simongeorge's blog

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?

Tesco and some other big retailers recently came under fire for not paying young people on work experience schemes, yet this is exactly how some well-known charities behave when they take on unpaid interns. As a sector, we pride ourselves on our ethical values, so where does offering experience and CV fodder become exploitation of graduates and others in a weak job market?

Legacy marketing can be a bit "us" and "them" can't it? We the charity ask them the supporters for a donation, using marketing techniques to overlay and crunch the data. We segment and target prospects that match the best profiles and have the greatest propensity to give. It can all seem a bit one way, impersonal and data driven. But there is a different way.

For those feeling daunted by 2012, a word of encouragement. It’s not all bad news. Yes, things will be tough, but we’re all getting used to that. Nevertheless, you will still need something to carry you through the year and help you raise the funds your organisation depends on.

This month at the IoF West Midlands conference, Liz Loudon brought a useful reminder of the importance of effective language in fundraising. In an excellent presentation, she gave valuable tips on making an impact with appeal writing.

This month (November 23rd) the UK celebrates National Freelancers’ Day and I hear there are even parties planned. Since 1998, the number of freelancers in the UK has risen from 1.25 million to 1.4 million today and I suspect this trend will continue.

Last week NCVO said 98% of charity leaders it sampled were pessimistic about the economic outlook and today BBC news featured the plight of charities cutting staff due to falling donations. Clearly, a lot of donors are feeling the pinch, with rising prices, more redundancies and a falling stock market. Even those in jobs are feeling poorer as their pockets are hit and they see the value of their savings falling. No surprise then that some charities are finding it tough at the moment.

So what can we do to ensure our organisations get through the next 12 months?

A good friend of mine is currently enduring the nightmare of sorting out the affairs of an aged relative who has died intestate.

The recent comments by Mark Astarita, Chair of the IoF, about payroll giving may have embarrassed the Institute, but of course he is only saying what most of us have known for years.