The truth about giving compiled from 250 million lines of data
The More Partnership has just published a great (free) booklet that illustrates some important truths about giving. The facts you'll find inside are based on analysing the supporter files of 33 British universities. That's a load of data. In just one year, it adds up to 161,000…
If it’s about protecting the donor, I’m not that worried
On Friday, we had the chance to see how the plans for regulating the sector were shaping up. I watched online (it’s here if you’d like to see it) and was pleased with what I saw. It was a pretty positive session where the concerns voiced…
The return of how fundraising works
As the first part seemed to go down well, we can have a sequel. This time with a few suggestions from your side of the screen. Thanks for sending them in. For many, it seems it was a chance to indulge in a little therapy…
Your grandmother is a better fundraiser than you are
Yes. That’s right. No matter how many years you’ve been working in fundraising, no matter how many books you’ve read or how many tests you’ve been involved in, your grandmother (or mum) is instinctively a better fundraiser than you. She just knows that life is…
How fundraising works
Ladybird books are a series of British books that were used to teach children to read in the 1960s and 70s. As anyone who has read one knows, they presented a very stereotyped vision of family life. In 2014, artist, Miriam Elia spoofed the series…
Why do donors stop giving?
Back in 2009, Bluefrog undertook a huge qualitative research exercise to identify and highlight the reasons why donors stop giving to charities. The paper we published at the time is as relevant today as it was then. So I thought it might be useful if…
Who will the Fundraising Preference Service protect and who will actually use it?
Of all the recommendations in the Etherington report, it’s the Fundraising Preference Service that has generated the most concern. The whole idea of a reset button that can shift people into a world where charities can’t communicate with them is pretty frightening. Adrian Sargent summed…
The fundraising paradox
Keep your communications in the purple zone and you won’t go far wrong.
Give the hat back!
Following my last post, I've had a few discussions with fundraisers about professionalism and what it actually means. As a result, I thought it might be of interest to expand a little on my thinking. As I understand it, professionalism is undertaking a task with…
How to resolve the fundraising crisis for less than £200
One of my biggest frustrations is that in the drive to "professionalise" our sector, the need to actually learn about fundraising is often ignored. Instead of focusing on what donors need from charities, too many fundraisers have adopted expensive and wholly unnecessary corporate style re-brands…
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?