Many small charities are often carrying out 6 or 7 different types of fundraising activity at any given time, and often doing all of them at a sub-optimal level. Pick one or two areas to focus on and really make them shine. #FundraisingFortnight […]
Day 3: Fundraising requires skills and expertise
If you think that anybody can fundraise you are mistaken. Fundraising takes skills and hard work; the best fundraisers can make a huge difference to the fortunes of your charity. Appoint a smart, fast-learning team and offer them plenty of training and support. Bear in mind that it’s important to hire a fundraiser to raise […]
Day 2: Ask for donations
Most Trustees would like to raise money simply by broadcasting how great their cause is, how great their need is, and then waiting for donations to roll in. However, even the best newsletters and media articles don’t raise much money. Asking people directly and passionately raises money, and there’s no shortcut to this. However, stopping […]
Fundraising Fortnight
The last few years have been particularly tough for the charity sector as it’s had to find new ways to operate and interact with the government whilst meeting the needs of those it serves. A period of economic growth followed swiftly by recession has seen income levels under pressure at exactly the time when charity […]
Coca-Cola – a life in design
Since its invention in 1886 by Colonel John Pemberton as a cure for his morphine addiction, the Coca-Cola logo has become a familiar sight globally. Although the coca was removed in 1903, the recipe has remained unchanged all these years. Even today, the name Coca-Cola is synonymous with its iconic glass bottle. After nearly a […]
Online security
Think you do enough to remain secure while online? Password security has been a hot topic recently (a subject we will return to in a later blog) but you need to be ever vigilant as more sophisticated threats emerge on an almost daily basis. We’ve put together the following checklist to ensure your data and […]
The Heartbleed Security Scare
The last few days have seen a particular internet issue, “The Heartbleed Bug”, hit the mainstream media. Terms you may not have heard before are being bandied about as if they are common parlance – OpenSSL, TLS, X.509, RFC, CVE…. So what do you need to know? How serious is this really? Let’s just say […]
At last some good news for the Arts
Yesterday’s Budget brought some good news for the performing arts. The Chancellor is extending the tax breaks offered to film to theatres and touring companies. Performing arts companies, including those putting on dance, opera and plays, will be get a tax break of 20%. Regional companies that tour will get a 25% tax break on […]
Submit to HMRC online even if your donations management system doesn’t support it
How are you getting on with the new requirement to submit Gift Aid claims electronically? Our latest software, GiftAider makes submitting your claims painless. It fully integrates with your existing system and is very simple to use. It manages the whole process whether you submit 1 or 500,000 donations at a time. As well as […]
Who’s to blame for that?
One of the issues in data collection is how we use it. I have always prescribed that data is used as an aid to decision making, but all too often is used as a method of control and apportioning blame. A recent report on the use of, and future direction for, data in the US […]
Apps we like: MyScript Calculator
This is a calculator that you write on. Very clever and very easy to use and it’s free! Works on your smartphone (Android- iOS) Works on your tablet (Android- iOS) Use your handwriting to write any arithmetic formula. Write and calculate mathematical expressions in an intuitive and natural way with no keyboard Supported mathematical symbols: +, […]
Does Gift Aid increase charitable giving?
Last month’s report on Gift Aid and reliefs on donations from the National Audit Office raised this interesting question (press release here). Gift Aid is an important source of income for charities – in 2012/13 about £1bn was paid in Gift Aid (about 2% of all chastity income) and £940m was provided as tax relief […]
The Big Give: Making donations go further
As a charity you are always trying to maximise the donations you receive. If You haven’t looked at the Big Give you should look now and I mean right now. The Big Give is a website that enables charities to pitch their projects and get people to donate, but the BIG thing are the Big […]
Apps we like: British Red Cross First Aid
“If a friend or family member was having a heart attack or was choking, would you know how to help them? The free app features simple, easy advice on 18 everyday first aid scenarios, as well as tips on how to prepare for emergencies, from severe winter weather to road traffic accidents.” This app is […]
My HTML Cheat Sheet
There are certain things that I always have to look up when creating HTML / javascript , no matter how many times I use them I never remember. So this is my cheat sheet which you may also find useful. Also I’ll always know where to look – so it’s as much for me as […]
Complaining customers, a right painful opportunity
Seth Godin posted a blog “The complaining customer doesn’t want a refund” and it reminded me of a lesson I learnt many years ago. Back in the mists of time when I was doing a stint in a sales office when one of the reps received a call from a disgruntled customer. The rep, while […]
Business Cards – better with a little thought
I get to see a fair few business cards when I’m out and about. Many are absolutely fine, some are tacky, some flashy, some are even whole little booklets (which I will probably never read). The problem I have, and I am sure I am not alone, is that when I am going through them […]
The more things change the more they stay the same
While we were building the new website I came across our original brochure which was written in the early 1990s (I’d been prompted to do this by something said at a recent conference) and was surprised at how little had really changed. Yes the technology has moved on a bit and we are using a […]
Ready for the off: Gift Aid claiming goes digital
From the end of September Gift Aid Claims will be different. The current R68(i) form will be no more and you will have to submit using one of 3 options: Complete on-line forms with attached spreadsheet (up to 1,000 claims per submission, but as many submissions as you like); Submit from your database on-line [direct […]
A little bit of thought
Last week I went along to the Middlesex University DProf summer bbq – and very nice it was to. We all got our name badges, but instead of them being emblazoned with the Middlesex Uni logo, they were each personalised with our company logos. A very nice touch, and a sensible one. The idea was […]
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