Beyond words: How thanking can transform your relationship with your charity’s supporters.
When a charity reaches out asking for help with their fundraising, especially if they’re facing challenges such as low second-gift rates, high attrition, and limited interest in legacies, my first reaction is to hop online to get a first-hand experience of being one of their…
Why you should stop f***ing about with your logo and stick to fundraising instead
A few weeks ago, I presented Rogare‘s inaugural Critical Fundraising lecture at Kingston University. My topic was charity rebranding. It’s an area of work I’ve long been interested in. I love great brands, and as a result, I tend to track what happens after a…
Why do people give? The Donor Participation Project with Louis Diez.
Today’s podcast features Louis Diez, the founder of the Donor Participation Project (DPP). Louis set up the DPP with a single goal – to try to reverse the decline in the number of people giving to charity. Until recently, its members have predominantly been US…
Points to consider when raising funds during the attack on Ukraine
Few of us will have been unaffected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the harrowing images I’ve seen and the horrific stories I’ve heard. No doubt you, like many others, will have happily lent your support…
Five fantastic insights for fundraisers from the British Red Cross Museum of Kindness
One of the many great things about charities is the people they attract to work for them – the changemakers – the people who actually get stuck into tackling poverty and fighting injustice, who support others when they are in need of help and who…
The Omicron variant, more restrictions and failings of leadership. What should fundraisers do now? Video presentation
Back in September 2021, I recorded a presentation about the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on giving for the CIOF National Convention. Recent events have made me think that it would be useful to make the video available more widely. The findings are of particular relevance…
Heretical fundraising ideas for 2022
I’ve often thought that the best fundraising practices that inconveniently clash with that sparkly new product or ad campaign can get unnecessarily sidelined – sometimes completely forgotten – in the drive to ‘innovate’. With that in mind, I put together a list of my favourite…
What are the long-term effects of Covid-19 on fundraising?
Month after month for well over a decade, at Bluefrog we have been speaking to donors about their attitudes to giving to charity. That’s around one hundred studies, across many different themes. We’ve learned what people think about regular giving, mid-value gifts, safeguarding, legacies, alumni…
So, what did happen to giving in 2020?
I’ve been lucky enough to have been given early access to some of the key findings from Blackbaud’s 2020 Charitable Giving Report. There’s loads of great insight gained from the analysis of over $40 billion in charitable giving to over 8,800 organisations. But before you…
People who have more money can give more away.
OK. OK. I know. That’s a truism. You obviously have to have some spare cash if you are going to support a charity, but what makes this a particularly interesting point is the recent report from the Governor of the Bank of England, where he…
The Essentials
‘Tis Halloween. Keep to the light and beware the Four Fundraisers of the Apocalypse!
Why do people give? The Donor Participation Project with Louis Diez.
A guide to fundraising on the back of a postcard
What does the latest research tell us about the state of fundraising?
How do donors manage their philanthropic budgets?