Rapidata have released their mid-year update of their direct debit tracking report. In short, direct debit cancellations are falling – even though the latest figures are still almost 80% higher than we experienced back in June 2007 (before Northern Rock showed us what was in…

A new report on online activism and fundraising has just been published by M+R Strategic Services and the Nonprofit Technology Network. Using data from 32 US charities for 2007 and 2008 (including Care International, Oxfam America, The Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity and IFAW) and…

Oxfam have released a fascinating report on the impact of the recession on their charity shops. Having the largest number of stores (714) of any charity in the UK, it presents a pretty comprehensive picture of what is happening nationwide. The highlights are: Donations of…

Back in November, a number of the key indicators were showing that the main impact of the economic downturn would be on donor recruitment. As a result, Bluefrog commissioned a survey that specifically asked people about their attitudes to giving to charities that they didn't…

There was a piece of news that seems to have sneaked under the radar in the last week or so, but could be the first step of a change in fundraising practice that will influence a whole range of charities. It did get a mention…

Bluefrog’s research into why donors lapse, The Fundraiser’s Guide to Lapsers, is now available for download by clicking here. As mentioned in a previous post, we were fortunate in having Professor Adrian Sargeant review our work and for very kindly writing the foreword. I’d like…

Last summer, Bluefrog presented its findings on a huge qualitative study to identify the key reasons why donors decide to stop giving. As many of you who attended the event told me, the information was great, but the presentation wasn’t. That’s why we have taken a little…

I posted a piece last week on Rapidata's paper on what's happening to direct debits in the UK. It can be downloaded here. Have a look. It isn't often you get such a chunk of great information completely free of charge. But just in case…

Just before my short break, I had a very interesting conversation with Helen Reynolds of Sue Ryder Care about their pay what you choose pricing experiment in their Melksham charity shop. This has been one of the most popular topics I’ve covered so I’ve started…

I blogged about the Sue Ryder Care charity shop experiment a few weeks ago.  For a two week period, all fixed prices were removed from donated items and customers were able to pay whatever they thought goods were worth.  In light of the economic downturn,…