Picture this: a wealthy donor opens up the daily newspaper at her kitchen table and sees a heart-warming story about a school-age child benefiting from your nonprofit’s services. On her drive to work, she hears your executive director interviewed on morning news radio. Before an afternoon meeting, the same donor scans her Instagram and Facebook … Continue reading 4 Steps to Strategic Communications
Charity meetings: making decisions and voting
How to hold charity trustee and member meetings, including AGMs, so you can make decisions legally and your charity can run effectively. Clear guidance from the Charity Commission for trustees. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-meetings-making-decisions-and-voting
Strategic Planning Sucks the Life Out of Nonprofits
The nonprofit sector has created a culture in which strategic work is seen as a necessary evil, a process to endure, something to suffer through. Executives often enter the process begrudgingly. They may insist there is no time, money, or support. They may say that the board adds little value, that a bold and expensive … Continue reading Strategic Planning Sucks the Life Out of Nonprofits
6 questions trustees should ask their fundraisers…
Being a trustee feels like a weighty responsibility. There are so many important issues to get to grips with and fundraising is often one of the areas in which many trustees have little or no experience. In fact, many of the skills and experiences they have from their business lives directly apply to fundraising: having … Continue reading 6 questions trustees should ask their fundraisers…
Building fundraising success: the importance of leadership
Time and time again we see the critical role that leaders and trustees have on their charity’s major gift fundraising success. If you are a Trustee or leader, how do you develop the skills that make you effective in either fundraising directly or supporting the executive team? What do you need to know about major … Continue reading Building fundraising success: the importance of leadership
Three steps for Boosting your Fundraising Confidence
Stephanie Harvey, fundraising manager from Little Village, shares her thoughts on this year's Status of UK Fundraising 2019 Benchmark Report. One outcome is the decreased confidence in charities. Stephanie elaborates: "We have all seen the negative news with various stories being uncovered of late, and like others we were disappointed and angry about what was … Continue reading Three steps for Boosting your Fundraising Confidence
Why is the cost of raising funds rising so fast?
The cost of acquiring a pound of charitable income has grown swiftly since the start of the century. The latest edition of the UK Civil Society almanac contains a section on the cost of generating funds, which shows that in the year to March 2001, adjusted for inflation, the charity sector spent a total of … Continue reading Why is the cost of raising funds rising so fast?
Creating and leading a Great Fundraising Organisation
Do you work for a Great Fundraising Organisation? Not any great fundraising organisation… but a Great Fundraising Organisation. For the purpose of the academic study, “The Great Fundraising Report,” Profs. Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang from the Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy at the University of Plymouth, defined Great Fundraising Organisations as those charities, NGOs and … Continue reading Creating and leading a Great Fundraising Organisation
Fundraising Directors – Why is your job so hard?
The majority of Development Directors are hired to grow income. In keeping with the ads and job descriptions, the charities are poised for growth and keen to hire an experienced fundraiser to lead the charge. The job interviews focus on a DD’s ability to raise funds, lead a team and be a senior team player … Continue reading Fundraising Directors – Why is your job so hard?
Don’t fear the Rich List
How to deal with rich people? John Baguley writes in this blog: "I have worked on many highly successful capital appeals and a few that didn’t quite reach their target. Time and again that failure was due to the inability of the team to engage with wealthy people as human beings and not as representatives … Continue reading Don’t fear the Rich List
Propper Fundraising 