life, it is vital that their boards are representative of people from different backgrounds too.  But it’s not just a benefit to the charity, trustees have an opportunity to develop their skills and experience, all the while making a difference to the organisation they support.

One of the areas they are promoting is Younger Trustees with a view to increasing the number of younger people who get involved with charity boards.  At the moment, 18 – 24 year olds represent 12% of the population but only 0.5% of the trustee population in England and Wales.  By having trustees with a wide range of backgrounds and ages, a charity increases the opportunities available for networking, ideas generation and trustee involvement.

While Trustees Week is an initiative specifically covering England and Wales it’s important for charities across the UK to encourage and promote opportunities for all to volunteer as board members, as well as more regular volunteering opportunities.  And charities could be creative in their recruitment of trustees, perhaps using social media to set up a recruitment campaign.

Whether you’re a charity looking for new trustees or an individual looking for a new challenge, increasing the numbers of people actively involved with charities can only be a good thing.

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November is Will Aid Month

October 11, 2010 Leave a comment

Image by Angus Macrae under Creative Commons License http://www.flickr.com/photos/36176995@N05/3371555112/

None of us want to think about dying but what will happen to your estate when you die if you don’t have a Will?  And, if you have dependents, you need to think about who will look after them should anything happen to you.  Never has there been a better time to plan for your future than now.  November is Will Aid month.  Make a Will with a local participating solicitor and make a donation to charity instead of paying the solicitor’s fee.  Suggested donation levels range from £40 for a codicil (an amendment to an existing Will), £75 to prepare a Will or £110 to have a pair of mirror Wills prepared, ideal if neither partner has organised their estate.  You don’t have to include a charitable legacy in your Will in order to take part in the initiative – although a solicitor can advise you on how best to do this given your own personal circumstances if you wish to. 

It’s estimated that over 60% of Britons don’t have a Will, so if you’re one of those, it’s worth considering taking part in Will Aid Month this year – I know I will be!

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Creative Fundraisers are Worth their Weight in Donations!

October 6, 2010 Leave a comment

Some of the best people I’ve worked for have been those who take a creative approach to fundraising, thinking outside the box and looking at the bigger picture.  Rather than just focusing on the project or campaign target, they have an ability to look at how other projects and programmes might link in with the one needing immediate funding.  Or they can see how to make the donors gift or sponsors investment really make a difference – to both organisation and donor.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked for a couple of really creative, focused people and I hope that I’ve learned from them along the way.

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