simongeorge's blog

One thing no book or training course can teach fundraisers is passion for the cause.

The influence of organisational culture on fundraising is rarely discussed in our sector.

In the current climate, and despite its often low ROI, community fundraising is still a great way to engage with donors and prospects, but to justify the time and effort you really need to ensure y

I saw recently that the IoF will be 30 years old this year - a moment perhaps to take stock? Certainly, fundraising has come a long way since the ICFM, as it then was known, was established.

A common demand placed on trust fundraisers is to find new prospects, which in a mature operation can often be a challenge, especially if all the usual sources have been exhausted.

In my post today was This Way magazine. Not heard of it?

This month, the IoF launched its new consolidated Code of Fundraising Practice.

Under current constraints, it is vital for charities to squeeze the most value from their resources. This includes selecting the right consultants for any projects they are developing.

As Seneca wrote, if you don’t know which harbour you are heading for, no wind is the right wind. He probably didn’t have fundraising in mind, but his quotation is strangely relevant to charity business planning today.

On holiday in Devon recently, I visited the famous Donkey Sanctuary (yes really!). Two things struck me. Firstly, entry was free – a great way to attract new donors from around the country. Secondly, on the walls around the site were huge boards naming their legacy donors, year by year - and I mean huge! They were unmissable and listed the many hundreds of people who have remembered this charity in their wills. So what can we learn from this?