Many years ago when I was fundraising for YMCA England, we undertook a direct mail campaign to assess the impact of asking people to support local work. YMCA England is comprised of over 130 independent community based charities that work together under the YMCA brand….

Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, recently shared some of his findings on on-line A/B testing on Quora that were reproduced on Random.Andrew.Warner.com. They are worth sharing as they demonstrate that though we operate in an on-line world, people are…

An interesting set of studies has been published by UC Berkley that looks at how our emotional strategies for dealing with upsetting issues change as we age. As psychologist, Robert Levenson explains: "Increasingly, it appears that the meaning of late life centres on social relationships…

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…

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…

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…

Helping is a basic need state. Even before we are explicitly taught social rules, we seem to want to assist those in need. Whether it is because of an innate desire or because, as babies, we’ve had loads of opportunities to experience acts of helping…

Here’s a little research that helps shine a light on why it’s predominantly older people that give money to charity – particularly through direct mail. It makes them feel good! Wow. What a shock! I heard your chin hit the floor. But what’s interesting is…

TNT Post have just released the results of a poll on the importance of direct mail for raising funds. They surveyed 2,000 British adults and found that: One-third of people who give to charity are prompted to do so by receiving direct mail appeals. 57%…

Whenever we undertake research with donors, we rarely hear them question the grass roots work of the charities they support… “The trouble with that charity is they aren’t that good at drilling wells.”“I’m not sure if the housing they provide is good enough.” “I know…