It's that time of the year again. When Civil Society Fundraising magazine has its poll of the most influential people in UK fundraising. Now it's not true that my scepticism about this poll as a true measure of worth is due to my less than stellar performance in it. On a 5 year average, I think … Continue reading Who really influences fundraisers?
Fundraising
What’s the secret of a successful fundraising strategy?
As a (part-time*) member of the Honourable Society of Fundraising Consultants, Soothsayers and Allied Trades, I do quite a lot of fundraising strategies. And before my fall into darkness when I was an honest fundraising director, strategy was something I spent a lot of time on. So not really having got the hang of this … Continue reading What’s the secret of a successful fundraising strategy?
So why can’t we all sell this?
I've been on, I don't know how many, field trips over the years and seen NGO projects of all kinds all over the world. I've seen some amazing things and met some utterly inspirational people. But until visiting Sankara Eye Care Institutions last week I had never seen this. Jessie White of Misfit Foundation and some old, … Continue reading So why can’t we all sell this?
No one likes us
The problem with articles like the Guardian one is that they perpetuate the idea that the fundraisers take no responsibility for their relationship with the rest of the organisations.
The Future of Fundraising..Really
I’m a fundraiser which makes me, pretty much by definition, an optimist. You have to be, to expect people to give you money for, basically, nothing. Except a good feeling. But even I am starting to become more than a littler perturbed when I survey our current fundraising landscape. Not so much the relentlessly negative … Continue reading The Future of Fundraising..Really
Supporting the miners
It's thirty years this week since the end of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike. That's pretty terrifying for those of us for whom this was a seminal experience. For the generation who became politically active during the time of the Wicked Witch the NUM's fight against pit closures was the ultimate litmus test. There wasn't any middle ground … Continue reading Supporting the miners
A new charity is born
Last Thursday we launched our new charity, the Misfit Foundation in Islington, North London. The term “launch” perhaps gives the wrong impression. Actually we held a party and invited our friends and told them what we were doing. This seemed to go down very well although the copious amounts of liquid refreshment provided (thanks to … Continue reading A new charity is born
A better deal for donors
I've been working for charities for over twenty years, a sobering thought. I've worked for some great charities and done some fantastic fundraising. And some that's been less fantastic but we'll skip quickly over that. Overall, it's been really good. But what's been bothering me for much of this time has been that I haven't … Continue reading A better deal for donors
Stay tuned
A few friends and myself have been busy for the last couple of months. We're working on a new project. A new charity in fact. On Thursday 12 February we will be launching our new charity. And we will preview our first project. Which will be....interesting What we are aiming to achieve is ambitious enough. The charity … Continue reading Stay tuned
Coach for hire
One of the things that has struck me as an old fundraising director turned newly minted consultant is what charities spend their fundraising budget on. Overall , a lot of money goes to agencies and consultants of all kinds. Mostly to develop specific activities and campaigns but also to provide ideas and insight. A typical medium … Continue reading Coach for hire
Fundraising Fundamentals 