fundraising strategy

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