I have been privileged to work with some great charities.  Some have been large national charities. Some have been small local charities.  All have been single of purpose; to do the best for their customers/clients/patients/users.  However, despite that singleness of purpose, there has been a wide spectrum of opinions of ‘Fundraisers’.  Some within the charities believe Fundraising is a function to invest in, some believe that it is simply an annoying but necessary means to an end, and some believe that all fundraisers should do so voluntarily, that it is not a role that one should accept payment for.

Whilst I have always been keen to point out the value of experienced professional fundraising staff, and have without exception been able to prove the point with increased income, I have always felt a little uncomfortable at having to do so – at having to justify my own existence.

Earlier this week I stumbled across an American man called Dan Pallotta.  I will never again question the value and need of my profession. I will never again waiver when I’m challenged on the perceived expensiveness of the service I and many other fundraisers provide.

Dan gave a presentation at TED 2013 in March entitled The way we think about charity is dead wrong.  Click on the link below to visit Dan’s website and watch the talk. It is THE most inspiring and career-affirming presentation I’ve ever seen.  This man talks real sense, not just about fundraising but about the role the not-for-profit sector has in changing the world.  I’m with him, are you?

http://www.danpallotta.com/

Carers play a vital part in the lives of many sick people in the UK today.  However, caring for a loved one can be very stressful and often causes health problems for the carers themselves.

Research undertaken by Carers UK and the University of Leeds earlier this year found that the care provided by friends and family members to ill, frail or disabled relatives is now worth a staggering £119 billion every year.

Well done to The Co-op for addressing the issue

Via the Manchester Evening News 19/12/12

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1596491_carers-policy-offers-help-to-staff-?s_cid=business%20bulletin-20121219%20(1582)

It is often the case that on appointing a Fundraiser, the Board breathe a sigh of relief – “Phew, our work is over. Now its someone else’s responsibility”.  If genuinely as a Board Member you and all of your colleagues have said this and have never been forced to reconsider your view, you’ve appointed the wrong fundraiser.

As the Board you are a Fundraiser’s first port of call.  A good fundraiser will act as a catalyst, unlocking the sometimes hidden potential in your Board’s combined address book.  However, you cannot simply hand over the contacts and leave the fundraiser to do all the work.  They will do the leg work, the research, formulate the plan and help you to execute it. However, people give to people, and most effectively, to their Peers.  This is not a relationship you can back out of at an early stage.  It is recognised though that you may not personally want to make the ask yourself (that’s ok), you do need to be involved in the process.

Another common misnomer is how well you have to know someone before you can tell a fundraiser you know them! Trustees like to be well-connected and in a group scenario, they often don’t want to be seen to not be as useful as others.  Just because you appeared in Who’s Who? on the same day as Stelios, does not mean you know him! To know someone from a Fundraiser’s point of view, they need you to be able to pick up your mobile and call them Now!  I sometimes find that it is those who truly feel they are not well-connected who reap the best results. It means they have never ‘tapped-up’ their friends and colleagues and are often unaware of their potential.

A well-connected Board doesn’t have to be a Board full of rich friends (although they do help). Those who know Trustees of other organisations, companies in the area, who have a good reputation within their own sphere’s of influence and those who add credibility to your organisation all are needed.

I find it is best to work with Trustees identifying and approaching their contacts on an individual basis.  They tend to be more honest, more open, and in the long run, more successful!

What level of reserves does your charity have? In the past it has been suggested that a sensible amount to hold is approx 6 months’ running costs. However, we are aware that there are charities currently sitting on much more than that ‘just in case’ things get bad.  How much worse are we planning on things getting?

Read this article from the Guardian, it is very interesting!  If you do have reserves ‘to spare’ and you are considering what to do with them, Get In Touch!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2012/sep/27/charities-spend-money-now

A simple phone call really only does take minutes and, from the figures they’re offering, could improve our retention.

Thanks to Katya’s Not for Profit Marketing blog for flagging this up!

http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/how_to_reduce_donor_attrition_in_three_minutes?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=fundraising&utm_content=fundraising

http://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2012/nov/15/publicising-spend-charitable-activities-disaster?INTCMP=SRCH

Twice a week Armstrong Baillie, 32, dons a furry suit his mother made him, before travelling to different places to do good deeds.

He calls himself The Good Giraffe and lives in Dundee with his girlfriend and her daughter.

The BBC website reported this story on 14th November.  I love the idea, and the picture that goes with the article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20316851#TWEET360288

I remember being in a school assembly when I was at Chethams in Manchester.  Our head teacher was talking about the many homeless people who ‘lived’ in the streets around the school and asked what we could/should do to help them.  He said he sometimes took them to the cafe and bought them a drink rather than giving them money.  One girl said she gave 10p to each person.  That was some 20 or so years ago now. I think she probably still does.

When did you last make a random act of kindness and how did it make you feel? Why not try it again today

But did you know that giving to charity, either in cash, goods or time donated can also give you that same feeling of peace and well-being and can even have some health benefits?

America has successfully used the ‘feelgood’ factor to generate donations for decades where as the UK has tended to focus on the cause and the need.   In these current times of austerity and long-term economic uncertainty, never has your extra donation been needed more!  Maybe now is the time for Fundraisers in the UK to look to this alternative view of fundraising?

We might as well, what harm is there in trying?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/health/cancer-research-uk/8792392/Charity-giving-and-good-karma.html

As the articles states, Audrey Hepburn once said, “You have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

The Charities Aid Foundation and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations have undertaken a piece of research with the Office of National Statistics into giving trends and have looked at how the recession is biting Britain’s charities.

They found a double impact: the number of people giving to Charity has fallen and so too has the average amount given.  Is this really surprising given the current state of our economy and lack of confidence?

It is completely true to say that the £1 in your pocket this year is far less disposable that it was 5 years ago.  How can charities fight to maintain their income in such circumstances?

How do David Cameron’s plans for the big society and out-sourcing of many necessary services to the charity sector stack up in the face of these findings?

Are you an established charity? What have you found in your giving trends? Are you a fundraiser? How are you managing to still generate the income your charity needs?

Get in touch and share your experiences

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20304267

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/professionals/s/1585026_chafes-gives-10400-to-cancer-charity?s_cid=business%20bulletin-20120802%20(1346)

They have had to go through the correct channels and gain permission from the SRA to make the donation in this way but the long and short of it is that a donation of over £10k has been made which would otherwise have festered in an account, unable to be spent on anything else.

So, I call to all you solicitors out there, have you any accounts like this and if so, would you like some help in ‘freeing’ the money to a new good charity home? If so, get in touch, I know plenty who would happily re-home any funds you may have