You don't have to be Nostradamus to predict that 2016 is going to be a tough year for fundraising. In particular, as the impacts of greater regulation and a hostile press are gradually absorbed, it is almost certainly going to become even harder to recruit new supporters for the great majority of non profits. So we … Continue reading The Year of Retaining Donors
fundraising
Asking for permission
Any historian will you that the trends we think are important today are rarely those which turn out to have biggest effect. Proper historical judgements take time. Chou Enlai, Mao’s longtime henchman* was once asked what he thought the long term impact of the French Revolution had been, “it’s far too early to say” … Continue reading Asking for permission
Optimism of the will
“I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” Antonio Gramsci 1929 So I think more fundraisers should read Gramsci. You might question the relevance today of the words of an Italian Communist leader who died in one of Mussolini’s jails in 1937 but bear with me. Gramsci was not someone who … Continue reading Optimism of the will
Does investing in fundraising work?
A look at the results of major UK charities to see if they can prove the case for investing in fundraising.
For Liz
Yesterday we received very sad news. We heard that Liz Monks, one of the most respected fundraisers in the UK and a close friend and colleague to many of us in the sector, had died of cancer. She is a terrible loss. I didn't know Liz well but I was proud to be asked to became … Continue reading For Liz
Changing the narrative
Last week a group of fundraising folk had an open table discussion in London about the current mess UK charities are in and what we might do about it. Of course, this was far from the first such conversation fundraisers have had and will be a very long way from the last. Although there was plenty … Continue reading Changing the narrative
Unintended consequences
I sense a certain frustration in the NCVO offices that reactions to Sir Stuart Etherington’s Fundraising Review (actually it should be noted, a review of fundraising regulation) have concentrated heavily on the proposal for a fundraising preference scheme to allow individuals to opt out of fundraising communications. As one of the guilty parties, I do … Continue reading Unintended consequences
Babies and Bathwater
The one thing you can’t accuse Sir Stuart Etherington and his fundraising review team of is tardiness. In record time, two weeks for taking evidence and five weeks for deliberation and write up we have the conclusions of what has been described as the most important review of fundraising in the UK for decades. It … Continue reading Babies and Bathwater
Inside a Social Experiment
A while ago, we announced the launch of the Misfit Foundation, a new non profit set up to help charities connect donors with the work they are supporting through technology and the power of story telling. We did this because we thought donors deserved a better deal. And that treating donors better would create better … Continue reading Inside a Social Experiment
Fundraising lessons from Kids’ Company
If you were a cynical person you might wonder why we have yet another charity story in the media now. After all, the problems at Kids' Company have been around for a while, there seemed to be a perfectly sensible plan in place to deal with it (send charismatic but bit bonkers founder upstairs, find someone … Continue reading Fundraising lessons from Kids’ Company
Fundraising Fundamentals 