How to get a £1 million donation
The Coutts Million Pound Donors Report 2010 has just been published. It takes a look at the condition of British philanthropy at the very top of the giving scale – which, as you might guess, covers gifts of £1,000,000 and more. There were just 201…
What makes a good banner ad?
I can't think of any areas of fundraising where simple and engaging propositions don't work – and that includes online display ads. And here's an example to prove it. You've probably seen the recent fundraising campaign on Wikipedia, where they have tested a number of…
Fundraising isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s much more important than that
When fundraisers get together and start dreaming of which organisations they'd like their charities to emulate, it's not long before football clubs are mentioned. The passion, the adoration, the following, the commitment, the income! Wouldn't it be great? It might well be, but considering the…
What do high value donors actually value?
The 2010 Bank of America / Merill Lynch Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy has just been published. Though this blog takes the UK fundraising perspective, we can learn a great deal from what’s happening in other markets and this series of US studies deserves…
Are you Luke or Yoda?
Donors need motivating, and great storytelling is a rather effective technique to cut through jargon, bringing visions and missions to life. Through using great stories, we get people giving and doing. And if you’d like to improve your storytelling skills, I’d recommend you addResonate by…
You cannot not communicate
“You cannot not communicate. Every behaviour is a kind of communication. Because communication does not have a counterpart (there is no anti-behaviour), it is not possible not to communicate.” Paul Watzalwick’s First Axiom of Communications. Everything you do to a donor communicates something: If you…
What’s the point of branding?
So you've got a brand. You've brainstormed with stakeholders, you've paid many thousands of pounds for a sparkling new logo, a corporate identity and a list of adjectives that are going to help you change the world. And what's the result? Has it increased response…
The difference makes little difference
Of everything the International Fundraising Conference offers, it's the international part that's the best – the opportunity to share ideas and learn from fundraisers from throughout the world. In my experience, it doesn't matter where an idea comes from. I've learnt from fundraisers in many…
The oldest fundraising letter in the world
I've just got back from the International Fundraising Conference in Amsterdam. I'd been invited to speak about direct marketing and seeing as it was their 30th anniversary, I decided to look at what fundraisers were doing back in 1981 for some source material. As regular…
Why all charities should thank donors
One of the most dangerous things you can do to any appeal is add a ‘we don’t value you enough to thank you’ tick box to your donation form. They seem to offer supporter choice and some donors appear to like them, but to my…
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?