News & Blog

It is amazing how a capital appeal can galvanise donors into action compared with ongoing revenue appeals. I recently came across a church that is struggling to cover its monthly revenue needs of around £33,000. Despite regular updates and appeals to its members.

One thing no book or training course can teach fundraisers is passion for the cause. It's the essential ingredient for success and without it no fundraising operation will prosper for long. I recently interviewed an academic about an ambitious appeal he plans to launch.

The influence of organisational culture on fundraising is an issue rarely discussed in our sector. Whether you are raising funds in a major hospital or a small disability charity, the culture in which you operate will to a large extent define how you operate.

Recent weeks have seen a raft of clients renewing their contracts with us for 2013. Simon George commented: "It's always very positive when a client renews their contract with us, as it's a real sign of their confidence in our team. Historically, most of our work has been repeat business".

At the board meeting of a charity of which I am a trustee, we signed off the accounts this week for the last financial year. Our Finance Director had been predicting a deficit for the year and had been resigned to having to dip into reserves by a small amount, when we had been hoping to break even.

It’s hard to believe it, but we are about to celebrate our 15th anniversary of helping UK charities develop strategies and raise the funds to pay for them. Things have changed a lot since 1998 when we a started both in the world of fundraising and in our business. Is this a better fundraising environment?

In the current climate, and despite its often low ROI, community fundraising is still a great way to engage with donors and prospects, but to justify the time and effort you really need to ensure you are squeezing all the benefits from it you can.

I saw recently that the IoF is 30 years old this year - a moment perhaps to take stock? Certainly, fundraising has come a long way since the ICFM, as it then was known, was established. And so, to be fair, has the Institute.

A common demand placed on trust fundraisers is to find new prospects, which in a mature operation can often be a challenge, especially if all the usual sources have been exhausted.