It’s the first morning at the AMA conference in Bristol. At the Watershed, temperature climbing, no air con except an open window and some fans. But we are set up and waiting for the rush. […]
AMA Conference 2014
Day 13: Grants & Funding
The world of grant making is evolving. Below are the best websites where you can access guidance on applying for grants plus advice on how to manage a relationship with a funder. These sites contain more sources, more commentary and more funding analysis than anywhere else. Subscribe online at the individual websites. Warning… these websites can […]
Day 12: Check your materials
It’s important to ensure you are sending a consistent message with every piece of material that’s posted online or sent to potential donors. This includes obvious things like your website and social media posts, and other items such as your email footer and Skype status. Include a personal story: why you’re raising money, why it’s […]
Day 11: Why do people give?
For any charity trying to raise money, understanding what motivates people to give is pretty useful. However, people’s motivations can be complex. Here are a few of the most important reasons why people donate: They are affected personally by the cause (think heart disease or cancer) They are thankful that they aren’t affected by the […]
Day 10: The Joys of Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a wonderful thing. There’s no denying that it could be made easier, less bureaucratic, but the simple fact is that there is probably no more cost-effective way of adding 25% to your donations. All you have to do is get a completed Gift Aid form from your donor, record the details of […]
Day 9: Apply for a Google Grant
You may not have heard of it, but Google Ad Grants is the non-profit edition of AdWords, Google’s online advertising tool. As part of its nonprofit programme, Google gives eligible charities $10,000 (£5,800) a month to spend on AdWords, Google’s pay-per-click advertising system. Not only that, if you spend at least $9,500 (£5,545) in two months of the previous 12 […]
Day 8: Set Realistic Goals
Your fundraising goals should be a stretch, but not to the point that they become impossible. As you get closer to your target amount, raise it to encourage people to continue donating. Avoid reaching the situation where prospective donors decide not to donate because you have almost reached your goal. […]
Day 7: Believe in your cause
A fundraiser or charity employee has to sell the cause to encourage people to take part. If you are passionate about what your charity does, it shows and makes it harder for a potential supporter not to get hooked. #FundraisingFortnight […]
Day 6: Make the most of social media
Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn are just some of the tools that can help you promote your charity and send messages to volunteers about how they can help. It’s easy, quick, free and the message can be spread fast to different audiences. Social media is about building a long-term relationship with your supporters, and this […]
Day 5: Work on your relationships
Work on relationships with people already supporting you. If your existing supporters feel appreciated they are more likely to champion your cause to family and friends. Make sure to always acknowledge each donation, if you don’t, donors may feel disaffected and are less likely to donate in the future. #FundraisingFortnight […]
Day 4: Don’t try to carry out several fundraising activities at once
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 […]
