Christmas Countdown Giveaway – 5 Sleeps ’til Santa!

December 20, 2010 Leave a comment

As we’ve only 5 days to go before the big man arrives, today I’ve included 2 fundraising tips to help you focus your fundraising:

3. Review the market.  Look at your competitors – who supports them?  Are there programmes like yours that have failed or succeeded?  Why?  Is there an organisation in your area doing similar work?  How are you different?  Fundraising is competitive so it’s vital that you stand out from the crowd.  Knowing who you’re up against will help you to position yourself effectively.  But as well as looking at competitors, also think out the box too.  What has motivated you to give to a charity – why was it effective?  What advertising campaigns have really stood out for you and why?  And remember, you are not your donors – so get the views of others too.

 4. Get everyone on board.  You should set out the reasons why you are fundraising and what your objectives are (see point 1) so that everyone in your organisation knows why you’re fundraising, what for, how much and in what timescale and what you are hoping to achieve.  You can’t under estimate the power of internal support for your fundraising so make sure your trustees, staff and volunteers know why you are fundraising.

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Day 2: Christmas Countdown Giveaway

December 17, 2010 Leave a comment

by Flickr User Andreas Cappell

So, you’ve thought long and hard about what, why and how you’re going to fundraise, what next?

2. Put systems in place.  Without systems you will find it difficult to sustain your fundraising.  Get a database and use it – this doesn’t have to be expensive, you could use Constant Contact, Access or any number of other databases before you even think of splashing out on a fundraising specific system.  Decide who you will target for funding – trusts, individuals, Lottery, business or a mixture?  Establish systems that will help you to look after your donors by determining how and when you will communicate with them.  You don’t have to recreate the wheel – this could sit within a communications programme that you already use, taking into account the specific audience(s) you are communicating with and always ensuring that your donors receive appropriate communications.

So what next?  Look out for tomorrow’s tip…

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On the 1st Day of Christmas…

December 16, 2010 Leave a comment

OK, we are way past the first day of advent but a few early Christmas presents never go amiss – so here is the first of my daily fundraising tips to help get your fundraising sorted out between now and start of 2011.  So here we are, at day 1 and my first tip is:

  1. Plan your fundraising.  What do you want to achieve?  Why?  How does this fit with your organisational strategy or goals?  What, specifically, do you need the money for – staff/core, project, capital?  Where do you think the money will come from – current or previous donors, new funding routes, trusts, individuals, the Lottery?  What resources do you have to invest in fundraising?  Do you have staff, a database, robust administration systems, effective communications?

If you can’t answer any of these questions, you’re not ready to start fundraising.

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Free Fundraising Makeover

December 10, 2010 1 Comment

The economic situation has changed fundraising for a huge number of organisations – some who didn’t fundraise before are now considering it to help boost their funding as other sources have dwindled (or been dramatically cut).  Others with a history of fundraising are finding it increasingly difficult now that there is greater competition for funds and budgets of donors have become  more restricted.

Or at least that’s the anecdotal evidence – but what about your organisation?  Has fundraising become easier, more difficult or pretty much remained the same? 

We’re carrying out a survey (it’s very short and won’t take more than 5 minutes – honest) to find out how fundraising has changed in recent months – if at all.  As an incentive, all of those taking part will be entered into a prize draw to win a free fundraising audit for their organisation.  And, even if you don’t win, all respondents will receive a copy of the results which will help to establish whether you’re on track or need to do more compared to others.

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Fundraising and the Recession

November 30, 2010 Leave a comment

There’s no denying that the economic climate has made fundraising difficult – and this appears to have been due to a number of factors.  Some organisations have found their earned income has declined dramatically and are trying to fill the gap with fundraising; others have found that, as more organisations start to fundraise, competition for funds has increased; and of course, many of the donors and sponsors have either reduced or stopped providing funding. 

I’m interested to find out how the recession has impacted on organisations – so please complete our short fundraising survey.  Not only will this help us to determine what information organisations need to help their fundraising but everyone who takes part will receive a summary report on the results, helping them to adapt their fundraising ideas and needs according to the current market.  And there’s also a chance to win a free fundraising audit for your organisation – it’s a win win situation!  Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey.

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Payroll Giving Hit by Recession

November 29, 2010 Leave a comment

Following on my recessionary theme this week – for which I apologise – I noticed this article regarding the reduction in payroll giving since 2007.  While not a major source of income – around 4% of earners give to charity through direct contributions from their salary – it does demonstrate another area where belts are being tightened and charities are seeing their funding reduce from this particular income source.  Payroll giving has always been a tax effective way of giving to charity – as the contributions come off before income is taxed thereby reducing the amount of tax paid by the donor – and I would encourage donors to consider it where they want to give regular amounts to charity each month.

With regard to the recent decline, while of concern, it has to be considered positive that donors have chosen to reduce the amount they give to charity through direct salary contributions rather than completely cut their contributions altogether.  It shows that people are still keen to support charities close to their hearts and hopefully, will mean that, when times are better, their contributions increase once again.

I’m particularly interested in fundraising and the recession so if you’ve noticed any change to your income – or even if you haven’t, please complete our short survey for the chance to win a free audit of your fundraising for your organisation, which could help you get back on track; identify your strengths and weaknesses; or change your fundraising priorities for the future.

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Different sector experience can help fundraisers see the bigger picture

November 10, 2010 Leave a comment

I often find that there is an assumption that if you’ve worked in one sector, the skills are not transferable to another – and this isn’t necessarily the case.  The principles of major gift, individual or trust fundraising are the same in an environmental charity as they are in an arts organisation.  The organisational structure may be different, the projects will vary and the donors may be different (although not necessarily) but the methods employed to encourage donations tend to be the same. 

You still need to be clear about what you want funding for, how much you need and what it will be used for.  You will need to make a robust case for support that captures the imagination of donors, demonstrates why you are the best organisation to deliver your particular project and helps your project stand out from the rest of the applications. 

Often, it helps if someone does come in from another sector, casting a fresh eye on your approach to fundraising (or marketing or governance) bringing with them new ideas that are equally applicable to your organisation and sector as they have been to another but perhaps have never been tried in your sector before. 

I worked with a marketing consultant on a fundraising and marketing strategy for an arts client.  The marketing consultant had never worked with a not-for-profit or in the arts before so the client initially started out with concerns that he would not be able to understand their marketing needs. However, the result was a marketing strategy that got them thinking differently, encouraged their creativity and saw them employing new ideas to engage with audiences. 

At the end of the day, employing a fundraiser or bringing in a consultant is the decision of the organisation but don’t narrow your field of choices simply because they haven’t gained their experience in your particular field.  Chances are if they’ve been successful in one sector, they’re likely to be successful in yours.

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Planning Your Fundraising Campaign

October 22, 2010 Leave a comment

Campaigns vary in scale and aims.  A campaign is for a specific need – be it capital or revenue – and it will have a specific target and deadline.  Depending on the size of your organisation, it may mean that your fundraising campaign takes over all of your fundraising activity and, even if you are large enough to continue with other fundraising activity, a campaign will certainly provide the main focus.  Key aspects to consider are:

1. Before even going into campaign mode, test your campaign – does it fit with your overall vision and strategy.  If not, why not?  It may be that you are changing the culture of the organisation in general but this should first be reflected by a change in your organisational aims, rather than by a fundraising campaign.

 2. Test your target.  Have you any experience of fundraising?  Do you have the resources to raise this amount of money in terms of staff and board time, office systems and experience within your organisation?  Have other organisations run similar projects or tried to raise similar amounts?  Were they successful?  If not, why not?  Is there something you could do better?

 3. Review previous and current fundraising.  Look at where money has come in from the past – that may be a good starting point for future gifts.  What are you currently doing that may need to be dropped to focus on the campaign.  How will that affect the running of your organisation?

4. Review your systems and networks.  Make sure you have the capacity within your office systems and resources to devote time and energy to fundraising which is well managed and structured.  A good database; proper systems for research; good internal channels of communication – to ensure staff are informed and board members are networking effectively on your behalf; gift stewardship – i.e. what will happen when a gift is received or pledged in terms of thanking and looking after the donor; gift policy – are there particular types of donor that you are unwilling to accept donations from/if you receive shares, how will you manage them?

5. Write a plan.  Use all of the above to compose a fundraising plan for your campaign, which clearly makes the case for your campaign and outlines the structures to support it – including prospect research and information on where gifts will come from.

There are of course, many other aspects to consider when planning a fundraising campaign but these are the top priority in my mind. 

Would you add any others?  Or perhaps there are aspects you think are less important?

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Fundraising – why bother?

October 20, 2010 4 Comments

by James Cridland james.cridland.net under Creative Commons Licence

The other day, a friend told me that her organisation wasn’t going to bother fundraising.  They are a small organisation, which has had some success with trusts in the past but they don’t see the point in investing more time and resources into building their fundraising programme as they receive enough income from other sources. 

Often organisations are put off fundraising because they don’t have a fundraiser, they can get by with the other funding they have, they have a board that doesn’t want to invest in fundraising, or they simply don’t know where to start and feel it will be too much effort.

Of course, if you are in the fortunate position of having enough funding to cover your core activity through public funds and earned income, you may consider that fundraising is an additional activity that you don’t have the time or resources to invest in.  But what if your funding situation changes?  What if you need more income this year for a special project that you want to deliver?  If you have no relationships with other potential supporters – be they trusts, individuals or sponsors – it will make the task of finding additional funding infinitely more difficult.

Fundraising does require investment – time, resources and money – and it requires planning to establish how your organisation should manage and target fundraising to best suit your particular needs.  But organisations spend so much time trying to get their message out to new people all the time – be they audiences, volunteers or service users – why would they not want to use that message differently to reach people and organisations that could inevitably invest in them?

The very act of communicating with and to potential supporters will also help you to use more and different channels to get your message out.  Can this necessarily be a bad thing?  It may not only introduce you to potential donors but could result in more volunteers, more customers, service users or audiences, depending on your type of organisation – all helping you to meet your aims and objectives and potentially grow your earned income, as well as your philanthropic and sponsorship income.

Fundraising, particularly when you have no dedicated resources in terms of staff or time, may seem like an impossible task but with careful planning – planning and systems are key to ensuring fundraising sustainability – it can be achieved and ultimately, worth more to your organisation that it costs.  Of course, there will be some initial effort required – there always is with any new activity – but surely, it is worth it, particularly in current times when no funding is assured?  Look at your resources and consider using them effectively to deliver some key fundraising goals. 

  • Put systems in place to allow you to have a rolling programme of fundraising – a database, donor communications programme, applications cycle, research activity – all carefully planned
  • Start off small – no one expects you to deliver £1m in your first year with no history of fundraising. 
  • Network – expand and broaden the groups of people aware of your organisation, the projects you deliver and your vision for the future.  Encourage your board to help you network. 

Ultimately, introducing philanthropic income and sponsorship will enable you to diversify your income and, more importantly, increase the sustainability of your organisation in the future. 

Perhaps you don’t agree?  Or maybe you have other suggestions as to why an organisation should consider fundraising?

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Starting Out

October 2, 2010 Leave a comment

So why give up a secure, highly paid job to go it alone?  Well, one of the main reasons for starting Activate Fundraising was to have the opportunity to work with a variety of clients whose work I support and have an affinity with.  I knew it would be hard work – and it has been – but it has also been hugely rewarding working with clients both large and small on a range of campaigns and for projects as diverse as enhanced employability for young people to the restoration of key artworks by a leading Scottish artist.  As well as hands-on fundraising, I’ve also run focus groups and developed feasibility studies, helping clients to establish what they need; why they need it and how they can attract donors to support it.  There’s something incredibly motivational about starting work every day knowing that you’ll be speaking with different people, learning about new projects and helping organisations to raise the funds they need to realise their vision.  So while it might have been a bit scary, working for myself has been the best decision I’ve made.

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