Fundraising Bright Spots

How to attract younger donors, is a valuable issue for a charity to solve.  Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations – as charities, how can we respond? For answers and encouragement Rob talks to philanthropist and best-selling author Lisa Greer. As a so-called ‘major donor’ Lisa has a valuable perspective on charity relationships with High Net Worth individuals. And one of the fascinating themes in her latest book The Essential Fundraiser’s Handbook is how charities can effectively raise funds with younger supporters.  In the interview Lisa explains why the traditional approach to high value fundraising does not suit most supporters who are millennial, and Generation Z and younger. And she offers practical suggestions for what charities can do differently to improve fundraising results. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing our podcast, so it can help as many good causes as possible. Lisa and Rob are both on LinkedIn.

‘We aced all three big pitches – here’s how.’ As most fundraisers are all too aware, pitching to funders is a complex and difficult process. In recent months, the UK charity Refuge created the chance to pitch for three corporate partnerships. For all three, the stakes were high. In fact, one of them is worth millions of pounds and will make a massive difference to their services protecting women and children from domestic abuse. All three pitches were successful.  In this episode Rob Woods talks to Katie Hillitt, Head of Philanthropy at Refuge. She shares the approach that has proved so effective, with tips and encouragement to help other charities with their pitches. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it helps as many charities as possible. Katie and Rob are both on LinkedIn.

High performance culture is invaluable for charities seeking to make a bigger difference. What can we do to encourage an approach to fundraising that strengthens relationships and increases fundraising income? The High Value and Legacies fundraising department at Alzheimer’s Society has achieved impressive growth over the last 5 years. Rob talks to Charlotte Matier, Associate Director at the department to hear about the culture, processes and priorities that have helped achieve these results. In particular, she shares the three pillars they use to guide decision-making and ways of working. Using examples, Charlotte shares how her team strive to build firm foundations upon which successful fundraising can take place; to create exceptional experiences; and to maximise value for both supporters and the charity. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it can help as many charities as possible. Charlotte and Rob are both on LinkedIn.

What do Great Fundraising Organisations do, that is different to the rest?  Relatively few charities and non-profits achieve impressive, sustained growth over several years. But a few do. And as a result, they are able to make a much bigger difference for the communities they serve. For more than ten years, Alan Clayton has carried out detailed research into what makes the difference. In this episode he and Rob discuss the valuable distinctions he has discovered. And Alan brings these ideas to life with lots of recent examples and he offers guidance for other charities determined to grow long-term fundraising income, with less stress. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it can help as many charities as possible. Alan and Rob are both on LinkedIn.

Growing existing partnerships and winning new ones – these are the two main ways to increase corporate fundraising income for a charity. But they are easier said than done. Since joining her charity in a newly created role focused on corporate partnerships, Charlie (Charlotte) Richardson has grown partnerships income in both ways.  In this interview she shares the techniques she learned on the Corporate Partnerships Mastery programme that she’s used to deepen relationships and add value with her charities’ partners – this has led to an increase in income of £100,000 in the last year with one partner – as well as how she’s found and built brand new partnerships – one worth £50,000 - from scratch. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it helps as many charities as possible. Charlie and Rob are both on LinkedIn.