Less is more
This is an incredibly strong video from Oxfam about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, to my mind, it would have been better had it ended at 1 minute with a call to action. The opening scenes are so moving that it doesn't…
Make your donors feel comfortable
I’ve always made time to visit Leland Maschmeyer‘s blogs and was interested in a recent posting that referred to a comment made by Pierre Martineau, director of marketing for The Chicago Tribune in the 1950’s. He believed “the most important function of advertising isn’t to…
New Research on attitudes to cancelling direct debits
There is another piece of research available on the effect of the economy on giving to charity. This time it’s from Rapp and they have focused on attitudes to direct debits. We don’t have access to the whole report but the top line figures don’t…
Face to face and email – where might they fit together?
books have been part of my office furniture since I first discovered his work on persuasion and compliance on a trip to the US. Much of his thinking went into developing the strategy behind the prospecting campaigns that Bluefrog implemented through Gift for organisations like…
37% of donors say they are less likely to give to new charities
During the recent rocky times, the fear amongst fundraisers has been of donors cutting back on giving, but every indication we have at Bluefrog is of something different happening. Money isn’t being stashed under mattresses or in biscuit tins in preparation for a financial apocalypse….
New research indicates 6 percent are now giving less
We have another piece of data to add to the ever-growing library on attitudes to giving in the current economic climate. I have already blogged on Bluefrog’s qualitative research and the September RNLI study As regular readers wil no doubt remember, ongoing Bluefrog qualitative research (amongst mid-value donors) is…
Obama does a 360
The interweb is packed full of congratulations and celebrations over Barack Obama’s victory and it seems a pretty good time to have a look at some of the tools he used to win and see what lessons there are to learn for fundraising in the UK. There are…
Thinking big
For all the talk about great targeting and brilliant creative, to my mind, the single most important element that influences how much income we generate is the central idea around which the appeal is built. The Art Fund appeal for the Blue Rigi which won the best use of DM at the…
Growth in the virtual gifts market
With Guy Fawkes Night just a few days away it won’t be long before every TV ad, every shop window and every radio station is reminding us that Christmas is still almost two months away. In readiness, I’ve been looking at some of the public…
Don’t take the P. Give it instead
The Yougov research into giving to charity during the credit crunch that was undertaken in June and published in August provides a couple of intriguing insights into what people may or may not do in the upcoming recession. They may well be less likely to…
Podcast: Recent Episodes
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?