Project Design for Fundraisers
As trust fundraisers, we rarely have control over the design or delivery of the projects/services for which we are raising necessary income. Nevertheless, we still need to gather as much information as we can to complete our proposals and applications so they make sense and are an inviting opportunity for funders in which to invest.
Does your Case for Support pass the Why? test?
It used to be the natural thing for us to question everything – we asked why? all the time. Over time we’ve stopped doing that so much – we know more, we don’t ask as much. Asking “yeah, but why?” about your fundraising proposition is a good test of whether you’ve arrived at the nub of the issue yet… and if you can’t answer the whys that you come up with you won’t be answering the whys of your audience.
We don’t work on commission
We do not work on a commission basis.
Nor do any fundraisers who follow the Fundraising Code of Practice as laid out by the Fundraising Regulator.
Thank. Your. Donors.
Say thank you. Regardless of what the donor says. And listen hard for what the donor means when they say “no need to thank me” in case they mean “don’t make a fuss” or “don’t tell people” but would love for you to say thank you!
Failure to ask: a cautionary tale
I took a brief sabbatical at the end of 2015 – two months to step away from my life and experience some very different places, cultures, lifestyles. The trip was planned around a volunteering project where I’d get to ethically hangout with my all time top favourite animal (don’t tell my dog) – the elephant.
Sample and Template Policies for Third Sector Organisations
Needing to create or improve your organisation’s policies and governance for your fundraising toolkit? Have a look at these free resources, samples and templates on the internet.
Research – how to find the gold
For some people it is a most enjoyable exercise whilst for others it can be torturous. Either way, it is integral to a successful trust fundraising programme.
Quick turn-around, make-or-break trust fundraising
We’ve all had an urgent request for quick turnaround funding from trusts to keep our organisations solvent or our projects running. It can put dread in the hearts of even experienced and successful trust fundraisers – especially when, except in rare circumstances, it can be avoided.
How do you define a major gift?
Here at Money Tree Fundraising, one of the most common questions that we get asked is ‘How do you define a major gift?’, with our clients expecting us to state a fixed sum for them. Others come to us with their own pre-determined definitions and there is huge disparity between their answers.
Are you taking advantage of High Value Fundraising?
Our CEO Beth Upton has worked in fundraising since 2002 and is regularly frustrated by the income opportunities not being taken advantage of by charities, large and small.
Trust Fundraising: A £4 Billion Opportunity
In the UK, close to 10,000 charitable trusts grant over £4 billion per year to good causes. Many organisations have found that this can be a reliable and steady stream of income.
Hiring the right fundraiser for the job
The single biggest mistake I see from those recruiting for high value roles is the mistake of choosing the best person of those who came for interview rather than holding out for the person with the right skills, attributes and experience.
12 tips on making cultivation events work
Events will never be the be-all-and-end-all of major donor fundraising. Whilst they can be delightful, fun and a real talking point at home, they are more often than not an expensive distraction.
6 essentials for a major donor programme
We are often asked what needs to be in place for successful major donor fundraising, to which the answer varies depending on the charity. However, there are 6 generally accepted fundamental factors (I don’t claim to have invented these!), which should act as the core of your major donor programme
How big is big?
A question I am asked a lot is “how do you define a major gift”? And I always draw this (not always this neatly):
Delighting your Donor
It is entirely possible to start a brilliant major donor programme as a tiny charity without any dedicated staff handling those relationships.
Is a Development Board a help or a hindrance?
I often come across the automatic assumption that a Development Board is the answer to great major gift fundraising. An awesome Board can propel an appeal forward and reach opportunities simply out of reach otherwise. A poorly constituted Board (be that the people, the terms of reference, the assumptions, the staff or anything else) will be more of a hindrance than a help. Any Board is hard to manage and they are always tricky to inherit!