fundraising strategy

I followed the Institute of Fundraising National Convention’s twitter stream with interest last week and was, like many of my friends and colleagues in the sector, amazed at just how many times certain words, phrases or ideas came to the fore.

Lucy Gowar’s latest blog sums it up nicely around the use of the word innovation every other sentence!

Sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it?  Surely our selfless motivations, if  we really believe that "we are all in it together" should prompt us to ask "where can I help?".

But we're not all altruistic to the point of self-sacrifice because increasingly we can't afford to be.  Perhaps the most realistic expectation is to ask "what's in it for us?" where "us" means our nearest and dearest as well as our broader community and associations.

Why am I talking about this philosophical stuff, you may ask...? Because if we as organisations want anything from other individuals or organisations, I believe we need to understand the distinction between the above positions very clearly.  There is a tried and tested marketing concept called the value equation which suggests that in order to elicit the action we want from target audiences, we have to offer something commensurateand meaningful to them in order for them to perceive value in doing it.

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?

In his blog this week Jeff Brooks talks about three self-destructive courses of action not-for-profit organisations are following in a flawed attempt to survive the current tough economic climate.  He cites three main behaviours suggested by fundraising consultant Michael Rosen:

1. Stop Asking.
2. Do Not Have a Compelling Case for Support.
3. Ignore Current Supporters.

Given our experience of the last three years, I’d add a few more linked behaviours guaranteed to make it tougher for not for profits and charities to survive an economic downturn:

Now I’m not one of those who sees the government (of whatever colour) as the Devil incarnate, but recent warnings about the risks of state funding cuts for charities do make me think “I told you s